Skinny Ball

I Bought my ball near the first of this year. He/she is my first snake, so I did all kinds of research before I bought and asked all the right questions but I'm starting to get a bit worried. When I bought it it was approx a foot one inch and was only slightly triangular and about 3in around and hasn't grown much. He/she eats just fine. He/she eats two fuzzies every two weeks and a pinky in between. Am I underfeeding it? I'm giving Him/her a lot more than the pet store who was giving two pinkies biweekly. Can anybody tell me what's up?

At that size I would be feeding it a rat pup every 3-5 days. It sounds like it is being underfed.

How big are the fuzzies in relation to its girth? And are we talking rat fuzzies or mice?

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Originally Posted by spitzu

At that size I would be feeding it a rat pup every 3-5 days. It sounds like it is being underfed.

How big are the fuzzies in relation to its girth? And are we talking rat fuzzies or mice?

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They're roughly the same girth as the middle section of the snake.

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Originally Posted by spitzu

At that size I would be feeding it a rat pup every 3-5 days. It sounds like it is being underfed.

How big are the fuzzies in relation to its girth? And are we talking rat fuzzies or mice?

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x2. I'm also thinking underfed. Balls should be given a prey item approximately as big around as they are at their largest point every 5-7 days when young and every 7-10 days when adults.

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Originally Posted by Hunkycorn

They're roughly the same girth as the middle section of the snake.

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They're mice, BTW... lol

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Originally Posted by Hunkycorn

They're roughly the same girth as the middle section of the snake.

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See if he'll take a fuzzy/pup every 5 days. He'll probably double his weight in a month.

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Originally Posted by Hunkycorn

They're mice, BTW... lol

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Oh yes...much too small. Hatchlings sometimes start out on mice fuzzies.

You can also get a small scale and weigh your snake, then weigh the prey item(s). Your snake should be eating approximately 10-15% of its body weight every 5-7 days.

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Originally Posted by Hunkycorn

They're mice, BTW... lol

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Erm. He should be well past fuzz mice even as a hatchling. Try weaned/juvenile mice. They shouldn't be too much bigger than the snake girth-wise.

Try switching to rats. I have one that won't eat rats for nothing so he eats 3 large mice weekly.

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Originally Posted by spitzu

See if he'll take a fuzzy/pup every 5 days. He'll probably double his weight in a month.

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Thank you so much. I'll give it a shot. I was a bit worried I was underfeeding. I figured PetSmart would know what they were doing... Obviously not, at least not herps anyway.

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Originally Posted by spitzu

Erm. He should be well past fuzz mice even as a hatchling. Try weaned/juvenile mice. They shouldn't be too much bigger than the snake girth-wise.

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Its about as big around as your thumb give-or-take. He/she had to stretch their jaws pretty wide to swallow the mice fuzzies. Should I worry about my ball biting off more than it can chew, figuratively speaking.

Your snake must be the size of a straw if you're concerned about mouse fuzzies. :P

Compare the mouse's girth to the snake, not your thumb. It should be about the same size as the snake's thickest girth.

Oh, and as suggested above, your could probably be feeding rat pinkies/fuzzies. I would personally switch to rats too, but it's up to you (and the snake).

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Originally Posted by spitzu

Your snake must be the size of a straw if you're concerned about mouse fuzzies. :P

Compare the mouse's girth to the snake, not your thumb. It should be about the same size as the snake's thickest girth.

Oh, and as suggested above, your could probably be feeding rat pinkies/fuzzies. I would personally switch to rats too, but it's up to you (and the snake).

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I was referring to the snakes girth. Sorry...

That's the size of a rat fuzzy, or even a small pup for those with fat thumbs. That snake could probably take a weaned/juvenile mouse if you prefer mice for some reason.

Hell, maybe even an adult mouse? I haven't seen a mouse in a while so I'm having trouble thinking of the size.

OP: If you're talking about the snake that is in your avatar, that BP can easily take a rat pup or an adult mouse.

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Originally Posted by spitzu

That's the size of a rat fuzzy, or even a small pup for those with fat thumbs. That snake could probably take a weaned/juvenile mouse if you prefer mice for some reason.

Hell, maybe even an adult mouse? I haven't seen a mouse in a while so I'm having trouble thinking of the size.

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I've also noticed a few individual scales that look like they're flaking. Does that mean it's about to shed?

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

OP: If you're talking about the snake that is in your avatar, that BP can easily take a rat pup or an adult mouse.

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Thats the one. :P... Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.