Anyone feed their BPs large rats?

So I've been debating sizing up my BP to large rats. She's on mediums now and they don't really leave that much of a ump in her and she still will sometimes be active at night even after the medium. Thinking of larges so I can pretty get everyone on large rats so I can just order one size. She's about 4.5' and probably 2" thick or a little thicker and at last weigh in, was about 1680g. Just wondering anyone is feeding their girls on large rats probably about 250g or so.

I personally don't feed that large and I've never really heard someone doing so. My biggest females only get 150 to 175 gram rats and they do fine on that.

I would think that with a larger rat you could go longer between feedings. I'd try it, some snakes will refuse it if you get too big. My reticulated python is on super jumbo rats LOL. (520 grams) For my ball pythons I go with as large as they will take, usually because I raise my own and have an excess of rats, I try to feed off the largest ones first so I don't get too many jumbos.

My 16 year old girl, Elvira takes Larges and sometimes even a Jumbo. I realize that mediums are the norm for the max size, but she gets very cage aggressive that will last up to 3 days if only given med, or even multiple mediums.

When I offer large or Jumbo, she is satisfied and mellows out. Now she feeds monthly or longer. Unlike most folks here who feed weekly or every 2 weeks.
Even when fed mediums she will not eat any earlier than monthly.

She also fasts every winter.

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I have a couple of BPs that easily take large rats and some of the other BP's I used to have took large rats as well.

My male pastel yellowbellys will look for seconds after a large rat. I can't imagine what he would do after a medium. He could easily take a xlg, but I don't have any that big ..

Yeah I picked up a 205g large rat today. Thawing it now and gonna see if Dottie eats it. If not, I'm sure Caesar will even though he's in shed and being quiet. I bet if I hang a rat in his cage, he will pop out for dinner haha.

There is no bed for large rats, à BP will do better and feed with more consistency on smaller preys weekly.

I have females in the 3000 to 4000 grams range and they get mediums.

Sure they can take large even xl I even experimented with feeding a bit.

Result they eat more and with more consistency when fed sma)er prey.

They will eat 120/150 grams rats weekly but when offered 250 grams rats they will skip a week so the monthly food intake is actually less.

Other issues is that you will have a slughish animal for DAYS, the bigger the prey the longer the digestion process.

Finally BP have a slow metabolism and have a very low activity level and they are really over fed in captivity even when feeding a 150 grams rat once a week it's more food than they really need, which is why I often skip a week. Males get even less.

Because they can do something does not mean they should, you are looking at an animal that can live up to 30 years so overfeeding is not such a great idea, you are also at risk of fatty liver disease that has been diagnose in BP.

You can have an animal grow to 3000 grams or more without ever feeding anythi bg larger than a medium rats and there is no need for a lump after a meal especially not in an adult.

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After researching this issue thoroughly I have been under the assumption that pythons can digest large meals incredibly fast.

The reason for that is that they dramatically adapt their organs and system in order to digest. The heart and organs changes size, the heart rate goes up, energy is being used.
I can't repeat the exact scientific explanation, but there is a lot of it out there. Just a small example:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n..._python_2.html

I've been told it is better to give a break in between feedings rather then feed smaller meals more often (in adults, whose metabolism has slowed down). Simply for the fact that if fed more often, their body go into "digestion overdrive" to often, rather then utilizing a larger meal and then having a longer break. I was advised to give at least 2 weeks between meals for adults, unless breeding.

All that said, I simply look at my snakes. I have none that look flaccid and fat or lack muscle tone. The only time any of them have refused food consistently (more then twice) is my male that is breeding. The other times were the odd time when one was about to go into shed.

My male that takes large rats (not the breeding one) is big. He isn't fat, though, he doesn't "pancake", he isn't sluggish. He looks quite healthy. He certainly is quite strong. Before I put him on large rats he would be back to cruising for food almost right after eating his medium rat. He acts far more satisfied now. He rests for 2 days after eating his large rat, then comes out for a "leisurely stroll" at night for the next few nights. 8 or 9 days after feeding he goes back into hunting mode.

I let research and guidelines "guide" me. But I also follow my gut instinct when it comes to the animals I've owned and known for years. There were only a few BP's that I fed large rats too, but none of them were fat or started to refuse food. However, they were also not offered food weekly, but bi weekly with breaks for shedding.

I'm always open to suggestions and valuable advice from more experienced owners, though. I might try to bump down the meal size, and see what happens. The only one I know for sure that will not be happy about this is the large male. I didn't like the way he frantically "cruised" for more food all the time, while on medium rats.

