Feeding Size Question

So, I know im totally paranoid and just want to make sure that she is getting the right size food and all but I still wanted to get a few opinions. My ball is a female, 391 grams during her last weigh in and has since shed. She probably weighs around 400 grams now. I fed her rat pups when I first got her, but they just seem small to me. I've been going by the diameter of the widest part of the body rule and the pups seems smaller. I know that pics and weight arent really a good way to estimate food size, but any opinions if you can give any would be appreciated :)

Heres a pic of her compared to my hand, and another pic so you can kinda see her size, it has a ruler in the picture displaying 7 inches (I used it for a program to estimate her length)

http://i28.tinypic.com/23tkoxe.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/15hand.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/210wr53.jpg

prey should be just bit bigger than she around at her biggest point or if she is 400 grams then about 40 grams how ever you wanna look at it

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

prey should be just bit bigger than she around at her biggest point or if she is 400 grams then about 40 grams how ever you wanna look at it

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Yeah, 10-15% of snake's body weight every 5-7 days is rule of thumb while they are still growing.

Even if it just looks awfully big for her head size? I guess I underestimate her but I feel like her little head just cant do it. I guess two smaller prey wouldnt hurt. Ive been feeding her two adult mice, so thats about 40 grams. Ok, I feel better :)

Oh yes, their heads can definitely take a mouse. :)

you'd be shocked wat there head can take in

Their heads have nothing to do with sizing prey. They can take more than you think.

Well, I was going to answer. (wow, a question "I" could answer!).

But someone already said 10-15% of body weight. It's worked for us. There has been a time or two my wife panicked, as it took two tries for her BP to swallow the rat!

Well she does fine with the large mice, its moving on to a weaned rat im afraid of. But 10-15% of her weight is 40-60 grams, and the rats are 50...but I think I'll feed the two mice maybe one more time before trying a rat...just to be on the safe side :) I dont want her to 'splode or anything. Im just so afraid im going to do something wrong. Lol

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Originally Posted by MsPrada

Well she does fine with the large mice, its moving on to a weaned rat im afraid of. But 10-15% of her weight is 40-60 grams, and the rats are 50...but I think I'll feed the two mice maybe one more time before trying a rat...just to be on the safe side :) I dont want her to 'splode or anything. Im just so afraid im going to do something wrong. Lol

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she can take a 50g rat no problem :) she won't explode :)

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

you'd be shocked what there head can take in

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Uh-huh!! :O There have been times I thought my BP's head/neck would explode, but they manage just fine. As long as it's not bigger than their widest part, they shouldn't have a problem getting it past the jaw. My juvies are between 350-400g right now, and one gets a rat weanling while the other gets 2 adult mice (she hates rats). I just switched them to F/T prey, so I do plan to start weighing the food now... as the others said, it should be about 10-15% of their body weight. Good luck! :)

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Originally Posted by llovelace

she can take a 50g rat no problem :) she won't explode :)

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I agree. :gj: Toby switches between adult mice & rat weanlings, depending on the store's availability - he doesn't seem to have a problem with either, and weighs less than the OP's snake.

To show you just how big they can stretch, here's Toby taking down a rat weanling recently... and his last weight was only ~340g.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p.../DSCF57442.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p.../DSCF57473.jpg

GULP! :D
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p.../DSCF57492.jpg

Just found another picture of Toby, which shows how wide their jaws can stretch... :O:O

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF5446.jpg