hey guys new and quick question! pic inside

Hey whats up everyone,

ive had my ball python for about a year now. he is a fussy eater finally ate today after 2 months,

i always cleared his cage to feed him and i decided to leave all his stuff in there and drop a mouse in and he ate it perfectly i think thats why he wasnt eatting he likes his hide box and everything to remain in the cage.

Hes about 2 feet long

my next question is should i start feeding him a rat?

heres some pics of him eatting today

http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...wnload-1-1.jpg

http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...redownload.jpg


heres him full growth pic
http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...wnload-2-1.jpg

anyone

That rat looked way to big for him !

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Originally Posted by Haydenphoto

That rat looked way to big for him !

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um bro hes never eattin a rat before, that was a small mouse, if anything it didnt fill him up he ate two of them

Nice snake! Go with what works and keep feeding him in its enclosure. I try to get mine on rats as soon as possible, so yes, I say go for it. Try with a live rat pup at first. I've never had a problem switching mine to rats. Oh yeah... welcome to the forums! :taz:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haydenphoto

That rat looked way to big for him !

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this place is funny sometimes.

that rodent was perfectly fine for him... to answer your question do what works for you but generally it is a good idea to switch to rats for various reasons.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haydenphoto

That rat looked way to big for him !

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That MOUSE looked just right to me.

He looks to be in great condition to me. I raised a number of my females on mice only (2 mice a week).

I have switched all of mine over to rats, not because I felt that rats were any "better" than mice (there are tons of healthy mousers being kept in pet homes all over the country), but because I chose not to breed mice, and breed rats instead.

If you'd like to do so for convenience for you, he should be fine on a small rat (I'd say 4 to 5 weeks old). Start with one equivalent to or slightly larger than the mice he eats now in size.

He's a beautiful animal!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

That MOUSE looked just right to me.

He looks to be in great condition to me. I raised a number of my females on mice only (2 mice a week).

I have switched all of mine over to rats, not because I felt that rats were any "better" than mice (there are tons of healthy mousers being kept in pet homes all over the country), but because I chose not to breed mice, and breed rats instead.

If you'd like to do so for convenience for you, he should be fine on a small rat (I'd say 4 to 5 weeks old). Start with one equivalent to or slightly larger than the mice he eats now in size.

He's a beautiful animal!

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thanks, but see the thing is the pet co by my house only sells small rats but they look pretty big to me i can never find a rat pup!

Look in the phone book for animal stores, call around to see if they carry feeders. If you don't find anything through there, search craigslist and you might be able to find someone.

We could probably help you with the picky eater business if you post a picture of your whole setup. There might be some things you can tweak to make him eat more consistently. A snake of that size should be eating way more often than once every few months. He looks pretty tiny!

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

We could probably help you with the picky eater business if you post a picture of your whole setup. There might be some things you can tweak to make him eat more consistently. A snake of that size should be eating way more often than once every few months. He looks pretty tiny!

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absolutely thanks!!

he seems pretty healthy, beautiful color, nice pattern, nice eyes, drinks, hides, active at night.

setups= 20 gallon long, aspen bedding easy clean up, log, hide box, heat lamp, undertank heater.

just worried about eatting, he ate on oct 2nd, going to try again on the 9th.
heres the pics!


http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...download-4.jpg

http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...download-5.jpg


im in the chicago land area also i cant find anyone with rat pups! he wont eat frozen needs to be live the petco only sells medium rats

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andrewrks123

i always cleared his cage to feed him and i decided to leave all his stuff in there and drop a mouse in and he ate it perfectly i think thats why he wasnt eatting he likes his hide box and everything to remain in the cage.

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Bingo! They're hiding critters that like/need to feel secure when eating. Heck, us humans aren't reclusive, yet it's always the booths at the sides that fill up with diners while the tables in the middle of restaurants remain empty.

I got mine about three months ago and he is about the same length. He is eating two mice that size per week and is a little fatter than yours. I have been thinking about small rats, but I don't think he has the girth yet. Petco by me has small and medium rats for 5.49, so it would be 50 cents cheaper than 2 mice, but I think I'm going to wait a few more weeks. That is a nice snake. Normals are my favorite!:gj: