Max size rat that should be fed to a BP

Hi--

I just received a shipment of frozen rats today. I ordered two different sizes, with the hopes that by the time the smaller ones are eaten that my bp will be able to take the larger ones, but after seeing the larger size, I am wondering if they might be too big.

I have been going by the general rule of feeding 10-15% of the snake's body weight, but it seems to me that several people on here have mentioned a maximum rat size that you should feed to your bp, and then it's time to go with multiple prey items.

What size is the maximum rat that should be fed????

Thanks,

George

Depends on the size/weight of the snake...

Really it depends on how large the snake is.

I go by this feeding rule: feed your snake a mouse/rat about the same size as the middle part of the snake's body.

Here's an example of that rule: The middle part of my female BP is about the same size as a small f/t rat. Now, I feed her small f/t rats. These past two weeks went great, and now she's shedding because I've been feeding her those rats.

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Originally Posted by chapskis1

I have been going by the general rule of feeding 10-15% of the snake's body weight,

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Right -- I understand that, but I'm almost positive some people have said that there is still a maximum size that should be fed.

For instance, instead of feeding a 2500g bp a 250g rat, you should feed it two 125g rats. It still gets 250g of food, but the rats obviously aren't as big. This is because their theory was that no matter how big the snake was, it shouldn't be fed a rat bigger than 150g. (or whatever that number was, that's the one I am looking for).

So, I am just wondering what that magic number is, and why you shouldn't feed your snake any size rat, as long as it is no more than 10-15% of it's body weight, and the girth of the snake and rat match up.

Thanks,

George

I have fed my bp large rats, but i have switched back to smalls. The only reason I fed large was becuase I was keeping my burm and bp on the same size while my burm was growing. Then I realized that those rats were really big for him.

Unless a good reason is posted, I will continue feeding my snake the same size rat as the girth of it. I see no problem with it, but will definately switch if a problem or potential problem does come up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chapskis1

Right -- I understand that, but I'm almost positive some people have said that there is still a maximum size that should be fed.

For instance, instead of feeding a 2500g bp a 250g rat, you should feed it two 125g rats. It still gets 250g of food, but the rats obviously aren't as big. This is because their theory was that no matter how big the snake was, it shouldn't be fed a rat bigger than 150g. (or whatever that number was, that's the one I am looking for).

So, I am just wondering what that magic number is, and why you shouldn't feed your snake any size rat, as long as it is no more than 10-15% of it's body weight, and the girth of the snake and rat match up.

Thanks,

George

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My adult is 2300g and I offered him a 235g rat once and he refused it. I know they can stretch their jaws alot but I don't think his head would have made it. Anyway, what I do, is instead of feeding him multiples every 14 days, I feed him 1 rat in the 150-180 g range every 7 days. He still gets the same amount of prey per month. Plus, it's easier for me to have my snakes all on the same feed schedule...

Its my understanding that the 10% to 15% rule is for babies and juveniles ad the snake grows you should move down from 15% and as an adult it should probably be less than that. I would and did feed my 50 to 500 gram BP 10% to 15% of her body weight. Now that she is over 600% I am shooting for 10% with 2 mice every 7 days and she is only taking the second every other feeding on average. I breed my own mice now so up until now its been easy to get the right size mouse. My mice top out at about 30 grams so its time to switch though.

Back to the original question though, I don't think a 2500 gram BP should be getting a 250 to 375 gram rat every 7 days. As an adult your snake is not growing as much as getting fat, so you should pull away from the 10% to 15% and feed an appropriately sized rodent. Then you can adjust your frequency of feeding or quantity you feed to match whats healthy for your snake and in keeping with your plans for your snake.

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Originally Posted by Egapal

Its my understanding that the 10% to 15% rule is for babies and juveniles ad the snake grows you should move down from 15% and as an adult it should probably be less than that. I would and did feed my 50 to 500 gram BP 10% to 15% of her body weight. Now that she is over 600% I am shooting for 10% with 2 mice every 7 days and she is only taking the second every other feeding on average. I breed my own mice now so up until now its been easy to get the right size mouse. My mice top out at about 30 grams so its time to switch though.

