Need Help - Feeding Question

My one year old female ball is currently eating 2 large adult mice each week. She has been on two mice for the past couple months. Last night when I fed her she really seemed to be looking for more mice after she ate the second one - should I up her feeding to three mice each week since the mice I am feeding her are a little small for her but I had a supply in the freezer and didn't want to just throw them out. She really should be eating XL Adult Mice or even rats - which I plan to order next time from Rodent Supply but in the meantime I want to use up my supply of Lg. Mice.

So, to make a long story short - is it okay/safe if I offer her a third mouse during her weekly feeding??

Thanks for your help and advice.

I think that would be fine. :)

Thanks JLC - I just didn't want to over stuff her and then have her regurg - this is something she has never done.

I guess next week when I feed her I will thaw out three mice and let her decide if she wants the third - if not, no big deal.

If she chooses to eat it, it's highly unlikely she would regurge it. The main risk you run when upping their meal size this way is that she may not be as hungry at her next feeding. However, she's still growing, so I'm guessing she'll be happy with a third mouse. :)

You could also wait an additional day or two longer between the three mouse feedings for a while.

So, do you think it would be preferable for me to offer her two mice on Wednesday night and then one more mouse on Thursday night??? And then keep up with this rotation until I can get her more size appropriate food??

Also, what do you suggest I move up to - XL Mice or some have mentioned rats??? I'm new to this so I need all the help I can get.

Thanks.

You have to see what your snake is comfortable with. I would try her on small rats(or thereabouts considering the thickness of her body) and see where it leads you. How long can the rats stay in the freezer? I feed live, so I'm unsure. Mayhaps you could please post a picture so we could get an idear of her thickness?

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Originally Posted by L.West

So, do you think it would be preferable for me to offer her two mice on Wednesday night and then one more mouse on Thursday night??? And then keep up with this rotation until I can get her more size appropriate food??

Also, what do you suggest I move up to - XL Mice or some have mentioned rats??? I'm new to this so I need all the help I can get.

Thanks.

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I don't think she meant to wait a day or two before feeding the third mouse...but rather...instead of feeding three mice every seven days (or whatever schedule you're on), try feeding three mice every nine or ten days. Which is an option if the snake seems disinterested in eating on its usual feeding day.

As for what to feed...it's really entirely up to you. It all boils down to what is most convenient and affordable for you to get, and what your snake is willing to eat. If you're happy feeding frozen mice, it can live on those easily the rest of its life. If you want to try switching to small rats at some point, that's fine, too.

You can feed them mice for that long? Hey is it possible to just feed mice, and not feed rats? How many mice for like a 1800gram female lol?

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Originally Posted by dsmalex97

You can feed them mice for that long? Hey is it possible to just feed mice, and not feed rats? How many mice for like a 1800gram female lol?

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Mine was hitting the 2000g mark and eating three large mice a week. They really don't need tons of food. If they're eating a small meal (ie: a couple mice or small rat....as opposed to a large rat) every single week, they're still getting way more food in a given year than they would ever find out in the wild. ;)

My girl is about 520grams right now and yes, she eats every Wednesday night (two lg. mice). Her widest part of her body is comparable to the diameter of a silver dollar coin - that is the best way for me to describe her. The lg. size mice are not very thick/wide but she eats them fine - which is why I am giving her two each feeding.

The largest mice I see for sale are considered XL Mice - which don't look really large at all - you all are saying that she could live off the XL mice her entire life??? I thought the food had to be wider in diameter than the snake???

I will wait for someone to chim in on this - thanks.

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Originally Posted by L.West

I thought the food had to be wider in diameter than the snake???

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The "rule of thumb" is that the food should NOT be any wider than the thickest part of your snake's girth. However, that doesn't mean it HAS to be that wide.

There is such a thing as "too small"...but picture extremes of an adult BP trying to eat a pinky mouse...or an adult burm trying to eat a regular mouse...they're just too small for a mouth that size to get ahold of and draw in properly.

But if it'll fit in the snake's mouth and they can get a grip and a coil around it, it's not too small. It may take multiple mice to equal the equivelant rat-sized meal...but the snake doesn't care.

I know folks that have raised many beautiful, mature ball pythons to impressive sizes on nothing but mice. :)

I'm by no means saying one way is better than another....just giving options.

Wow, Thanks for that info JLC - I have always worried I wasn't feeding her large enough mice but now I understand that qty. versus size works also.

I do think with my next rodent order I will move up to the XL mice but I think that is as large as they get???

