Finally got a scale!!

Yay! FINALLY got a scale to weight little Slinky. Weighed him last night.. he's about 475g and about 2 ft. long. Couldnt get his measurement because the other day, I tried to open his cage and he flew out of his hide striking at me so I left him alone. Guess he was just PMSing. :rolleyes: Seems like he's growing really slow compared to everyone else though..but maybe its just my imagination

So anyway.. I was told that might help get his age for me. I got him in December.

O.. and what size mouse is about right? I wanted to get the right mouse and weigh it lol just in case mine were too small or too big.

And lastly.. a few updated pics (you can actually see his yellow back spots in one of them, though its still not as bright as I see them).

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...linkyclose.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...linkyPants.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38.../Slinkybed.jpg

my bp's are usually eating 2 or 3 mice by that size. depending on girth.

or a small rat. just my 2c

I've been feeding him 2 mice (smaller adults I guess...I just ask for feeders and they give me the same size every time) since he started surfing around for another after the first mouse, I just wasn't positive I was doing the right thing.

Edit: The mice definitely don't leave a lump, so at least I know they aren't too big.

At that weight I'd be giving him at least a 45 gram rat. My bp is at 35 gram rats and he is 275 grams (weighed him last night :))

yeah, with my bps, rtbs, and retic, i look to achieve a lump or offer until they stop. with the acception of my retic, he will just keep killing them and slithering away if he's full. i really don't go according to the actual weight of the food. i kinda just feed by a visual judgement.

p.s. if he is lunging for you, he might still be hungry, try offering a bigger meal.

my bps just ball up during that time of the month.

I am a horrible judge of size - so I dont like eyeing prey size. I ended up with three 20-25 gram rat pups and four 35 - 40 gram rat pups when I didn't bring my scale a few weeks ago.

I don't know if this helps, but here is a 40 gram rat next to a regular sized bic lighter.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/m...m/DSCF0718.jpg

RBC- That was the first time he has ever lunged at me. Im guessing its my fault because I screwed up his feeding schedule because of conflicting schedules with my bf (hes at his house) but this was only 3 days after I fed him two mice. He was on the cool side of his tank but the temps were perfect. As soon as I lifted his towel (that covers his tank until I can grab some plexiglass) he jumped out of his hide and stared me down, striking at my hands when I went to try to open the cage. I left him alone and came back two days later and he was fine. :confuse:

Missi or RBC (or anyone else) - If I were to try to switch to rats.. what size should I ask for? I dont really have a snake-friendly pet store to where I can ask for rats in grams lol Oh yea.. I feed live. Thats probably necessary to add

just a general rule of thumb. A ball python can eat something twice its girth (trust me it's true).

ask for small. they should look about double the size of a mouse. if he doesn't take to the rat at first, try putting the rat in a box with a mouse. This will get the mouse scent on the rat. After time your bp should take to rats just fine. if your bp is still left searching after he's fed, you might want to move up to medium. i can't tell you what he would be eating unless you can post a size comparison pick ( i'm more of a visual kind of guy).

Ok! That helps me! Ill try to get a pic of him next to a lighter (thx for the pic Missi).. will that comparison work? He's beside remotes but I guess remotes are all different sizes lol

I was just worried I was going to powerfeed him.. Dont wanna do that! lol

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Originally Posted by Whittney32

Ok! That helps me! Ill try to get a pic of him next to a lighter (thx for the pic Missi).. will that comparison work? He's beside remotes but I guess remotes are all different sizes lol

I was just worried I was going to powerfeed him.. Dont wanna do that! lol

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soda can is a good one.

k! Ill get one asap! BF is working third but keep on eye out! Thanks for the help!

no prob, just pm me if you have any other Q's.

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Originally Posted by RBCpythons

just a general rule of thumb. A ball python can eat something twice its girth (trust me it's true).

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by RBCpythons

if your bp is still left searching after he's fed, you might want to move up to medium.

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I just wanted to add in another point of view. While a BP "can" eat something twice its girth, it doesn't mean it should. Some possible problems with feeding too big of a meal are regurgitation and feeding irregularly or even going on an extended fast. I haven't personally seen these happen; I'm just going by what I've read, but it makes sense to me.

Also, again going by what I've read, many very successful people with large numbers of BPs never feed larger than a small rat, not even when feeding big breeder females. According to rodentpro, a "medium rat" can weigh up to 174 grams. That seems like a really huge meal for a snake weighing 475 grams.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RBCpythons

just a general rule of thumb. A ball python can eat something twice its girth (trust me it's true).

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Not trying to be rude here, But your not givin good advice here.

While the "can" doesnt mean the should. A retic, not a problem to have such a large meal, but a BP doesnt have the metabolism like a tic.

Never feed anything to your bp, that is bigger around than the bp.

I agree with KC and Patrick. Food for BP's should be as round as the thickest part of the snake and at max, maybe a bit thicker. Of course, leave the BP alone for about 2 days just to make sure it is thoroughly digested.

If you are going to bounce up to rats you need to be prepared to help the snake from getting bit by the rat in the first 3-4 secs of grabbing it. A rat's teeth are much larger then a mouse and could do some heavy damage to a snake not used to larger prey.

You are doing a great job so far paying attention to all the details with your snake! We hope you take the best advice that fits you!:D

So apprarently someone got offended (JoshJP7 who didnt even comment this thread) when I discussed the size of prey.

If I offended you about talking about the food size your snake needs to eat, you have more problems that I thought.

Im not here to tell you "this is how its done". but when hundreds of hundreds do the same thing, and I introduce you to that, dont get mad! childish

If I did offend you RBCPythons (which I hightly doubt I did) was not my intentions. I think I even said that in the post I wasnt trying to be a d*ck.

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Originally Posted by mr86mister

I agree with KC and Patrick. Food for BP's should be as round as the thickest part of the snake and at max, maybe a bit thicker. Of course, leave the BP alone for about 2 days just to make sure it is thoroughly digested.

If you are going to bounce up to rats you need to be prepared to help the snake from getting bit by the rat in the first 3-4 secs of grabbing it. A rat's teeth are much larger then a mouse and could do some heavy damage to a snake not used to larger prey.

You are doing a great job so far paying attention to all the details with your snake! We hope you take the best advice that fits you!:D

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Oh yes I wouldn't feed him anything bigger than the largest part of his body. I just honestly dont want to take my scale to the pet store and ask to weigh all of their rats lol. I want to ask for a size, eyeball it and then take it home to weigh it. Im too embarassed to ask to do that anyway :oops:

On that note however.. what would be the safest way to introduce him to rats. Start a little smaller regardless of how much it weighs and gradually work him up to bigger ones? Theres really no way for me to feed frozen. No one in either family would be keen on rats in the freezer.

And... this sounds really cruel and i apologize in advance.. but is it ok to dangle it by the tail so the snake has easy access to the head? At first he was striking the mice on the head all the time, but lately he's been grabbing them at the neck and abdomen which I see as being a big problem with rats.

I'm not too familiar yet with rats. As I am new to having my first snake. But have gained plenty of knowledge on these forums. What I do with mice is put them in the enclosure after pre-scenting and by then Layla is ready to pounce and has always nailed them by their throat.

Chim in all of you experienced members!!!:D

Slinky is my first snake too.. I got over that fear real quick lol! He has no problem with mice.. don't need to prescent at all. Just nervous about introducing rats. They would be so much easier though!