Feeding confusion...plz help

I have a ball python and a red tail boa. They both are fed the same time every month once a month. They both get a medium rat. I have been reading about feeding time and size etc... But all I hear about is feed every week or every two weeks. Am I doing wrong? My babies are the same age give or take a week. They're just over 1 yr. Can anyone clarify...

They only get fed once a month?

:welcome: to the forum!


How on earth are they eating medium rats at that age? They should be too small to eat something so big.

Do you have weights for either snake? Or a picture with something for size comparison? Is it possible what you think is a medium rat is actually a small rat? I'm just having a hard time picturing a yearling RTB or a BP eating a medium rat. The only BP I have big enough to eat mediums is my 2,000g female. My adult RTB eats jumbo rats, but he is 6' and 25lbs.

I feed my ball pythons once a week and my adult red tail once every 2 weeks. In my opinion, once a month is not enough, especially for a ball python.

Yes, every 1-2 weeks. People at pet stores like to use the fact that they can technically survive on once a month as a selling point.

First, welcome to the forum!!

I cannot even imagine a 1 year old boa or ball that can down a medium rat. That has to be a mistake somewhere. If not, it is a huge feeding error. Your snakes will not be able to handle this for long. I'm not being rude or critical - just honest.

Feed a rodent that is no bigger than the thickest part of the snake. The prey should not leave more than a small lump in the snake's body once it is swallowed. Feed an appropriate sized rodent once every 10-14 days. I personally recommend every 10 days for balls and for young boas and once every 14 days for adult boas.

A 1 year old ball will probably handle rat pups or weanling rats. A 1 year old boa would most likely be on weanling or small rats. There is a big difference between small and medium rats:

Pups = 20-29gm, 2+"
Weanlings = 30-40gm, 3.5"
Smalls = 40+gm, 4.5"
Small/Med = 70-95gm, 5+"
Mediums = 100-130gm, 6".

Would you please post pictures of your snakes? I'm curious to see just how large they are. Thank you!



Note: To compare, my male Argentine boa is a 2010 (so he's about 2 1/2 years old) and he is only just now eating a medium rat - every 2 weeks.

I go by rat weight and a heavy small or light medium is not a big difference.
Most of my snakes get one medium a week.

Small is 46-79g
Medium is 79-149g

Are you underfeeding? Depends on the snake.................. if they want to eat I feed and if they turn away they don't eat.;)

BTW my sons 2 year old redtail is about 3000g and downs 2 to 3 mediums rats a week and most of my balls are on smalls within 5 to 6 months if they eat when offered.

If you can, post a picture of your snake along with your medium rats.

I know that rat sizes are variable, but I can't see a one year old ball python eating a medium rat.

OP: Everyone has offered good advice for the most part. Unless you are trying to get them up to breeding weight I'd feed the ball every 7 days. The boa should eat every 10-14 days.

Pitontheprowl: your sons boa is eating 2-3 med rats a week? Seems like a lot most people say to slow grow your boas by feeding no more than 1 prey item every 7-10 days. From what I've been told they have a much slower metabolism than balls and "power feeding" will shorten their life span. I have no hard facts on that but if you have some info saying what you are doing is good to go I'd like to read it. I'd love for my boas to grow a bit faster if there's no harm in it.

Most of my bp's are on small rats by 6 months and I have the occasional one that will be onto mediums within 6-8 months. I have an April 2012 girl that eats mediums that are on the small side weekly. (73 grams is 20% of her weight)

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Originally Posted by H.o.F.R

OP: Everyone has offered good advice for the most part. Unless you are trying to get them up to breeding weight I'd feed the ball every 7 days. The boa should eat every 10-14 days.

Pitontheprowl: your sons boa is eating 2-3 med rats a week? Seems like a lot most people say to slow grow your boas by feeding no more than 1 prey item every 7-10 days. From what I've been told they have a much slower metabolism than balls and "power feeding" will shorten their life span. I have no hard facts on that but if you have some info saying what you are doing is good to go I'd like to read it. I'd love for my boas to grow a bit faster if there's no harm in it.

Most of my bp's are on small rats by 6 months and I have the occasional one that will be onto mediums within 6-8 months. I have an April 2012 girl that eats mediums that are on the small side weekly. (73 grams is 20% of her weight)

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There is actually plenty of proof on this with some google searching on rats killing boas. Zucker rats, which are obese lab rats, have been known to kill boas simply because they are way too high in fat and protein. People have lost enough boas by feeding overweight rats, or feeding much too often for there to be enough proof to come to this conclusion. They cause things like fatty liver disease, organs that are too small to handle the body mass, shortened life span, inability to breed (females), smaller litters, more slugs, etc..


As for the OPs question, lots of good advice here. I agree with feeding ball pythons a prey item that is the same size around as the snake is, once a week to every 10 days.

Feed boas an appropriately sized prey item once every two weeks after it has passed a year old, or after it goes poop from the last feeding. Boas should be slow grown.

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Originally Posted by H.o.F.R

From what I've been told they have a much slower metabolism than balls and "power feeding" will shorten their life span.

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Maybe one of us need to look up power feeding? All my snakes are offered weekly except the little ones that are on a three to four day schedule. If they eat then they eat and if not oh well. An animal eating is not power feeding.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

BTW my sons 2 year old redtail is about 3000g and downs 2 to 3 mediums rats a week and most of my balls are on smalls within 5 to 6 months if they eat when offered.

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Pitontheprowl: your sons boa is eating 2-3 med rats a week? Seems like a lot most people say to slow grow your boas by feeding no more than 1 prey item every 7-10 days. From what I've been told they have a much slower metabolism than balls and "power feeding" will shorten their life span. I have no hard facts on that but if you have some info saying what you are doing igood to go I'd like to read it. I'd love for my boas to row a bit faster if there's no harm in it

^ this was by no means an accusation of you power feeding. I put the term in quotations trying to use the term lightly. No one is questioning your methods feeding balls. I was referring to your sons rtb eating 2-3 medium rats a week. From what I've read and heard that is not a great idea. I was asking if you had any info to the contrary that I could read on the subject also.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Maybe one of us need to look up power feeding? All my snakes are offered weekly except the little ones that are on a three to four day schedule. If they eat then they eat and if not oh well. An animal eating is not power feeding.

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I am quite aware of what power feeding is. And any 3000 gram boa eating that much a week could be seen as on the verge of being power fed. Not trying to start an argument. My initial comment was for more info on the subject. If you took offense then I appologize as it was not meant to be a slam on you or your practices.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by H.o.F.R

If you took offense then I appologize as it was not meant to be a slam on you or your practices.

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I didn't ;)

I am just trying to get the point across that mediums are not huge by any means. Two smaller side mediums are 80g each for 160g and two larger smalls at 70g each total 140g. We all know 20g for larger snakes is nothing. I will admit she doesn't get 3 every week if I don't offer or if she turns it down, its all up to her.:cool:

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

I didn't ;)

I am just trying to get the point across that mediums are not huge by any means. Two smaller side mediums are 80g each for 160g and two larger smalls at 70g each total 140g. We all know 20g for larger snakes is nothing. I will admit she doesn't get 3 every week if I don't offer or if she turns it down, its all up to her.:cool:

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Ohhh ok I gottcha!:gj: I will agree and did. the smaller side of mediums isn't that big and I have a couple 8-10 month old bp females on them already also.