When to size up the food???

My Gemma is still a baby, roughly 3 years old & about 26" long. I've been feeding her once a week every Wednesday with mice the size of the width of her fatty part, which is what I've always heard is the right thing to do. Recently, she struck at me....through the tank. I always look in her enclosure, smile, talk to her, blow her kisses (yeah, I'm cheesy), & she's never reacted. She's always just kind of looked at me like I was stupid. But this time she actually struck at me. She hit her face & retracted, balled up & hid in her favorite corner. I don't know if she was grumpy that day or just pissed because our recent move/her new environment put a strain on her or what. Anyway, I'm wondering if maybe I have to up her food. Maybe find fatter mice for her? Or should I give her a few more weeks to adjust to the new place & get a feel for it? Or maybe give her 2 mice in one feeding instead of just one? I don't know. Help! Any & all advice is welcome.

A 3 year old BP should be full grown, eating small rats (the equivalent of about 3 adult mice) weekly. My guess is that she's being underfed. Now, whether or not that has anything to do with her behavior is another story all together. Either way, I'd start feeding her multiple mice per feeding or see if she'll switch to rats so you can feed one appropriately sized prey item per feeding.

I agree, a three year old snake should be eating small rats..at least!!!:D;)

Yes definitely!! I have a two year old male that's eating mediums. And four year old male eating mediums

Just because a snake is a certain age or size does NOT mean it has to eat rats. You can continue feeding mice as long as you feed it enough. 2 XL mice is like one small rat. Personally I prefer rats but to each their own. I'd be more considered with feeding her the right amount vs feeding her another prey item.

If you can and want to make the switch, then by all means switch over to rats. They're easier and come way bigger.

I don't think 3 years qualify as a baby. I'm surprised one mouse can sustain her! How much does she weigh? From your description she sounds a bit small. Mine is 2+ years old and she can gobble down 3-6 mice depending on how she feels

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Originally Posted by thesnakeeye

just because a snake is a certain age or size does not mean it has to eat rats. You can continue feeding mice as long as you feed it enough. 2 xl mice is like one small rat. Personally i prefer rats but to each their own. I'd be more considered with feeding her the right amount vs feeding her another prey item.

If you can and want to make the switch, then by all means switch over to rats. They're easier and come way bigger.

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Does the rule "You should be feeding a BP something that weighs roughly 10%-15% of their weight," still apply with adult BP's? That's the rule I've been going with for my babies. Of course, one of them is a garbage disposal and will eat way more than 15% of his body weight, and the other one hasn't eaten in over 2 weeks at this point.

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

Does the rule "You should be feeding a BP something that weighs roughly 10%-15% of their weight," still apply with adult BP's?.

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No it doesn't, their metabolism is very different once they reach adulthood.

To give you an example my females (that includes 2000,2500,3000,4000 grams animals) get a medium rat once a week

Males get a small rat once a week.

Okay, so maybe she's not a baby anymore. >.< I'm not sure her exact age (PetsMart knows NOTHING about their snakes), but research & outside opinions have led me to believe she's around 3. I've had her since August & have always fed her once a week & she's never acted like this. I tried to feed her this past Wednesday, but she refused to eat. Could this have anything to do with the fact that it's breeding season, even though she's not around any other snakes? & I'm not sure how much she weighs. I don't have the proper scale to weigh her on. I do think I'll try switching her to rats, though. Maybe they'll be more fulfilling to her. I just want her to be happy.

My adult is a sweetheart and has never struck at me during handling.

However, sometimes she gets into striking position and hovers and tracks me. This is definitely a hunger signal! I can't recall if she's sruck the glass or not. Now she has at feeding time! Sometimes I can't even get the rat into the cage. She strikes as soon as the door opens, hits the rat about 10" outside the cage and recoils back inside the cage and coils up.

Your girl may be hungry. Did you possibly have fresh scent on you from other pets? That could be a trigger.

I would say it's probably just stress from the move, but you do need to increase the amount your feeding. As long as it will take multiples, nothing wrong with mice. You just might eventually find yourself feeding several at a time. So rats can be easier, since only one would be needed.

Go to wal mart and get a kitchen scale to weigh your snake. It'll be easier to weigh the snake in grams since those scales are made to weigh something under 15lbs. I found a scale on ebay for $10 and it's perfect for my two babies.

Gemma has never struck at me during handling either. Actually, I can kiss that girl straight on her head & she won't even move. That's why it surprised me when she tried to get me through the glass. Like I mentioned before, though, I will definitely be buying rats from now on. & thanks for the scale advice. A trip to WalMart is very much a possibility anyway. Christmas + Latina woman = lots of children (& 1 snake) to buy for!