Still hungry?

I feed my Blood python some time last week I dont recall when. but he hasnt past the meal (pooped) yet but when I go to open the tub its like he up and poised ready to strike because his head turms immediately at every moment he catches. Clearly I'm trying to avoid getting tagged here lol...So should I feed him another rat? or just wait til he passes the one inside him?

I'm sorry when I say last week I mean the weak before last.

So thats two weeks. should I feed him again now?

He is on large rats, maybe i should move up one size to fill him up ?

I don't own a blood. But are they different then other snakes? Because I have never heard of waiting until they poop to feed them again. I would think he should be fed, at the least once a week, weather he poops or not. :gj:

I dont want to sound mean. But read up your new animal. These snakes are unlike any other python, and require a more attentive keeper. Im lucky if my bloods poop 3 or 4 times a YEAR. But when they do, its alot.

The looking at you is part of they're charm. They're very alert animals. But rarely move much.

Best thing you can do is have a fecal flot done to check for parasites when he DOES poop. Other than that just feed once a week. Up until you hit about medium/small lage rats. I wouldnt go any bigger than that. The girth rule with feeding bloods is pointless as they're metabolism is so slow. And as adults they can be fed every 2 weeks. I know a guy who feeds once a month on some animals.

Good luck to you.

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

I dont want to sound mean. But read up your new animal. These snakes are unlike any other python, and require a more attentive keeper. Im lucky if my bloods poop 3 or 4 times a YEAR. But when they do, its alot.

The looking at you is part of they're charm. They're very alert animals. But rarely move much.

Best thing you can do is have a fecal flot done to check for parasites when he DOES poop. Other than that just feed once a week. Up until you hit about medium/small lage rats. I wouldnt go any bigger than that. The girth rule with feeding bloods is pointless as they're metabolism is so slow. And as adults they can be fed every 2 weeks. I know a guy who feeds once a month on some animals.

Good luck to you.

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I have read up on it way before I got it but you arent gonna fidn answer to EVERY question by reading a bunch of articles thats why people ask questions AFTER they read stuff but ok.

So I'll just keep on large rats...

http://www.boatips.com/bloodpythons/
Here is a care sheet that gives advice on feeding. Make google your best friend and many answers are easy to find. I read several others that said the same on feeding.

I didnt mean for that to sound mean in any way. Sorry about that.

I will ask what his weight is with him feeding on large rats.

They're metabolism is very slow. And my biggest blood right now is 11 pounds and he only gets 1 medium rat a week. All animals are different, im just saying with these snakes, theres way too many obese ones out there.

So you have to be careful. Again good luck with him. And its always nice to see another blood keeper on here.

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Originally Posted by Ballpython2

I feed my Blood python some time last week I dont recall when. but he hasnt past the meal (pooped) yet but when I go to open the tub its like he up and poised ready to strike because his head turms immediately at every moment he catches. Clearly I'm trying to avoid getting tagged here lol...So should I feed him another rat? or just wait til he passes the one inside him?

I'm sorry when I say last week I mean the weak before last.

So thats two weeks. should I feed him again now?

He is on large rats, maybe i should move up one size to fill him up ?

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How big is this snake? I'd be surprised if you had a blood large enough to move up from large rats. You need to be feeding once a week for younger animals and once every 10-14 days for older animals. And you may want to keep a log. Like 2k said, they require a more attentive keeper, and that starts with knowing when you fed them. Don't worry about their bowel movements dictating when you feed. Use a regular schedule.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

I dont want to sound mean. But read up your new animal. These snakes are unlike any other python, and require a more attentive keeper. Im lucky if my bloods poop 3 or 4 times a YEAR. But when they do, its alot.

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How did you get that lucky? I think I have the most regular, poopingest bloods in the history of the world. lol

If your trying to take it out and you are thinking its going to strike, take a snake hook or something and tap it ontop of the head so it knows its not getting fed. Other then that ive had my blood for its comming up on a year and its pooped 2 times. But when they go its HUGE. hope this helps

Yes drew telling I'll have a huge pile of fun waiting for me is very helpful lol.....

Here are some pictures below of my blood and I will start keeping a log. then I'll ask my questions better based on those when I start the log.

