few questions

hey i was just wondering if this is an alright schedule, i feed my bp Mars every 5 days. ive heard and read alot 6-7 days but i try and feed it a little bit smaller mouse then adult. oh and Mars is about 5weeks old.

another question i have is it better to feed mice or rats, i hear that rats have better nutrition.
thanks in advance for any answers

You'll want to feed one prey item that is as wide around as the snake's widest point every week. And I'm pretty sure all rodents have around the same nutritional value; however, it's a good idea to switch to rats. Rats come in sizes big enough to last through a snake's entire life. Mice are smaller, so you'd need to feed multiple mice every week once the snake grows. It's just cheaper and easier to use rats.

thanks for clearing some of that up, but is their anything wrong with feeding every five days. hes only 105grams last time i checked. is that a normal rate for being 5-6 weeks?

Nothing wrong. I've seen it recommended a lot for young ball pythons. <500g, I think.

I've also heard that rats have more protein or something, which would make sense, since it's one big rodent instead of a bunch of small ones with extra hair and skin, etc for each.

also is 105g a healthy weight for my snake, hes around 18 inches long and 5-6 weeks old

Hi. I think it seems like a healthy weight. A picture would help :) I feel all mine that are under 500 g's every 5 days. If they are hungry might as well feed them right? Besides there will come a time when they don't want to eat. It's nice to have them nice and plump when that time comes.

I feed rats because it's easier. It would take forever to feed my 2000 g girl 10 mice. Lol. I find it the younger they are when you switch to mice, the easier it is. But, that's just me.

Do what works for you. :) And, good luck!

thank you for the help and my avatar is a picture of Mars idk if that will help though :/
ill take another and post it he just ate last night though so he has a big belly :p

heres the picture of Mars next to a penny
http://s809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ent=photo2.jpg

5 days is actually reccommended in snakes that are smaller for they need more nutrition to keep em goin then the larger, older snakes do. My 1.1 hypos eat about every 4-6 days depending on how fast they digest their food they are roughly 300-400 grams. I agree with the previous post feed them as much as they will eat while you can because if they go off feed it is a pain. I have 11 bps and in the past year I can honestly say they have only all eaten the same day once in that year. If they all ate every week I'd be one happy man lol.

I'd start with rats as soon as you can because some snakes can be very paticular about what they eat. The one snake I bought was only used to eating some light colored brown mouse or something and it was a pain swapping him over to white rats. Even certain colors I have heard can affect what a snake eats if they are used to darker color rodents as opposed to white..but that is just what i have experienced and heard I am no expert. I have also been told rats have more nutrients in them and I have to say I do agree with this.

Hope this helped,

Hi,

I can't see your pic in this thread - is this it?

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...l93/photo2.jpg


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

I can't see your pic in this thread - is this it?


dr del

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yes thats the picture

Personally, hatchlings i feed every 4-5 days til the get to about 6-700 g then i taper them to once a week. When theyre young they have a much bigger appetite.

Def go with appropiate sized rats. Much more protein content. My freind has 2normals that are "mousers" and the size difference between his animals and mine(that are younger) is huge. Nothing wrong with mice but its like keeping them on a slim fast diet.

Yes. I think he looks like a good weight.

I'm sorry if my post was confusing. I didn't proof :( I don't feel my snakes, I feed them. Lol. And, I meant the younger they are the easier it is to switch to rats. Wait until they can hand a hopper size though. It seems to me if you switch from something that moves to something that really doesn't. :)

My little pastel is only about a month old. She must have been a runt because she is so tiny. It's hard finding her the right size prey item. So, I'm feeding her as much as she will eat (4-5 days). It's only been taking her about a day to a day and a half to digest it.

He looks pleasantly plump!

Feeding every 5 days is perfectly fine for a young growing snake.

Rats have better nutrition, but he should be fine off of mice, mine do :)

thanks for all the helpful answers and advice guys. stratus, you said wait til he can handle a hopper, do you mean a hopper mouse or rat? because hes eating full grown mice atm

sorry for double post but i was also wondering will feeding rats be more dangerous? my Mars just wont feed on f/t, so i have to feed live, never had a problem so far though, hes really good at aiming his strike i have a couple vid on youtube if you want to check out him striking :p

heres the link
YouTube - Ball Python Feeding
didnt get the feed in though just the strike, comes in around 3:55 minutes

A mouse can do just as much damage as a rat, but neither can do enough damage to matter if you supervise your feedings.

Also, I would recommend feeding the snake in its home enclosure to avoid the stress of moving before and after a meal.

ive read that the snakes can become agressive if fed in the same enclosure?

and so your saying a rat wouldnt kill my snake even if it bit or scratched?

whats the most that can happen if the rat bites or scratches?

and also how should i supervise the feeding, i usually just watch until Mars is done eating

would a rat pup be a good size for my snake?

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ive read that the snakes can become agressive if fed in the same enclosure?

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It is a myth. I feed all my snakes in their enclosures and I have never been bitten. The most bites that people sustain are from snakes during feeding time. These bites happen because someone got too close during feeding time. Handling the snake during feeding time is an example of getting too close.

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and so your saying a rat wouldnt kill my snake even if it bit or scratched?

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No. A scratch here or a bite there won't matter. The life threatening mouse and rat attacks come from keepers who have left a rodent in with a snake for long periods of time and the snake has no interest in eating. This can be fatal.

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whats the most that can happen if the rat bites or scratches?

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It might bleed a little and scab over but it shouldn't leave a scar.

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and also how should i supervise the feeding, i usually just watch until Mars is done eating

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Once the rodent is dead and not a threat to the snake.

well sounds good, i have heard other places too that its a myth. and thats good to know that the rodent wont do very much damage if any at all

would a 20g rat pup be too big for Mars? hes about 105g last time i checked he may be a bit bigger now seeing that last time i checked was two feedings ago

It's a little big. You can try and see if he'll eat it. The general rule is 10-15%. Usually they won't eat it if it's too big. Basically it becomes a race. You want your bp to be able to digest his meal before it spoils. If it is taking him too long, he's not getting the nutrients he needs. But, I really don't think a 20 gram'r would hurt.

I also feed all of mine in their enclosures. I've only been bit once, and it was a hatchling who thinks she needs to eat everything that comes in her cage. Rats/mice have a different heat scent than we do, and they smell way worse (well, that is if you wash your hands regularly). Remember, they can tell the difference between you and a rat, if you handle him on a regular basis (except when he's digesting) and make sure to wash your hands.

Just remember to watch them. If he doesn't want it, take it out. I only give mine about 10 min. I can usually tell if they are interested or not. I once had a rat start licking my bp all over, and then just curled up and went to sleep snuggling next to her. My bp looked at me like, "what is this? I'm not going to eat something that licks me." Lol.

Good luck!

maybe i should just wait a little till hes around 180-200 grams to switch to rats?

Depends on the size of the rats.