Bulk feeder problem

[hendrixx007]

I had always been able to feed frozen and live without issue until I decided to be cheap. At the beginning of the year rodent pro had a $.99 sale on large rats and i decided to go with bang for the buck rather than getting the more appropriately sized medium rats for $1.39. My 4 ft BP didn't have the easiest time getting them down (either started with the tail or a leg for a long time before getting it head first) but went through four of them during a two month period. After that he refused to take anything for 6 months including smaller frozen and live. It was winter time and I've seen a few posts about feeding issues there but the change in size seems much more likely to be the trigger. Since then Ive been feeding small frozen rats without issue for the last few months but I still have a mini freezer with 25 large rats and I'm not sure if I should try again or if there's a way I can make it easier for him to handle. The rats are about the same size as the thickest part of the snake. Any suggestions on how to make it work before I order the medium or smalls? Thanks for reading.

[steveboos]

Honestly i have a female in my collection that will not eat any large prey, she is strictly a smaller rat snake, but that's not a problem for me. Also if i were you, i would find a local rodent breeder and see if they might do a swap out or if someone will buy those larges off you, which i sure someone would. Just get the right size, even if you have to feed more, some snakes just like a smaller prey. Most breeders don't even feed more than a medium rat to their ball pythons.

[iCandiBallPythons]

IMO the largest meal a bp should be offered is a med rat UNLESS it is a huge female. I used to feed med rats once a week and had more seasonal refusals than I wanted. Now I feed small rats every 5 to 7 days and my feedings for the majority are accepted like clockwork. If you want to just get rid of the large rats I would advertise them on craigslist.

[SquamishSerpents]

sounds to me like your male BP is going on a feeding strike. it happens beginning around this time of year. he just wants to breed, that's all.