Live feeding concerns

Howdy all!

I would not like a lecture concerning the dangers of live feeding or the benefits of F/T. I did the research and I made my choice. I feed live. I've had my guy a month now, he's about 18". The first week he took a fuzzie, the last two weeks two pinkies.

Both times he hovered over the food for 10 min or so before striking and eating. Today the pet store assured me that he would be able to handle a mouse. It was dumb of me to believe them. When I went to put it in the cage I hesistated, and maybe I should have decided not to do it.

My BP went right for the mouse and killed it immediately. But I don't think he can eat it. I don't watch the whole process, I try to leave the room and give him some privacy, but everytime I come back in his mouth is on the mouse, but I think it's too big.

What do I do now?

Oh dear god, it might be too late to do anything, I just went in there and he now has the whole face in his mouth and has wet the body and is working on stuffing it in. What if it's "too big"? He could be killing himself, right? What should I do?! Please help!

Let him try to eat it.

I feed almost exlusively live to my crew.

No, he won't kill himself. I started my hatchling out on live small adult mice when I got him because we didn't have anything else. He's fine. Pinkies are too small for a ball python at any age. The smallest he should probably be on right now is mouse hoppers.

:snake:We'll it's all inside him now, so perhaps I was over-reacting a bit.

I am brand new to this site, I found it during my panic over this feeding. I have a Chinese Water Dragon and the herper forum I joined in my early days with him was not very pleasant, so when I became a first time snake owner a month ago I was very hesitant to find an online community to ask questions of.

I have read your very informative stickies. I really like the attitude that this forum claims to take, I look forward to reading more and learning more. I also feel relieved to know that there is a resource to which I may turn when I have questions.

Like: the first week when he ate, his poo was very unsolid and made a mess. What does that mean? It hasn't been like that since, so I stopped worrying, figured maybe it was part of the adjustment to his new home.

As far as this thread, now that he has eaten this super large food, what will happen if there is a problem? Will he throw it up or just die? Or will he be in distress and how will I know that? If there isn't a problem, does that mean that this was the right food size (since he attacked it so excitedly and quickly) and I should continue offering this size?

Thanks so much for your help!

Just remember that if it's too big the snake will not eat it. Plain and simple. They're not as dumb as people think :)

And yeah, I would continue feeding that size. It takes a little longer for them to digest a larger meal, but that just means a longer period between meals. If he's uncomfortable with it then he will throw it up, if he does wait two weeks and feed him something smaller. Let us know if he keeps it down or not.

If he throws it up, it could mean it was too big, he was stressed, or he has parasites. Loose stools can also indicate parasites, but you said it hasn't happened again.

If he throws it up, try again in two weeks with something half the size. If he throws that up, you might have a problem.

If he keeps it down, he's fine. Get him on an every 5 day feed schedule.

The food offered should be a little bigger than their thickest part of their body. So if that mouse was too big, you can try a small adult mouse. Or just give him a hopper or two every 5 days.

People do underestimate how much these snakes can swallow, probably because their neck is so narrow by their head.

The rule of thumb is, the prey should be as big around as the widest (not the narrowest) part of the snake (unless the snake is thin due to lack of feeding, then it can be a bit larger). Since ball pythons are heavy-bodied snakes, this means they can take quite a large prey item. Brand new hatchling ball pythons usually start on fuzzy rats or hopper mice. After two or three months, they're ready for small crawler rats, and adult mice.

If you can clearly see the lump in the snake from its prey, it may have been a bit too large. If the lump is almost invisible, it was just the right size. Either way, so long as the snake doesn't regurgitate it (which he would likely do in the first day or so after eating it, if he's going to), then it was fine.

If you see a repeat in diarrhea, take a fresh (not dried) fecal sample to the vet and have a parasite check done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wingedwolfpsion

people do underestimate how much these snakes can swallow, probably because their neck is so narrow by their head.

The rule of thumb is, the prey should be as big around as the widest (not the narrowest) part of the snake (unless the snake is thin due to lack of feeding, then it can be a bit larger). Since ball pythons are heavy-bodied snakes, this means they can take quite a large prey item. Brand new hatchling ball pythons usually start on fuzzy rats or hopper mice. After two or three months, they're ready for small crawler rats, and adult mice.

If you can clearly see the lump in the snake from its prey, it may have been a bit too large. If the lump is almost invisible, it was just the right size. Either way, so long as the snake doesn't regurgitate it (which he would likely do in the first day or so after eating it, if he's going to), then it was fine.

If you see a repeat in diarrhea, take a fresh (not dried) fecal sample to the vet and have a parasite check done.

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x2 :)

sorry to steal this guys thread i have a few qs my self, ive had a bp for about a month and a half now, ive been over this with others but im still confused, petco started me on fuzzies for a couple weeks, they didnt know how old he was but defiantly under a year, right now he is about 120 grams, but i knew the fuzzies were too small after a couple weeks i moved him to hoppers which i am on right now, they are as big as the widest part of his girth, so i dont want to move up in sizes because i dont want him to stretch his stomach. thanks for all help

^There were no q's in that post...

Anyway, 2 things. First, petco and petsmart underfeed their snakes. I wouldnt trust them for feeding advice.

Second, it should be a litter larger than the widest part, but you're in the ball park. A size up wont hurt him though.

It should be eating mice roughly 12-18 grams based on the 10-15% rule

k so im going to get him mice today i think ill get the small adult mouse right now the hoppers are only 9 grams, so yeah thanks

For one thing, you can't stretch a snakes stomach like a humans. At 120 grams that snake can easily take an adult mouse.

To the OP, trust me, as scary as it is sometimes, you'd be amazed at what they can swallow. And I have discovered, they won't force anything they feel is too big, they'll simply spit it back out.

If you are very worried the meal was too big, give the snake an extra day before handling, and if it's not ready to eat again on schedule, then next feeding go a little smaller. This works well with all 12 of mine.

Gale

yea sounds great its been 24 hours since he ate it his belly is much larger i usually at leat wait 48 hours after feeding, so should i feed a hopper next feed?

Everything is that has been said is true no point in repeating it I scanned over the responses so if I am repeating something I am sorry. The point I'd bring up is that Ball Pythons imprint on their food and that feeding mice should be considered I'd recommend feeding rats and rats only. Picture 3 years down the road and needing to but a collection of mice to feed rather than an adult rat.

but rats are too big right now

Yeah I can't feed rats either right now because our store only sells small, medium, large. Maybe when I get some extra cash and can pay for the millions of dollars it costs to ship f/t to Alaska T_T