feeding advice

how many small mice would you give him?
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One or two.. Can't really tell from those small pics

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

One or two.. Can't really tell from those small pics

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oh sorry theyre links just click and itll take you to the picture
didnt wanna have it take forever to load, it happens alot to me on these forums heheh (:

From those, two or three large mice

thank you !

Do you have pic that can show it's size reference a little better? Like one by a pop can or something so it's easyer to compare it's actual size?

Rule of thumb is 10-15% of snake's body weight for prey items. Or a prey item just about as large as the snake at its largest point.

Have you ever tried rats? You would only need to feed one at a time then.

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Originally Posted by STEW

Have you ever tried rats? You would only need to feed one at a time then.

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A lot of bp's can refuse rats for some reason.
They're worse than a 7 year old yid at dinnertime. :)

yeah i think i would rather stick to to mice too cause theres less of a bite risk.

Why turn the OP off of even trying to switch to rats? They have more nutrients than mice which is better for your snake in the long run...... The BP in this post doesnt seem to have issues with eating or the amount of prey items wouldnt be the question....... Dead animals also dont bite, so if you have issues with the possibility of your snake getting bit, switch em over to pre killed.... I know BP's are notorious for their eating habits so reminding me is not necessary.

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Originally Posted by STEW

Why turn the OP off of even trying to switch to rats? They have more nutrients than mice which is better for your snake in the long run...... The BP in this post doesnt seem to have issues with eating or the amount of prey items wouldnt be the question....... Dead animals also dont bite, so if you have issues with the possibility of your snake getting bit, switch em over to pre killed.... I know BP's are notorious for their eating habits so reminding me is not necessary.

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How do you know rats have more nutrients? Just curious.

After all, compare and adult mouse with a small rat. The mouse is farther along in its growth, therefore having more calcium and other nutrients. The rat is less developed and has less nutrients overall. That of course, is theory until some numbers are applied. I did look up a study that compared feeder nutrient levels, and mice and rats contained about the same amounts of essential nutrients.

Here's a link: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf

just goin off what all the experts at the site i post boa related issues at say. I could go over and pull their links but im pretty lazy

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Originally Posted by STEW

just goin off what all the experts at the site i post boa related issues at say. I could go over and pull their links but im pretty lazy

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A lot of expert on forums are not experts at all. They just say what they have heard other say.

To the OP, I would say one to two large mice or one weaned rat would be about right. The size of the prey should be around the same size as the thickest part of the snake. If you do not see a small lump after the snake swallows, then you either need to feed one more or increase the size of the prey.

So it seems like mice and rats have essentially the same nutritional value if they are the same size. A few small mice will be the same as 1 small rat if weights are added up and are comparable. Also remember that even if one of the two has twice as much nutrients, the requirements of the bp are unknown so this whole debate may not even be worth it lol.

Right now my 3 month old has taken both with little hesitation, its just a lot harder to find fuzzie rats around town cause most places dont carry them or they outgrow her quickly. Should I stick with the mice for now and try converting in the future or just run all over town trying my best to find rats?

Oh and also on size to feed...I'm a noob and literally brought my scale to the pet store and was weighing mice until I found one that was 14% of the body weight of my bp. I didn't wanna go with guessing cause the first time I did that I grabbed a rat that was almost 30% of her bodyweight! lol Whoop for returns!

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Originally Posted by stinker2009

Oh and also on size to feed...I'm a noob and literally brought my scale to the pet store and was weighing mice until I found one that was 14% of the body weight of my bp. I didn't wanna go with guessing cause the first time I did that I grabbed a rat that was almost 30% of her bodyweight! lol Whoop for returns!

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Just do what works for you. If it is easier for you to find mice, then feed mice. The main reason that people like to feed rats is that you only have to feed them one. One thing to keep in mind is that if you continue to feed your bp mice, it may be very difficult to get him to feed on rats later if you decide to switch.

I don't go by weight. I measure the size of the prey item by the thickness of the snake.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

I don't go by weight. I measure the size of the prey item by the thickness of the snake.

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I think I would like to start doing that but I am a paranoid numbers kinda guy and it is just more comfortable for me now to go off what I can calculate. That rat I mentioned really didn't seem too big and I'm guessing my bp would have still taken it, but I didn't want her to get too stuffed to eat the next week. Hopefully when I get a better eye for it ill be able to just go off of thickness

Would you advise to feed your ball python two mice?

And if so, what sizes? My bf and I fed our baby two hoppers,
someone who has had ball pythons for a while said that if
he is still hungry that he will go for the second one... and he did :)

But I was wondering if that is healthy for him?
Is it possible for them to become overweight?

We bought him as a juvenile from the pet shop,
fed him a pinky the first week (two days after we got him
since the pet shop told us when he last fed), then a hopper the next,
and did two hoppers the following week.
This Friday will be his third feeding from us.

The first hopper we bought him was a bit smaller than
the thickest part of his body, that's why we decided to buy two
but I think these 2 hoppers were at the end of their "hopper" stage.


I just joined the forum and will post pics on my profile,
I would now but I'm at work...

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Originally Posted by stinker2009

Oh and also on size to feed...I'm a noob and literally brought my scale to the pet store and was weighing mice until I found one that was 14% of the body weight of my bp. I didn't wanna go with guessing cause the first time I did that I grabbed a rat that was almost 30% of her bodyweight! lol Whoop for returns!

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I always take my scale to the pet store to weigh out my F/T's. Apparently, I'm the only one here that does it, because the salespeople always seem amazed...

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

Apparently, I'm the only one here that does it, because the salespeople always seem amazed...

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That's why I figured I was lame!!! lol The lady just kinda looked at me and laughed.

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Originally Posted by AcousticHoney

Would you advise to feed your ball python two mice?

And if so, what sizes? My bf and I fed our baby two hoppers,
someone who has had ball pythons for a while said that if
he is still hungry that he will go for the second one... and he did :)

But I was wondering if that is healthy for him?
Is it possible for them to become overweight?

We bought him as a juvenile from the pet shop,
fed him a pinky the first week (two days after we got him
since the pet shop told us when he last fed), then a hopper the next,
and did two hoppers the following week.
This Friday will be his third feeding from us.

The first hopper we bought him was a bit smaller than
the thickest part of his body, that's why we decided to buy two
but I think these 2 hoppers were at the end of their "hopper" stage.


I just joined the forum and will post pics on my profile,
I would now but I'm at work...

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Lots of people feed more than one mouse a feeding. Mine is about 2 and a half months old and she is past the hopper stage. It really depends on the store though. I went one place and I swear the hoppers were massive! Then the next they were about half that size. If your bp can handle the extra small mouse then go for it but it is definitely possible for them to become overweight. It would be much easier to say what too much is if you had a picture so be sure to get some up tonight and I'm sure people will give you some good advice.

Over feeding can be done and is done by some to hurry up the size of their snake to bredding stage.

I have read in some BP and snake books that over feeding your snake to make them grow faster can shorten their overall life span. I am not sure if it is really true or not.