:)ahhh very interesting....I mean the only reason I'm asking is I'm going to get into the breeding game as soon as I can, right now I'm just collecting, and learning, but I want to know exactly what I'm doing when the time comes. Now being that mice are a lot smaller then rats wouldn't it just be easier to feed them mice cuz you can fit more of them in rack systems. I don't want to have to worry about buying frozen food all the time, I want to be able to produce my own, I just don't know what kind. BTW I'm not trying to hijack this thread, just kinda happened that way lol.

My pleasure, L. West. :)

dsmalex97.....that really all depends on what you consider most convenient for yourself. And if you feed live or pre-killed or f/t and if you'll be breeding your own rodents.

Rats are more convenient for the following reasons:

--they don't stink nearly as bad as mice
--they tend to be much better mothers/breeders
--you only have to give each ball python ONE rat (and if you're feeding a lot of snakes, that little time-saver can make a big difference vs having to thaw or kill multitudes of mice, or having to wait as the snake eats one live mouse at a time)

Mice are more convenient because:

--their breeding colonies take up less room than the same number of rats
--they won't grow too big for a ball python to eat

It all boils down to what will your snakes eat AND what works best for you.

Just an update on Bella - I offered her three mice with this weeks feeding and she took them all readily.

I weighed her the other day and she is up to 600 grams now - she sure is growing fast but I have to keep in mind that this last weight was with no poop so it may not be accurate.

One thing I am wondering about (maybe JLC can help) - my snake has two identical hides one on each side warm/cool side. She tends to prefer to stay on the cool side (it is about 82 degrees) vs. the 90 degrees on the warm side. Am I to assume she knows what she is doing and leave her to choose what side she want to stay on??? May be a dumb question but I was just worried about her.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by L.West

One thing I am wondering about (maybe JLC can help) - my snake has two identical hides one on each side warm/cool side. She tends to prefer to stay on the cool side (it is about 82 degrees) vs. the 90 degrees on the warm side. Am I to assume she knows what she is doing and leave her to choose what side she want to stay on??? May be a dumb question but I was just worried about her.

Thanks.

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So long as they have the option of choosing one temp or another and you know your temps are steady and spot-on....that's all you have to worry about. The snake will continue to do whatever it can to make you worry and doubt yourself. (It's what they do.....really...their favorite thing in the whole world.... :P )

Thanks JLC - I knew I could count on you to help me out. I guess I just worry myself over everything. Her last shed was perfect - all one piece so I must be doing something right - although I give all credit to the Reptile Basics Cage I purchased with an RHP - its made a world of difference.

I'm hoping (JLC) can help me out again - my snake still hasnt pooped - I know I posted about this before and was told not to worry about it but at what point should I start to worry - she hasn't peed/urates since 11/24 and no poop for about a month now - I am getting worried.

Any advise or wisdom.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by L.West

I'm hoping (JLC) can help me out again - my snake still hasnt pooped - I know I posted about this before and was told not to worry about it but at what point should I start to worry - she hasn't peed/urates since 11/24 and no poop for about a month now - I am getting worried.

Any advise or wisdom.

Thanks.

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Awww... :oops: We've got LOTS of good helpers around here!

How is her lower end looking, near the tail? Is she getting puffy or swollen looking? When was the last time she shed? They'll often let the whole mess go at once with a good shed. If it doesn't seem like a shed is coming anytime soon...you can try giving her a soak and see if that loosens her up a bit. Use water that is about 80-85 degrees F. It should feel pretty neutral to your touch, neither warm nor cold. If it feels warm to you, it may be too hot to be comfortable for the snake. Use a tub with a lid...and just enough water to go about half-way up her sides. Put her in for no more than 20 minutes or so, and keep an eye on her. If it'll fit, you can place the soaking tub back in her enclosure where it'll stay warm.

All that being said...they really can go long stretches without passing much at all. If she's absorbing and utilizing the bulk of her food and water intake, it may take awhile for enough waste to build up to pass.

If she looks really swollen and the soak in the tub doesn't help her pass anything, then try a little massage in that area, as there might be a large lump of urates being difficult to pass. (Be ready for a dump if you do that! LOL)

From what I can tell - she is averaging a shed about every 2 months and she isn't currently due for another shed. The last time she shed - she did make a big pooper and urine along with it but that was the last time she messed - it is going on a month since her last poop..

I think I will try the soaking technique to see if that helps. Is constipation a common problem with BP's??

I held her yesterday and she didn't seem to have a bulge near her butt at all - how would I massage her??? LOL