Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
My girl is about 520grams right now and yes, she eats every Wednesday night (two lg. mice). Her widest part of her body is comparable to the diameter of a silver dollar coin - that is the best way for me to describe her. The lg. size mice are not very thick/wide but she eats them fine - which is why I am giving her two each feeding.
The largest mice I see for sale are considered XL Mice - which don't look really large at all - you all are saying that she could live off the XL mice her entire life??? I thought the food had to be wider in diameter than the snake???
I will wait for someone to chim in on this - thanks.
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
Quote:
Originally Posted by
L.West
I thought the food had to be wider in diameter than the snake???
The "rule of thumb" is that the food should NOT be any wider than the thickest part of your snake's girth. However, that doesn't mean it HAS to be that wide.
There is such a thing as "too small"...but picture extremes of an adult BP trying to eat a pinky mouse...or an adult burm trying to eat a regular mouse...they're just too small for a mouth that size to get ahold of and draw in properly.
But if it'll fit in the snake's mouth and they can get a grip and a coil around it, it's not too small. It may take multiple mice to equal the equivelant rat-sized meal...but the snake doesn't care.
I know folks that have raised many beautiful, mature ball pythons to impressive sizes on nothing but mice. :)
I'm by no means saying one way is better than another....just giving options.
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
Wow, Thanks for that info JLC - I have always worried I wasn't feeding her large enough mice but now I understand that qty. versus size works also.
I do think with my next rodent order I will move up to the XL mice but I think that is as large as they get???
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
:)ahhh very interesting....I mean the only reason I'm asking is I'm going to get into the breeding game as soon as I can, right now I'm just collecting, and learning, but I want to know exactly what I'm doing when the time comes. Now being that mice are a lot smaller then rats wouldn't it just be easier to feed them mice cuz you can fit more of them in rack systems. I don't want to have to worry about buying frozen food all the time, I want to be able to produce my own, I just don't know what kind. BTW I'm not trying to hijack this thread, just kinda happened that way lol.
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
My pleasure, L. West. :)
dsmalex97.....that really all depends on what you consider most convenient for yourself. And if you feed live or pre-killed or f/t and if you'll be breeding your own rodents.
Rats are more convenient for the following reasons:
--they don't stink nearly as bad as mice
--they tend to be much better mothers/breeders
--you only have to give each ball python ONE rat (and if you're feeding a lot of snakes, that little time-saver can make a big difference vs having to thaw or kill multitudes of mice, or having to wait as the snake eats one live mouse at a time)
Mice are more convenient because:
--their breeding colonies take up less room than the same number of rats
--they won't grow too big for a ball python to eat
It all boils down to what will your snakes eat AND what works best for you.
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
Just an update on Bella - I offered her three mice with this weeks feeding and she took them all readily.
I weighed her the other day and she is up to 600 grams now - she sure is growing fast but I have to keep in mind that this last weight was with no poop so it may not be accurate.
One thing I am wondering about (maybe JLC can help) - my snake has two identical hides one on each side warm/cool side. She tends to prefer to stay on the cool side (it is about 82 degrees) vs. the 90 degrees on the warm side. Am I to assume she knows what she is doing and leave her to choose what side she want to stay on??? May be a dumb question but I was just worried about her.
Thanks.
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
Quote:
Originally Posted by
L.West
One thing I am wondering about (maybe JLC can help) - my snake has two identical hides one on each side warm/cool side. She tends to prefer to stay on the cool side (it is about 82 degrees) vs. the 90 degrees on the warm side. Am I to assume she knows what she is doing and leave her to choose what side she want to stay on??? May be a dumb question but I was just worried about her.
Thanks.
So long as they have the option of choosing one temp or another and you know your temps are steady and spot-on....that's all you have to worry about. The snake will continue to do whatever it can to make you worry and doubt yourself. (It's what they do.....really...their favorite thing in the whole world.... :P )
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
Thanks JLC - I knew I could count on you to help me out. I guess I just worry myself over everything. Her last shed was perfect - all one piece so I must be doing something right - although I give all credit to the Reptile Basics Cage I purchased with an RHP - its made a world of difference.
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
I'm hoping (JLC) can help me out again - my snake still hasnt pooped - I know I posted about this before and was told not to worry about it but at what point should I start to worry - she hasn't peed/urates since 11/24 and no poop for about a month now - I am getting worried.
Any advise or wisdom.
Thanks.
Re: Need Help - Feeding Question
Quote:
Originally Posted by
L.West
I'm hoping (JLC) can help me out again - my snake still hasnt pooped - I know I posted about this before and was told not to worry about it but at what point should I start to worry - she hasn't peed/urates since 11/24 and no poop for about a month now - I am getting worried.
Any advise or wisdom.
Thanks.
Awww... :oops: We've got LOTS of good helpers around here!
How is her lower end looking, near the tail? Is she getting puffy or swollen looking? When was the last time she shed? They'll often let the whole mess go at once with a good shed. If it doesn't seem like a shed is coming anytime soon...you can try giving her a soak and see if that loosens her up a bit. Use water that is about 80-85 degrees F. It should feel pretty neutral to your touch, neither warm nor cold. If it feels warm to you, it may be too hot to be comfortable for the snake. Use a tub with a lid...and just enough water to go about half-way up her sides. Put her in for no more than 20 minutes or so, and keep an eye on her. If it'll fit, you can place the soaking tub back in her enclosure where it'll stay warm.
All that being said...they really can go long stretches without passing much at all. If she's absorbing and utilizing the bulk of her food and water intake, it may take awhile for enough waste to build up to pass.
If she looks really swollen and the soak in the tub doesn't help her pass anything, then try a little massage in that area, as there might be a large lump of urates being difficult to pass. (Be ready for a dump if you do that! LOL)