Here is a recent picture of his "shape"..

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...51629775_n.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...e/IMG_0016.JPG

Yeah Zina. Here is an article about that issue https://www.uta.edu/news/releases/20...-intestine.php.

And yeah Deborah, think I'm going to just stick to mediums for Dottie. I tried a large and medium today and she wasn't hungry lol. I usually just use tongs and stick the rat in a hide she's in and she goes bonkers and grabs it and the whole hide shakes and slides around lol. Did it today and she didn't want anything. She poked her head out, looked around and moved over to the war, hide lol. Luckily Caesar eats in shed so he took it but it took a few tries as he is deep in blue so couldn't see his tail in front of his face haha.

Dottie is actually a pretty active BP at night. She climbs all over and generally shoves stuff around until morning, then she goes in a hide and sleeps all day.

Dang Zina, that bp is chubby hahaha. I mean Dottie is 'meaty' but nothing like that haha. I took her to the vet about 2 weeks ago for her checkup and the vet said she looked good. Dottie was not very cooperative though and kept trying to get away haha. Here she is on one of her nightly tours of destruction haha.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...08940002_b.jpg

I fed my breeder female an xl once when she was on an eating binge. It was amazing to watch her take down that huge thing. She's in the middle of a breeding fast now though. She was a great eater before I started paring her, so I'm sure she will be again when she's ready.

Other than that I usually stick with smalls. Maybe mediums for fattening up breeder females. It really depends on a variety of factors like their weight, appetite, feeding habits, and my breeding plans of course. I only fed the xl because one of my breeder rats died and I didn't want to waste the body. I gave the snake three weeks to digest it and she went right back to slamming smaller rats. The fast started a few months later.

I wouldn't feed her rats that large on a regular basis, that's for sure. I could still see the lump after week 1.

Chubby... :(

He is actually all muscle. LOL. He doesn't feel soft or "doughy" at all.

He is just big all over, and long. Also a active bugger, likes to climb up and down his shelf and also likes to be out and exploring. Esp. on the desk behind my monitor.

He is sort of a odd duck. 6 1/2 years ago I got 5 hatchlings (not from same clutch, different breeders)

I fed all 6 the "same", and I fed conservatively. I wasn't interested in growing them quickly, because I wasn't interested in breeding them in a hurry.

Despite being on roughly identical schedules, this one male grew a lot faster and bigger. Was always more active, too, always looking for more food. Even his head was always bigger then the others. In time I just assumed he must have been sexed wrong, and that he was actually a female. But nope, I sexed him again this year and he is all male. He is just a big snake. He isn't as big around as my big female, but longer then her.

And he is also a sweetheart. :)

Off to exploring his favorite place...LOL

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/2_6.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../huge/Jag1.jpg

Zina, he doesn't look chubby at all to me, I love his build.

These ball pythons are so different to me, it's like they are baby feeders compared to the reticulated pythons I used to keep. Those guys, the bigger the better. I don't think I ever had them refuse a meal. My 2 yo tiger was up to 14' already and pounding 2 5lb rabbits at a time. He was nuts but he was also the most non aggressive care free snake ever, never even struck a meal. He would just go up to it and start swallowing. Great snake! They were much easier to judge with feeding, if they still had the lump they were still digesting, if the lump was gone they were out looking for food, eating machines lol. The only thing I don't miss are the massive dumps from those meals! Ball pythons are great for that, very little cleanup, I just wish they fed a little more aggressively. From my little experience with them, they do seem more consistent with a smaller feeding weekly. None of mine are that large though.

Zina, I'm far from the most experienced or most knowledgeable here, but that looks like a big, healthy boy to me

I couldn't imagine my bp eating a large rat lol and he's about 5 pounds. Takes a small rat every few weeks. My sstp and rtb are a bit bigger, they eat medium sized prey usually, I have thrown them large rats in rotation but don't make it a regular.

I have to agree with Deborah, there was a thread on here from a couple of years ago about over feeding. It was epic, very informative. Maybe someone could link it.

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

I would think that with a larger rat you could go longer between feedings. I'd try it, some snakes will refuse it if you get too big. My reticulated python is on super jumbo rats LOL. (520 grams) For my ball pythons I go with as large as they will take, usually because I raise my own and have an excess of rats, I try to feed off the largest ones first so I don't get too many jumbos.

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Thanks. I appreciate your opinion ** and your arial views
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