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ok so i haven't been on bp.net for a while now because i was busy with work and end of school. but ya i wanted to do a post cuz my snake has been getting bigger and for the last few feedings iv noticed that the mice were just not enough. my snake would eat a live mouse in 5 min and go back as if there was no feeding. so this today iv decided to get him a small rat. b4 feeding i looked at the rat compared it to my snake and said there's just no way. after it killed the rat i was still a doubting it would actually eat it...but after bout 25 min...http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h7...skater/5-2.jpg

How old is your BP?

Just because it can eat something that big doesn't mean it should.

The same thickness of the body, or the percentage rule should apply. I don't think either apply here..

Uhhh...how big is that BP because that does NOT look like a small rat.

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Uhhh...how big is that BP because that does NOT look like a small rat.

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It could be just a small bp in comparison. The small rats I get are usually 40-50g.

To the OP, one thing you can do is feed two of the smaller prey. I do this and find it takes less time to take down one. I think she's also less likely to be intimidated by the prey size. Plus, two smaller prey items takes less time to thaw than one larger one I notice.

That looks HUGE for that little guy. PLEASE do not do that again until he is ready. Just feed 2 mice instead of one rat.

Yes I switched to small/medium after my ball was swallowing 4 adults mice on one meal and my concern was more about damage what rat can deliver than size of meal ( I feed live )

That rat is WAY to big for that snake! I dont up my snakes to small rats untill they're consistantly downing 3 adult mice(and I pick out 3 fairly large mice by this point). I hope he doesnt regurgitate that rat

Wow, that is way too big for the snake. Keep an eye on your bp to make sure he digests it properly.

ya i know its too big im skipping a week of feeding and ill try 2 mice..idk if my snake will take 1 after another tho...
shes almost 2 years old now and one mouse really did nothing for her so i picked out the smallest rat there was but i know that it is still slightly too big

Yea but you can harm a snake by feeding it sometime too big for it. For instance if it didn't digest properly. Not that it's a big concern among pet snakes, but still.

"...slightly to big."

Thats a bit of an understatement.

Maybe it's just the picture....but he's how old?

2 years old I'd think he'd be bigger than that and CERTAINLY able to handle small rats.

Have you ever had a fecal done to rule out parasites?

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Originally Posted by MattA*

ya i know its too big im skipping a week of feeding and ill try 2 mice..idk if my snake will take 1 after another tho...
shes almost 2 years old now and one mouse really did nothing for her so i picked out the smallest rat there was but i know that it is still slightly too big

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Here's what I do:
let both prey items thaw
prescent for 30mins
warm one in warm water for 1min
feed
prescent with other prey for 30mins
warm
feed

This way gives my snake time to fully get everything down and she goes for the second one each time. They have plenty of space going down their body, but not as much width wise.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MattA*

ya i know its too big im skipping a week of feeding and ill try 2 mice..idk if my snake will take 1 after another tho...
shes almost 2 years old now and one mouse really did nothing for her so i picked out the smallest rat there was but i know that it is still slightly too big

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Shouldn't be a problem. If you feed live just watch when he swallow first mouse and after that whes he start flicking hes tounge just realese second.
My female don't had problem to kill and eat 4 at row before i switch to rats :)

yea my snake is gona b 2 years old in December so ya not quite there
and this pic was takein with my phone so its crappy and ya ill do just that
ill buy 2 mice for the next feeding cuz she wont eat frozen..i tried many times and failed lol

I know I'm going against the grain here, but are you guys SURE that isn't an appropriate sized rat? While it looks big next to the head, it does look like it may be about the same size around as the snake's middle. :confuzd:

Just as a side note, we picked up a couple of girls last year from someone that Connie worked with. They were about 2 years old, fed one MOUSE per week. They were definitely big enough to eat small rats.