feeder size

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Based on your limited experience with owning a ball python, what indicators makes you believe that he's clearly ready to eat by day 4? Are you sure you're interpreting his actions correctly as hunger motivated?

Sure, he ate when you offered the food, because it was there, and ball pythons are opportunistic feeders, until they've had too much - and then they fast to catch up. Their wild instinct makes them eat when food is offered, because in the wild, it may be weeks, even months before they get another prey item. In captivity, they get meals handed to them 52 times a year.

Once a week is not just convenient for "us". Once a week is recommended from the years of hard work and studies done by folks like the Barkers, Kevin and Kara, BHB, etc - folks who are truely students of ball pythons with years of data.

I don't see any need to re-invent the wheel and second guess them, they've been working with these animals much longer than I have - why would my individual ball pythons have any different requirements than the thousands that they've collectively worked with and studied?

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I'm not trying to overturn anything or trying to second guess anybody. I was just wondering if "once a week" was an eyeball figure that fit nicely into your average person's time budget. I've read 5-7 days and 7-10 days on other sites so I figured 7 days wasn't some sort of magic number. That's all.

If I come across like I'm second guessing or challenging things its only because I'm really into it and want to take everything a step above the norm. I make my living as an engineer that's expected to understand the state of the art and then to improve upon it in a competitive industry where "state of the art" was come to by a bunch of really experienced, talented people (like the Barkers, Kevin & Kara, etc that you mention). So, its in my blood. Its how I approach anything I do. I'm not trying to be a thorn in anybody's side - its just how I'm wired. :rolleye2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I feed once a week ... never any more. Sometimes bigger girls will get leftovers, but the plan every week is one rat per ball python. Mousers may get multiples depending on their size and sex. Gram for gram I feel that there is no difference in any way between feeding mice or rats.

Hope this helps.

-adam

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Thanks for the response.
I just mentioned the mouse thing because I noticed that you could feed multiple mice with less showing of a bulge than with rats.

You think 10-15% of the bp's weight a week is a good feeding schedule?

Example: 500 gram ball is fed a 50 gram rat/mouse a week.