what size rat would you guess?

Okay I would like to change over to rats. right now Icc is eating hopper mice because that's what he was supposed to be eating when I got him though I think a size up might be good. Here is a pic of my buddy with a quarter for size reference? What size rats should I start him on?
https://ball-pythons.net/modules/cop...l_MVC-011S.JPG
I think he is about a yearling (11 or 12 months old) I can't recall.

oh and he ate monday and hasn't *defecated* since before i got him (3.17) so that may explain the extra buldge. ;)

Dont say shat Jonah. Say pooped or crappped or defecated or took a dump or something along those lines :roll:

Rat pups should be just fine. Thier prey should be about the size of the thickest part of thier body.

thanks guys!

Yeah, rat pups are the way to go. I have just converted my growing BP female to rats, from mice. I used the rat pups whose eyes just opened, and who have just started getting a bit of fur on them. Amazingly, she takes the rat pups with greast relish, though she was a spotty feeder on mice.

feed him gerbils much better food :roll:

Welcome to the forum, Joe!

Hey I feed Bob gerbils nothing wrong with it and it is a natural prey item.

Yeah but once they have a gerbil they never want to go back ;)

Bought my rat pups today! Gonna try - any tricks of the trade I should know about - I am currently thawing 1 rat pinkie 1 hopper mouse and 1 rat pup so any advice would be appreciated - I figure I'll scent the pup with the mouse and try him first - if that doesn't work I'll feed the hopper and follow with the rat pink. Any help or advice would be appreciated! :)

You could try just tossing in the rat without any scenting or tricks, for the first time. Icc could very well take it without needing to be tricked into doing so. IF he refuses it, wait a week, and THEN try scenting it. By then, he'll be a little bit hungrier, too, and maybe more willing to take something new.

FOLLOW UP! : just an FYI for anyone in a similar situation he took down a f/t rat pup (barely fuzzy with eyes barely open (closed anyway because he was f/t) - all I had to do was scent the head of the pup slightly with a f/t hopper mouse (his previous prey item of choice) the shiny coin is a quarter for reference.

FOR NEW PEOPLE! : Also for the new owners (like I am) the pup will look four times the size of the snakes head to your eyes - I couldn't imagine him being able to get it down, in fact as i was trying I figured he wouldn't even strike thinking the prey item was too large but after about three minutes he struck and missed and about five minutes later he nailed it and to my amazement got it all the way down without much struggle. So to you other newbies it may look too big but as long as it's no larger than the thickest part of your snake plus 10% it'll be fine. I checked today and no regurge, just a fat and happy snake :)

- just a little re cap of what I learned -