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What Size Rodent?

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  • 11-20-2015, 03:03 PM
    ShaggyRS6
    What Size Rodent?
    So when I got Monty the guy at the store said he was feeding on Adult mice. That is what he has been feeding on once a week since I have had him. I read that I should be feeding Monty a rodent that is just slightly bigger than the girth of the biggest part of his body? Is this correct? In that case my adult mice are close to needing to be replaced with something bigger. if so, what's the next stage?
  • 11-20-2015, 03:08 PM
    JoshSloane
    Likely you would want to go up to a weaned/small rat depending on the size of your snake. Some BPs can be hard to switch to rats. A quick search on this forum can show you some tips.
  • 11-20-2015, 03:17 PM
    Mr. Misha
    Re: What Size Rodent?
    What's the weight of the BP? Also, does he look for more food after the feeding?

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  • 11-20-2015, 03:20 PM
    bproffer
    Re: What Size Rodent?
    I have seen this size chart posted before. I found it to be helpful.

    http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps34erbisk.jpg
  • 11-20-2015, 03:37 PM
    ShaggyRS6
    I have not weighed him yet - I was going to do that today. But I will say that I fed him on Wednesday and he was hunting around again last night. Im also not sure of his age. May call in Petco to see if they knew/know
  • 11-20-2015, 03:58 PM
    Mr. Misha
    Re: What Size Rodent?
    You should definitely keep track of his weight. Make sure you only weigh him after he poops so you can track his "empty" weight.

    If he's still hunting after a large mouse, you can probably move him up to a small rat. Again, depends on his weight and your area's rodent sizes. Each store is a little different of how they classify their rodent. You'll have to experiment a bit.



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  • 11-20-2015, 04:04 PM
    ShaggyRS6
    Ok, well I can weigh him tonight and then minus the weight of the mouse to get a rough estimate. All the ones I have are almost identical in size.

    Then when he does his nuclear waste dump I will weigh him again :) Will call into petco and get a couple of small rats just in case.

    Thanks!
  • 11-20-2015, 06:06 PM
    ShaggyRS6
    I dropped past the pet store the guy said he must be approaching or coming up to a year old.
  • 11-20-2015, 07:08 PM
    Mr. Misha
    Re: What Size Rodent?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ShaggyRS6 View Post
    I dropped past the pet store the guy said he must be approaching or coming up to a year old.

    Age can be deceiving.

    To give you a good example, in Jan. 2014 my Pastave girl weighed 151g. In Dec. 2014 she weighed in at 1143g.

    I also have a Spider boy who in Jan. 2014 weighed 232g and in March 2015 weighed 555g.

    Just all depends on their eating habits. Like I said, keep track of their empty weight so you can gage how fast they're growing.


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  • 11-23-2015, 09:20 AM
    telliott4
    Re: What Size Rodent?
    10-15% of body weight

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  • 11-23-2015, 01:26 PM
    Streller
    Any update on the weight of Monty yet?
  • 11-23-2015, 03:54 PM
    ShaggyRS6
    Just weighed him - 8.7 ounces - 246 Grams - He ate one adult mouse without pooping. So that weight includes the unpooped mouse.
  • 11-23-2015, 04:03 PM
    Streller
    When referring to the weight of a ball python, the standard unit to use is grams. You should try weighing Monty in grams. Also, place the cover/tub/whatever you're putting on the scales to weigh him in on the scales first, wait for a stable weight to be shown. Then press the Zero-Tare button, that will remove current weight so that it seems the object weighs 0g. Then when you put Monty into that tub, it will only calculate his weight.

