Ball python diet and switching questions (sorta long)

[Nicili]

before i consider to get the ball at a certain date, i want to learn as much as possieble. I was wondering, about the switch between Mice and rats, is it neccessary, caresheets i have read vary, so i was wondering from personal expierence. :roll:

Also does the switch have to be from an exact size of moouse to an exact size of rat? i would be fine if i it was from large/jumbo mouse to small rat, or even feed a few pinks, id just not be the most comfortable feeding fuzzie and pup rats, but thats just me... ( I keep rats, and they are fancy rats, so they stay small,)

Also one more question i also keep female rats as pets
(Mainly my brothers but i have one), which are kept in a custom cage in another room, no will this be a problem, since my ball python would be on the same floor level as them, or could this even stimulate feeding?
:idea:
Thanks
Nic

[JLC]

I've heard of people keeping breeder colonies in the same room with their snakes without having any problems at all...so I'm sure having rats in another room of the house won't be an issue.

As for switching, I can't speak from experience yet, but can share what I've learned vicariously through everyone else: Eventually, your ball will be too big to make an effecient meal out of a mouse. At that time, a rat would be a more appropriate sized meal. That being said, it is sometimes difficult to switch a finicky eater over from mice to rats...so people will often do it while the snake is still young and not quite so set on a certain prey item...which is why they may go from a single mouse to a baby rat.

You don't HAVE to switch at all. Some people successfully feed adult balls multiple mice. There is an ongoing debate on which method is more beneficial and I have yet to see any compelling evidence for either side. It seems to me more an issue of personal preference and convenience.

Some with more experience than me may have more specific things to say about it, though.

[Marla]

Judy pretty much covered it, but if you're already keeping rats, there's not much reason not to breed non-fancy rats to feed a ball python. When the ball is little, you can alternate between rat pinks and adult mice to make sure that he's getting enough protein and calcium and that he's willing to take rats. Then when he's big enough to eat rat hoppers, you can drop the mice altogether. My kids each have a pet rat and we haven't had any problems with that, but I do make sure that their hands are washed thoroughly between handling one and the other.

[Nicili]

thank u both of u,

the problem is that im only a teemager, so breeding mice + rats would be a big deal on expenses, although i am waiting to get a job in about may and over the summer.
i will probably in the end make a switch from mice to rats, for convience wise, so it doesnt matter size wise on the ordent at witch time u start feeding rats, because im fine with feeding small rats and up, so ill probably go from large(or jumbo) mice to small rats...

[Jeanne]

I recently switched my older bp's over to rats, b/c multiple mice just did not seem to be enough.. and I have yet to start breeding rats for them so I am buying them right now, cost wise, it is about the same to buy multiple mice versus small rats, and the small rats seem to satisfy thier hunger better. My youngest bp is still on mice, he now gets 2 a week, jumbo mice are hard to come by, and what I produce are not even close to being jumbo even as adults.

I had no prob. switching mine over, I started with rat pups the size of jumbo mice. Every other week I gave rats. My oldest female at first seemed not to interested, but with patience, she took them like she had always been taking them. Joe my older male, just pounded them with no prob. at all. And I never scented the rats with mice either. Maybe I got lucky.

[Marla]

The things that really matter when choosing mice vs. rats come down to this:
1. Is it nutritionally adequate? Feeding just pinks to hoppers of any rodent is going to provide more fat than anything else, and not enough calcium or protein.

2. Is it a full meal, size-wise? A ball python should eat a prey item about as big as the biggest part of its body, or slightly larger. It is possible that too many small prey items may be bad for the snake's gut flora, although ball pythons in the wild will often find a rodent burrow, move in, and eat the inhabitants one at a time until they're full or the rodents are all eaten.

3. Is it safe? Wild caught rodents or rodents raised with poor husbandy can pass parasites on to the snake. Also, feeding live rodents can be very dangerous to the snake.

4. Is it something you can continue to provide if the snake imprints on a particular prey item and refuses other prey? This is a good reason not to feed a ball python "treats" such as gerbils or hamsters unless you are able to continue providing them.

[Nicili]

Yes, that is why i plan on getting F/T mice and rats at a local expo that happens once a month, so i am definetly staying away from live. i do plan on feeding adult rodents too, so i am prepared, just pondering when to switch,...

[RPlank]

Nicili, could you please reduce your avatar so it is 120 pixels wide x 180 high or smaller? Thanks.