Is it ok to feed a 1 year old 530 gram ball a small rat every two weeks?!!?

[Ballgirl454]

Just wondering bc I hear feeding too big before there not ready shortens there life? The small rats usualy leave a bulge on the bottom of her belly as well as on her sides. This week she has already pooped out her meal. Before it took till the 2nd week.

[Skittles1101]

No, they should be fed an appropriate sized meal every 7 days. No need to wait for defecation before feeding either, most of mine only go to the bathroom after they shed. Leaving a bulge is fine, if it lasts longer than 2 days or so then just decrease the size of the rat and be sure the temps are all correct for proper digestion.

[The Serpent Merchant]

No, they should be fed an appropriate sized meal every 7 days. No need to wait for defecation before feeding either, most of mine only go to the bathroom after they shed. Leaving a bulge is fine, if it lasts longer than 2 days or so then just decrease the size of the rat and be sure the temps are all correct for proper digestion.

x2

[Marc from CT]

Sure is ...Their not eating once a week in the wild,they might go weeks with out a meal..so feed every 2 weeks if u want..

[The Serpent Merchant]

Sure is ...Their not eating once a week in the wild,they might go weeks with out a meal..so feed every 2 weeks if u want..

Ball Pythons also live much shorter lives in the wild. Not that I'm saying that this is the cause, but it is commonly accepted that ball Pythons should be fed every 7 days at 1 year of age.

[RobNJ]

Ball Pythons also live much shorter lives in the wild.

All animals live considerably shorter lives in the wild....living in the wild is the direct cause of that. I don't see any reason why feeding every other week would be bad for a ball python. There is no factual backing that says a bi-weekly feeding schedule is detrimental to the life span of a ball python.

I think we rely far too heavily on recommendations and guidelines set forth by care sheets and forums rather than knowing what animals actual need to survive successfully in captivity, and learning from our own experience with our animals. The guidelines for keeping ball pythons fall within the same general range, but every snake is different.

As humans, it is also our nature to want to see our pets eat. We feel better when they feed more regularly. Feeding on a weekly schedule is absolutely fine, but I don't feel it's absolutely necessary.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I Even said that I didn't think that this was why they lived shorter in the wild, nor did I say that it would be harmful. From my experience I have found that my young ball pythons are hungry every 4 days, and by the time they are around 500-600 grams they are hungry every 8 days. A 1 year old ball python is still growing and will need more food than an adult is so I think that feeding every 2 weeks isn't enough. All of mine fully digest their meals in 2-3 days and are growing nicely. Once again I will say feeding every other week probably won't be detrimental but I think that a young ball python can and should be fed more often than that.

[ChrisS]

While most snakes will eat every 7 days and babies will eat every 3 or 4 it is not not necessarily needed. Every 10-14 days is perfectly fine and even recommended by some. And really adults can go a long time with out food. You should always offer, but just remember how many people ask about there snake being off feed for months.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I think this all arose because overfeeding baby boas results in serious health problems, and severely shortened lifespan.

Pythons are not boas, however, and they are 'designed' to grow as quickly as food supply permits, or virtually so. Balls up to age one can eat every 4 or 5 days, and that is a full sized meal--as big around as their widest point. After age one, it's every 5 to 7 days, depending on what the snake will accept, and yes, a 500 gram snake can generally take hopper to small sized rats.

If you want your ball python to grow more slowly, and perhaps reach a smaller adult size, then you can feed him every 14 days without adversely affecting his health, but I would not feed less often than that, nor feed smaller meals than you suggested.

Baby ball pythons are only at risk of developing health issues if they are 'powerfed' by tricking them into consuming more food than they would choose to consume on their own (such as introducing a second rat's nose into their mouth as they're swallowing the tail of the first one, or tying two together with a dissolving string---lest you think that ridiculous, we know that this causes health problems because people DID it).

[Ballgirl454]

So should I feed large mouse or a small rat once a week?