1 or multiple

I have read that it's bad to feed multiple rodents to a ball python at one feeding. That it is better to feed one proper size rodent per feeding.
Who has done what because I have only fed one. Help with the insanity ! Lol

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I don’t think its necessarily a bad thing to feed multiple rodents, provided that they are smaller and would make up the equivalent of one regular sized meal. One of my snakes will only ever eat once in a sitting, regardless if its a smaller rodent than he’d normally get


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I've done both. Both work. Whatever is easier for you.

Definitely both work just fine, it’s what works best for you.

It's not bad, just more expensive to feed multiple smaller than one larger appropriately sized prey.

The only problem (as long as you aren't over-feeding) is when you wait too long between the prey items fed. Once the digestion gets going on the first item,
giving a second one can result in a nasty smelly regurgitation of both items, wasting them both & necessitating a couple weeks rest (NO FOOD) for the snake
while their stomach recuperates & rebuilds the necessary digestive enzymes. Feeding too soon after such an event (regurg.) can set off another one & even
lead to unintended dehydration & death of the snake.

So as long as the 2 items (or even 3-!) add up to the size/amount of the ONE they'd normally be fed, just make sure they are all fed one after another with no
long gaps in time between them. Some snakes will do this easily, others may not. A few snakes refuse more than one item, even when small...I have an old
corn snake (about 20 years old) who won't eat more than one at a time. A "long gap" is an hour or more...it screws up their digestion to keep throwing more
food into their stomach...their enzymes aren't up to the task of dealing with the mix of partly-digested and UN-digested items simultaneously.

In the past I had some delightful gopher & bull snakes: they are a good example of snakes that, in the wild, go right into rodent burrows and consume the
entire family of rodents. I've always raised my own rodents (& have MORE than enough) and when I kept these snakes, I re-enacted that by giving one of them a number of smaller rodents....you'd be amazed at what they'll happily pack away. :D

Buttercup, my 2015 albino male, only started taking small rats in the last month....finally! Prior to that, he would eat 2-3 adult mice per feeding. Currently all of my 2018 hatchlings are eating 2 medium mice per feeding. When they get a bit more size on them, I’ll switch to weanling rats like I’m feeding my 2017 balls.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dianne

Buttercup, my 2015 albino male, only started taking small rats in the last month....finally! Prior to that, he would eat 2-3 adult mice per feeding. Currently all of my 2018 hatchlings are eating 2 medium mice per feeding. When they get a bit more size on them, I’ll switch to weanling rats like I’m feeding my 2017 balls.

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Do they eat one after the other like once they swallow one down or they ready for the next rodent?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jellybeans

Do they eat one after the other like once they swallow one down or they ready for the next rodent?

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I offer back to back, keeping an eye out for when the first is swallowed, then offering the second. For mine if I wait too long, they won’t take the second. Sometimes they don’t anyway, but I offer a second when they are between prey sizes and to use up the smaller prey items.

While multiple may equal same size, let’s say you fed 2 30g mice instead of 2 60g rat, the rat still has more calories than the mice.

Probably wouldn’t make a difference if multiple rats etc but rats overall are more nutrient rich


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I have had snakes in the past who just didn't go for multiples - even when offered just after they had reset their jaws from the first one.

It's all down to the animals choice really.

I only do rats

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