Feeder Sizes, Ball Python Growth Rate, Purchase Quanity

[NJxRinzler]

Hey Guys,

Almost done setting up my tank and making sure I have EVERYTHING in check before getting a ball python. I am going to be getting a hatchling/baby from a breeder when it is ready to go home. My question is about a ball python's growth rate as well as what size feeder to start on and for how long (I read mice hopper or rat pinkie). To piggy back off that, also what quantity to buy of each size (talking about f/t).

I was originally going to purchase Arctic Mice from Petsmart, but it will be much cheaper to purchase from online retailer (not including the shipping). If I go this route vs Petsmart's Arctic Mice, I was thinking about going to a Reptile Expo that is coming up on October 25th near me. If I were to purchase frozen feeders while there, how much should I buy of each size, since most quantities come in either 25 or 50, for instance, rat pinkies come in a 25 pack. I just want to make sure I don't buy too much of one size if it outgrows it. Since I will only have one snake, Arctic Mice might be my best bet due to distance availability and small quantities. What do you guys think, and those of you who only own one snake, what do you do?

[BCS]

The breeder should have most of this information for you. I personally find by the time I receive a hatchling they are ready to take pup rats. But this depends on the breeder. So your breeder will tell you what size he is currently on.

Growing rate is very dependant on the snake itself and how much you feed it. For example I have a female who was born August of last year and she is 1060g but I also have a female who was born in August last year as well who is only 672g. I feed them all at the same time but my second female refuses more often. So this is pretty much based of food.

When it comes to buying quanity, I personally only buy enough for a month. Some snakes grow very drastically and you never know when you may need to up the size or even change what they are eating because of refusals.

your BP will not be on rat pinkies for long. They grow quickly for the first two or three years of their lives. Most of my BPs for example are usually on pup rats by two or three months old. Some start on small rats by the time they are 10 months old. Calculate... If you feed weekly it would take you roughly 6 months to finish ALL the rat pinkies but by 6 months old your snake may be up to small rats. That's a big difference. I don't recommend you spending a whole whack of money on bulk just to feed one snake. Pet smart feeders are pricy thougH so I recommend you buy in smaller quanities else where if possible. Do your research. I am sure there is someone around you who breeds and sells much cheaper.

I don't own just one snake but when I did, I only ever bought two feeders per pay check. (Get paid bi weekly and only fed once a week) But I have a local breeder who sells cheap so my situation maybe different then yours.

[8_Ball]

The snake will grow quickly so buying in bulk online may be more wasteful. You would have to buy a decent amount of f/t to save money when factoring in the shipping. My male ball python eats every 5-7 days and he is only 403 grams and 9-10 months old. He is a fat boy but since he is a mouser he never grew quickly length wise which does not bother me because he is overall healthy. My boy takes 1 large adult mouse every feeding and has never taken two so I will let him grow slow and offer more here and there. When he was 60 grams I fed mouse hoppers until he reached 90-100 grams then small adult mice every 5 days. Once he was 200 grams I fed medium mice and then at 350 grams I fed large mice. Now he's at the point he needs multiple mice/more frequent feeding since he will not take rats

[NJxRinzler]

Thank you for the information. I guess I'll check with the breeder on what they will be feeding it before it gets to me.

[Smitty33]

When I purchased my snake at a local expo the dealer I bought him from walked over to the rodent vendor there and set me up with what size rats I needed and told me approx. how long before I'd need to bump up. Personally I like the f/t rats I buy in bulk from the vendor up at the expo rather than the pet store ones. They just seem cleaner and of better quality plus about half the price. I'm lucky as K-zoo has a pretty decent little expo once a month so I usually have no problem keeping stocked up on feeders although due to other obligations I missed the last two months shows and had to buy some pet store rats to get me by.

[EL-Ziggy]

Unless you have a trusted local supplier I think it's still more economical to buy online even with only one snake once your snake is off pinkys. If it's taking rat fuzzys or larger meals I'd definitely order online. I was paying $13 for a (6) pack of Arctic Mice fuzzys or hoppers. Your snake will grow fast but you can order the size it needs now and in the near future. I order from Big Cheese Rodent Factory. The way I see it is if you bought (25) rat fuzzys, (25) rat pups, and (20) weaned rats it would cost $90 with taxes and shipping included. That's a total of (70) feeders. That same $91, without taxes included, would only buy (7) boxes or (42) Arctic Mice feeders.

[redshepherd]

A baby would only eat mice hoppers for less than the first 2 months of its life before it can be bumped up to regular adult mice.... So that might be only around 4 hoppers for you, since the breeder will feed it initially. Regular adult mice might last for the next 3~4 months, which would be around 15 regular adult mice. It's still less mice than sold in bulk online.

In my opinion, buying bulk online isn't worthwhile for just one growing snake until he is up to weaned rats at the least, which will be at least around 7 months old, assuming you're feeding weekly. Unless you have an upcoming expo, I'd just order a few F/T hoppers and mice at a time from a local reptile store until many months from now when he's up to size.

[NJxRinzler]

A baby would only eat mice hoppers for less than the first 2 months of its life before it can be bumped up to regular adult mice.... So that might be only around 4 hoppers for you, since the breeder will feed it initially. Regular adult mice might last for the next 3~4 months, which would be around 15 regular adult mice. It's still less mice than sold in bulk online.

In my opinion, buying bulk online isn't worthwhile for just one growing snake until he is up to weaned rats at the least, which will be at least around 7 months old, assuming you're feeding weekly. Unless you have an upcoming expo, I'd just order a few F/T hoppers and mice at a time from a local reptile store until many months from now when he's up to size.

Going to an expo on October 25th in Long Island

[NJxRinzler]

Alright, breeder said he is feeding them hopper mice right now and so far have eaten once.

[bks2100]

Try looking for rat breeders in your state or pretty close. I'm probably going to order online for the next year or so since I found a place that's ~4 hours away from me. I don't go there but since I'm so close they have cheaper shipping. I just ordered 2 packs of fuzzy (I don't know what I was thinking, I probably should have only bought 1) and 2 packs of weaned and the shipping is like 19 bucks. Not to mention their prices are about the cheapest I've seen anywhere. I will probably switch to my local reptile store when my snakes are on small and mediums though since I'd have to buy a decent amount online to beat my local store, not to mention I don't have a dedicated freezer for them or one in the garage, so the rats are on the bottom right below the salmon and chicken breast. I'd rather limit the space I need for them than take up the bottom third of my freezer for the snake food.