Back to the original question though, I don't think a 2500 gram BP should be getting a 250 to 375 gram rat every 7 days. As an adult your snake is not growing as much as getting fat, so you should pull away from the 10% to 15% and feed an appropriately sized rodent. Then you can adjust your frequency of feeding or quantity you feed to match whats healthy for your snake and in keeping with your plans for your snake.

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I don't think stated that they were feeding a rat that size every 7 days. It was suggested to use 150gram rat every 7 days instead of one 300gram rat every 14days

You can feed whatever YOU feel like feeding YOUR animal(s), it's really about knowing your animals and what works for you.

Do they need large prey to thrive? No they do not, many collection are doing fine on small preys.

Here is how I feed my snakes (I feed them once a week)

Hatchlings to juviesy get a prey about equal to their girth size.

Adult males get small small rats (55-60 grams)

Adult females get rats that are about 85 grams.

I feed rats off at 4 to 5 weeks.

This way they eat with consistency, and preys do not pose a threat to my animals.

Of course pre-breeding seasons feeding is a bit different.

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Originally Posted by adrenalinejunkie

I don't think stated that they were feeding a rat that size every 7 days. It was suggested to use 150gram rat every 7 days instead of one 300gram rat every 14days

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I was not commenting on the OP or anyone else's feeding schedule. I was merely stating that the 10% to 15% of the snakes weight every week does not necessarily apply to adults. The OP asked about the max rat size and I think what they might be referring to is the fact that you should not keep up with the 10% to 15% once a week rule into adulthood.

It really depends on what you feel comfortable with. I believe the 10-15% rule is good for hatchlings to yearlings.. Not for adults. I feed my 2500 gram female a medium (120-150) gram rat every 7 days and she is fine. :)

Sorry for all the confusion -- the only thing I was asking is "what is the max size rat you should feed a ball python -- period."

Not what percentage of weight, how often, etc.

I just thought I had heard people say that no matter what, a certain size is too big for any bp, and I was just trying to confirm that.

Thanks,

George

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chapskis1

Sorry for all the confusion -- the only thing I was asking is "what is the max size rat you should feed a ball python -- period."

Not what percentage of weight, how often, etc.

I just thought I had heard people say that no matter what, a certain size is too big for any bp, and I was just trying to confirm that.

Thanks,

George

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You will hear alot of different opinions regarding this subject. I've heard people feeding their adult ball pythons as big rats as 300-400g, personally i think that that is way too big.

I feed my adult bp's a maximum of ~100g every 7 days. That gives them sufficient growth if they are still growing, and if they are maxed out on size it is an adequate size prey according to me.

There is no reason to feed two prey items weighing as much as one big since they don't digest both prey items at once, in lack of a better word the second prey item queues up waiting for the first item to digest. So I think it's better that they get one 100g to digest than two 50g for example.

Hope I answered your question.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

You can feed whatever YOU feel like feeding YOUR animal(s), it's really about knowing your animals and what works for you.

Do they need large prey to thrive? No they do not, many collection are doing fine on small preys.

Here is how I feed my snakes (I feed them once a week)

Hatchlings to juviesy get a prey about equal to their girth size.

Adult males get small small rats (55-60 grams)

Adult females get rats that are about 85 grams.

I feed rats off at 4 to 5 weeks.

This way they eat with consistency, and preys do not pose a threat to my animals.

Of course pre-breeding seasons feeding is a bit different.

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Right on Deb! Do what is right for you and your collection. Here is what I do:

Hatchling to juvies get prey equal to girth every 5 days

Adult males get 1 xl mouse or 1 small small rat every 2 weeks.

Adult females get 2 xl mice or 1 small rat every week.

Beginning in August breeder females get an extra mouse or rat every week if they want it.

In the winter, everything gets cut back on food. That may mean skipping 1 week per month for females and feeding males every 3rd week. For me, I don't feel it's necessary to feed like crazy all the time.

I personally would not and do not feed anything larger than a 150g feeder to my adults once a week.