Is 25% too much?

I bought rats from a different supplier than usual, and apparently they like giving you the biggest rats possible. I ended up with 80 gram rats and Dovah is only 330 grams.

I did the math and it's about 25% of his weight... do you think that's too big and I should just go buy new ones, or will it be okay to feed him the rats for now?

That seems a little to large in my opinion. Sometimes the animal won't eat the rodent if it is to large as well.

That's what I was thinking, but I looked it up online and a few people said they fed 80 gram rats to their 300-400 gram BP just fine :confuzd:
So I really don't know.

I only have 4, so If I fed them to him, I would probably do it every 10 days just to not over-feed him.

Well, Dovah is about 2-1/2 fingers wide and the rat is 3 fingers wide, so I'm gonna give it to him and see what happens.

He'll be fine with it.

Ya, he's getting it down fine. I guess I'm just a little paranoid when it comes to feeding ^^

Don't forget the ones you have will grow. And they grow pretty quick.

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They're in my freezer!
I don't think they're doing much growing! xD

Glad he took the rodent for you :)
Rodent size will vary depending on who you ask, of course. I typically feed mine 10-15% every 7-10 days, that's just how I do it ;)

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Originally Posted by Kat_Dog

They're in my freezer!
I don't think they're doing much growing! xD

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Lmao I was thinking live!!!

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Glad he got it down. Just don't handle him for a few days and he will be fine.

He's perfectly fine, he at it within 10 minutes and curled up in his larger hide right over the uth. :)
I'll wait and extra day or 2 for handling and give him 10 days between feedings.


Crazymonkee- I would never feed my snake something live that I thought was too big ^_^

You don't have to wait 2 days to handle, he'll be fine. Thats a myth.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

He'll be fine with it.

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I have 200 gram bp's on younger small rats with no probs.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

You don't have to wait 2 days to handle, he'll be fine. Thats a myth.

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How long do you have to wait than ?

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Originally Posted by ATTFighter

How long do you have to wait than ?

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I wait til they pop their jaws back in place

Oh, really? So I don't have to wait 2 days before handling incase they regurgitate? Won't they still be in feeding mode if I handle them right now after.

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You need to wait at LEAST 24 hours before handling after feeding! There have been several threads here and on other forums about people handling too soon and causing a regurge!

I've been doing it my way for years and have never had a regurge. If i feed my snake and then it craps the next day, am i gunna wait another day to clean it? No. If i go to feed and see that the tub is dirty i feed them and then clean them after they're done eating. I'm not gunna try to move a hungry snake and get tagged. I calmly move a full snake after hes eaten and clean his tub. I don't know what these people are doing to cause regurges but i've never had a problem. Be more gentle i guess?

I was being sarcastic before, my apologies. I wouldn't pick it up RIGHT after it pops its jaw back in, because yes, it'll probably still be in feeding mode. You might get tagged then. I've handled semi-often as soon as a half hour after eating though to clean a tub with zero problems. Not sure who came up with the 48hr law but in my experience its bogus.

I think what most people view as "handling" is holding it for 30min+ letting it climb and slither around on the floor, which is much different than moving it just to clean it's enclosure.

When you handle a snake "for fun" you put a lot of pressure on it's stomach which I could see causing a regurg on a full snake.
48hrs might be a little extensive, I usually wait 30-36 hours and they are fine, imo it's better to be safe than sorry, I never want to deal with a regurg.

When i think handling, i think me touching/picking up/moving the snake.

I think people refer to handling as he says, holding like a pet. I also move snakes after they have eaten and never had a problem, I dont pet my snakes but they do need time alone to rest and digest.

Dont get crazy about size with balls, they will eat large meals no problem, and they dont get fat, not balls. They stop eating eventually and they regulate the food pretty good.

Mike, you're talking about a brief move just to clean a cage. There's nothing wrong with that as long as you're gentle and quick about it. The regurges caused by handling too soon are with people who actually spend time with the snake, having it out with them, interacting, etc.

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Originally Posted by Sita

Mike, you're talking about a brief move just to clean a cage. There's nothing wrong with that as long as you're gentle and quick about it. The regurges caused by handling too soon are with people who actually spend time with the snake, having it out with them, interacting, etc.

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Handling is handling to me, by definition.

hand·ling
ˈhandl-iNG/
noun
noun: handling; plural noun: handlings
1.
the act of taking or holding something in the hands.

If you mean handling for 30min, i have no clue. I don't think i've ever handled any of mine for that long lol.

You forget then that many people spend time with their pets. I, for example, often take out Ryuu or Oliver for a few hours at a time and usually either watch TV or use the computer with them on me. The colubrids I don't handle as much simply because they are too flightly, but I will take them out for 10-15 minutes every few days.

Yeah you'll be fine, I've heard 15-20 is ideal, but 25% is okay.

And yeah I've "handled" a snake few minutes after eating, but it was just to do a quick clean, etc. I give them a solid two days before I let anyone else hold them, because my friends love holding my snakes lol