A Common Feeding Question

[XIronMaidenOpheliaX]

This is a common question that gets asked quite a bit, but no less needs an answer if possible. I've been trying to switch my ball over to rats without any luck other than her looking somewhat interested, yet not knowing quite what to do with it. But my main issue is worry over if the rat I'm trying to feed her is too large and if that could be the cause for her not switching. Right now she weighs 378 grams and I'm feeding her two small adult mice, which is way too small for her in my opinion. I've tried a small rat that weighs 40 grams, it doesn't look like it would be too big for her yet she wont take it. So is a 40 gram small rat too big for her at her current weight?

[CptJack]

No.

I honestly freaked out the first time my sub-adult took a rat. I sincerely thought it was going to get stuck and KILL my snake. It just looked ENORMOUS, and that was even after watching my older guy take appropriately sized rats all the time.

It just looks freaky and it doesn't seem possible for them to stretch THAT much. They totally stretch that much. Go look at some feeding pictures, maybe, to help you get used to what they can do.

(That doesn't mean your snake doesn't want smaller prey right now - maybe try rat pups since it's used to smaller mice).

[J.P.]

scent the rat with odour of mice. you do this by letting the rat "soak" in mouse bedding, or mix a rat in a bag of frozen mice in case your feeding dead.

i'm kinda scratching my head trying to imagine "small adult mice", lol. but a snake that can down an adult mouse can easily take a rat pup of equivalent size.

[XIronMaidenOpheliaX]

@ CptJack

Ha,ha yeah I have to keep reminding myself that it's possible for them to stretch despite the girth of the feeder. That reassures me more that it's just a matter of getting her to switch.

@ J.P.

Yes I am feeding frozen and plan on trying the scenting as for the small adult mice this is the closest I could find to the right size.