The woman I got him from said he was 6-7 yrs old...But does that make sense that it would only be 5lbs after this many years? if so i guess thats where they slow metabolism comes into play.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...e/100_1008.jpg

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...Picture001.jpg

That would be the smallest 7 year old blood I've ever seen. From the pics, I would say that an XL rat is definitely too big. A large looks to be too big as well, but it may be just the picture. Go with the rat being equal to the widest part of the body rule.

I have that same water bowl so I can get a better idea of how big he is. How long is he do you know?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ballpython2

Yes drew telling I'll have a huge pile of fun waiting for me is very helpful lol.....

Here are some pictures below of my blood and I will start keeping a log. then I'll ask my questions better based on those when I start the log.

The woman I got him from said he was 6-7 yrs old...But does that make sense that it would only be 5lbs after this many years? if so i guess thats where they slow metabolism comes into play.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...e/100_1008.jpg

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...Picture001.jpg

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Haha sorry i just messin around, Great looking blood but it cant be that old, its so small i say medium rats would be prefect but its kinda hard to tell from the pic. But yes when they do go its huge!!!!!! Best of luck !!! :salute:

That would definitely be the smallest 7yr old blood i've seen. It's hard to tell from pics, but I would not bump his prey size up. If he has been eating large rats and he's that size I would maybe get a fecal done.

That is the small 6-7 YEAR old blood.

It is the best advice to keep track of what and when you feed any animals. Bloods have a voracious appetite and will get obese very quickly if we give in to their pleading looks and begging every time we open their cage.

Get a scale, by the looks of things the animal is not very big if I am thinking of the right size water bowl.

A large rat by many standards is between 250-350 grams. Thats the size a female rat will begin to have babies. It goes up from there to jumbo and XXL which will be in the 7-800's.

Depending on if you can get a picture with something like a pop can where we can judge the size of the animal, I would stick with small to MEDIUM rats for now weekly. Medium meaning 150-200 grams.

He may not poop for many months, but when he does, grab it and put it in a ziplock and throw into the fridge until you can get it in to the vet (preferably within a day of pooping) have a fecal float and perhaps a smear done to figure out if this guy has anything robbing him of nutrition.

When he gets older, yes, he very well could eat once every 3-4 weeks. They have an amazing SLOW metabolism and very few keepers understand just how FAT and obese they let their bloods get.

Don't let the common Fatty Mc Fatten blood pics on the internet fool you. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

That is the small 6-7 YEAR old blood.

It is the best advice to keep track of what and when you feed any animals. Bloods have a voracious appetite and will get obese very quickly if we give in to their pleading looks and begging every time we open their cage.

Get a scale, by the looks of things the animal is not very big if I am thinking of the right size water bowl.

A large rat by many standards is between 250-350 grams. Thats the size a female rat will begin to have babies. It goes up from there to jumbo and XXL which will be in the 7-800's.

Depending on if you can get a picture with something like a pop can where we can judge the size of the animal, I would stick with small to MEDIUM rats for now weekly. Medium meaning 150-200 grams.

He may not poop for many months, but when he does, grab it and put it in a ziplock and throw into the fridge until you can get it in to the vet (preferably within a day of pooping) have a fecal float and perhaps a smear done to figure out if this guy has anything robbing him of nutrition.

When he gets older, yes, he very well could eat once every 3-4 weeks. They have an amazing SLOW metabolism and very few keepers understand just how FAT and obese they let their bloods get.

Don't let the common Fatty Mc Fatten blood pics on the internet fool you. ;)

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Great post. good info! :gj::gj:

Thanks everyone. I thought so too when she first showed me the pictured before I went and picked him up. I was like he cannot be 6-7yrs old and only be this small.

I have question though someone said since their metabolism is so slow feeding an adult ( I think it was) every 3-4 weeks is the right thing to do wouldnt that make them real mean because of hunger getting the best of them?

so yall see the snake and these are the size rats I feed him the one in the center is a male the other two are female.

I only have one of the females left because i had these rats for two months and they didnt even mate once and I got impatient lol so three went down to one.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...e/100_0948.jpg

I'm not sure where the notion that they will be mean because they are hungry came from... Only humans are mean.

The slow metabolism coupled with a great appetite and feeding response would give the appearance of ravishing hunger I suppose.