    Ha, you just edited your post, before I posted this. Sorry!
  • 11-23-2015, 04:06 PM
    ShaggyRS6
    Back to the original question then. Adult mice ok for now? Once a week? or should I be feeding more.
  • 11-23-2015, 04:28 PM
    Streller
    If you're going to abide by the 10-15% body weight rule, which has worked for me over the past year of having my BP, then sure. As an adult mouse will generally weigh around 20-30g for a male, and 18-35g for a female. Feeding just under the 10-15% body weight rule probably won't hurt. I'd say what you're doing right now is all good. But, in the near future you will probably want to try getting him onto rats, as they are far better. For now, adult mice work. :)
  • 11-23-2015, 04:30 PM
    EL-Ziggy
    Re: What Size Rodent?
    I'd suggest getting him on rats if possible. A rat pup or weaned rat should do the trick. Every 7 days should be fine too.
  • 11-23-2015, 04:32 PM
    ShaggyRS6
    Ok, I will go through the last 2 mice I have - I fed him last Wednesday. The small rats look massive in comparison though. Does that sound ok? do a large mouse once a week for the next 2 weeks? Or should I got to 2 mice a week? Sorry for any confusion.
  • 11-25-2015, 09:15 AM
    ShaggyRS6
    Im still non the wiser what I do about his food size. The baby rats look far to big to give him and the adult mice are probably a bit too small. On another note, I did feed him last night but he was not all that keen and took a good amount of coaxing. What I did THINK I noticed was that his eyes where going a bit misty. I can be sure as he never really ventured far out of his hide to take the mouse. Maybe starting a shed? I have no clue.
  • 11-25-2015, 11:27 AM
    Ax01
    sounds like Monty is in blue. it must be exciting for your first shed to see him get blueish-grey. make sure to increase his humidity for the next week or so while he sheds his old skin.

    anyway back on topic - many pet stores skip sizes between feeders. for example, in my area the big chain pet stores skip from pinkie rat to small rat. however, there are a few sizes in between - fuzzy, crawler, weanling. the crawler is about the size of an adult mice and weanling the size or a large mice. u might have to go to another source - reptile shop, breeder or online retailer to get the correct size feeder.

    also when their eyes are misty/blue, they can't see well. Make sure their prey is heated well, as they can still use their smell and heat pits to locate prey.
  • 11-25-2015, 11:35 AM
    ShaggyRS6
    Re: What Size Rodent?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ax01 View Post
    sounds like Monty is in blue. it must be exciting for your first shed to see him get blueish-grey. make sure to increase his humidity for the next week or so while he sheds his old skin.

    anyway back on topic - many pet stores skip sizes between feeders. for example, in my area the big chain pet stores skip from pinkie rat to small rat. however, there are a few sizes in between - fuzzy, crawler, weanling. the crawler is about the size of an adult mice and weanling the size or a large mice. u might have to go to another source - reptile shop, breeder or online retailer to get the correct size feeder.

    also when their eyes are misty/blue, they can't see well. Make sure their prey is heated well, as they can still use their smell and heat pits to locate prey.

    Yeah he missed striking it 3 times.
  • 11-25-2015, 11:42 AM
    Ax01
    Re: What Size Rodent?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ax01 View Post
    sounds like Monty is in blue. it must be exciting for your first shed to see him get blueish-grey. make sure to increase his humidity for the next week or so while he sheds his old skin.

    anyway back on topic - many pet stores skip sizes between feeders. for example, in my area the big chain pet stores skip from pinkie rat to small rat. however, there are a few sizes in between - fuzzy, crawler, weanling. the crawler is about the size of an adult mice and weanling the size or a large mice. u might have to go to another source - reptile shop, breeder or online retailer to get the correct size feeder.

    also when their eyes are misty/blue, they can't see well. Make sure their prey is heated well, as they can still use their smell and heat pits to locate prey.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ShaggyRS6 View Post
    Yeah he missed striking it 3 times.

    alotta folks skip feeding for their BPs/snakes while in shed b/c of this. if it cause Monty or u stress, he will be fine missing a meal for a week or so until she sheds.
  • 11-25-2015, 02:31 PM
    treaux
    Petco is not the best source for feeders. Check your local craigslist, etc for small breeders where you can get all sizes of rodent. I found a farm nearby that has healthy mice and rats and they are my supplier. Otherwise you may have to mail order frozen.

    A small rat as you found out is way bigger than an adult mouse. Next size up from adult mouse (depending on the size of the adult mouse) is a rat pup or rat weanling. They should be relatively the same size as what he's been eating. If his girth is still a good bit more than the food item, you can try going up a size, but I'd stick with similar size for the transition to rats.

    I have one Lesser female who is 230 grams and she eats a rat weanling and any leftovers from the smaller snakes as well as a 300 gram girl who is about to start on small rats (scarfs the weanlings and keeps looking for more at the moment).

    While I feed live, if I didn't have a supplier I'd just order frozen. I've fed all my snakes frozen at some point and they didn't hesitate. Better to feed them on schedule and the right size food.
  • 11-25-2015, 03:08 PM
    ShaggyRS6
    Ok, so I need to get some rat wean-lings then I guess, thanks!
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