it was a bigggg meal

BEFORE

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...e2jz/snake.jpg


AFTER

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...2jz/fatrat.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...jz/fatrat1.jpg



took him a half hour to swallow... and he took it like a champ... medium rat vs 11 month old BP... he had to use his whole body to coil it... lol... i think he did well, and he can barely fit in his hide now.... hahahaha

Hope he doesn't regurgitate it.

Ball pythons as adults don't need much more than a small rat, especially at 11 months.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

Hope he doesn't regurgitate it.

Ball pythons as adults don't need much more than a small rat, especially at 11 months.

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hes had it in his belly for quite a bit, these pics were a few days after, i doubt hes gonna regurge

Hi,

Make very sure his temps stay in the right range after a meal like that - it is basically a race between his body digesting it and the prey item rotting.

As long as nothing goes wrong you should be ok though.

That being said I would stick to smaller prey myself - Less chance of any problems in the long run.


dr del

sorry man, but especially if that snake was a few days after it ate, that rat was WAY too big. :colbert:

Just because they can swallow it, and keep it down does NOT mean it is what is good for their health. Keep reading.

You should try to keep in mind the 10-15% rule when feeding your snake.

I would agree with the above posts, 10-15% body weight along with same width as your bp at its widest point....the benefits of a larger prey item then that are not established and if there are any the risk of issue would far outweigh them imo...........beauty bp though:)

Thank you Dr. Del... Right now he's got belly heat under the hide to help out, and this big of a meal wasn't quite planned, I went to my normal spot to get a small rat, and I usually pick the smallest from their batch. But they were out and only had hoppers, fuzzys, med mice, and med rats, the guy working had seen my snake before and said he should be able to easily eat it, and he just grabbed one and threw it in the box, by the time I got home and saw it I figured it would be ok, I prescented the room and he came right out for his meal, by the time I dropped the rat in and saw how big it was compared to him it was too late and he struck and coiled like the killer he is... So I just let him do what he does best, I'm gonna give him a week break from eating and switch back to small rats... But he seems to be taking it quite well, he has been chilling in the hide, coming out at night to cruise, and drinking water, so no harm no foul... I just hope he won't be dissapointed when he gets a small rat next time LOL

Wow! Way too big a meal for the poor guy! I can just feel the tummy ache from overeating!

I'm glad to see you won't be feeding that large again!:gj:

Don't be surprised if he refuses food the next week. Think about giving him a 2 week break.
-Steven

I'm betting that snake feels like I do after a Thanksgiving meal! ;)

I normally feed every 7 days, I'm not going to feed him this following Friday, but the one after

just wanna throw is my 2 cents. If the store you get your rats from dosen't have what you need go to another store. sometimes you gotta skip a feeding if you can't get the food you need. its ok the snake isn't gonna die. i'm from long island too. where do you go to get your feeders?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Constrictor

just wanna throw is my 2 cents. If the store you get your rats from dosen't have what you need go to another store. sometimes you gotta skip a feeding if you can't get the food you need. its ok the snake isn't gonna die. i'm from long island too. where do you go to get your feeders?

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D&J reptiles in north massapequa... im sure you've heard of them, i would have just gone to petco but several people there told me with the size snake i have a med rat would be fine, it was fine, but i wont do it again... if it was up to me from the get go i would have gotten the small rat

I know them very well. I've been very un-happy with there feeders and been going to petco for my frozen feeders.

matt u need to come to my crib and ill show u how to properly feed the snakes. that rat was too big...:snake:

In his defense he has already stated that he doesnt intend to do so again so I think its a bit unneccesary for everyone to say the same thing over and over. He said he normally feeds small.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Constrictor

I know them very well. I've been very un-happy with there feeders and been going to petco for my frozen feeders.

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Same here the few times I bought feeders there they were way over priced. Luckily I've finally switch my one live eater over to frozen thawed. I never really got that warm and welcome feeling at D & J. Don't even get me started on their approach when I gave them the info on HR669 last year either.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

Hope he doesn't regurgitate it.

Ball pythons as adults don't need much more than a small rat, especially at 11 months.

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Really? I just got rid of a 3yr old male that was 1500g empty and would eat large-jumbo rats every 10 days. Barely left a lump. He would poop and be right at his previous empty weight for well ove a year and a half. And I have seen adults almost twice his size. I would feel bad only feeding them small rats.

Anybody care that the original post is almost a year old????

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snakecharmer3638

Anybody care that the original post is almost a year old????

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Lol! Wow. I never even noticed. Good catch!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snakecharmer3638

Anybody care that the original post is almost a year old????

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it shouldnt matter if its a year old or not. The size rat he fed was way to big and he could have hurt the snake. Better for people to see it then make the same mistake

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BallsUnlimited

it shouldnt matter if its a year old or not. The size rat he fed was way to big and he could have hurt the snake. Better for people to see it then make the same mistake

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Dead horse....stick...

lol didnt see it either