6 Month Old Ball Python still acting hungry after two small mice?

[Bogertophis]

And I would agree with Craig, as someone with about 35 years of keeping many snakes , that it's best to feed snakes in the enclosure they live in. To avoid them
ingesting substrate, just feed them from tongs (if they'll accept food that way, some don't) or feed over (or put their food ON) something that functions as a "plate"-
it doesn't have to BE a plate from your kitchen, it can be a large plastic snap-on top, it can be a cardboard box lid...whatever, just to keep the substrate from sticking
to the damp prey your snake is eating.

While you might get away with handling THIS hungry snake to feed him elsewhere, with most snakes that will just ensure that YOU get bit, either because a snake will
confuse you with the prey, or after, when they're still in "feed" mode. With large constrictors, this can even be dangerous, which is why those of us with serious snake
experience are trying to change bad habits whenever we come across them.

With more timid snakes, handling them before feeding (even just to put them in another container) tends to stress them, which destroys their immediate appetite, so you
can create your very own "problem-feeder". If they do eat, as Craig already mentioned, you increase the chance that when you handle them to put them back they
may regurgitate their prey, which is not only a harmful outcome, but rarely can even be fatal, since snakes can aspirate & physically cannot cough.

We want you & your pet to have the best & safest experience, that's all.

[Bogertophis]

I just weighed the two mice he has left and one is 12 grams while the other is 16. His last weight measure was 157, which was a couple of days after he ate.

So (by the chart), one should be enough per meal, about every 7 days (unless in shed, then I recommend skipping that meal until after the shed is completed).

His continued interest in food AFTER eating the first one was obviously just that he was still in "feed mode". Some snakes may continue to act hungry for hours or even more than a day, but don't give in to it. Snakes can over-eat & be over-fed just like people, & in neither case is it good for their health.

Snakes are not "social" by nature, though some may seem that way, simply because they are less afraid of us & their surroundings. They each have their own personality, but don't always do things for the reasons we may ascribe to them.

[PaulBython]

So (by the chart), one should be enough per meal, about every 7 days (unless in shed, then I recommend skipping that meal until after the shed is completed).

His continued interest in food AFTER eating the first one was obviously just that he was still in "feed mode". Some snakes may continue to act hungry for hours or even more than a day, but don't give in to it. Snakes can over-eat & be over-fed just like people, & in neither case is it good for their health.

Snakes are not "social" by nature, though some may seem that way, simply because they are less afraid of us & their surroundings. They each have their own personality, but don't always do things for the reasons we may ascribe to them.

Well, he had never done that before and I am still new to this. Will it be harmful that I fed him two?

[Craiga 01453]

Well, he had never done that before and I am still new to this. Will it be harmful that I fed him two?

As long as he keeps them down there's nothing to worry about. I'd just give him an extra day to digest.

[PaulBython]

As long as he keeps them down there's nothing to worry about. I'd just give him an extra day to digest.

Well, so far he has managed to keep them down. So that’s good I guess. I usually give him 48 hours, is that enough? Or an extra day on top of that?

[Bogertophis]

Well, he had never done that before and I am still new to this. Will it be harmful that I fed him two?

No...snakes in the wild don't follow these charts, & most get along fine as far as we can possibly know. It's just that with pet snakes we want what is best for them, from our experience. We don't recommend over-feeding, nor under-feeding, and this is just to give you a guideline to go by. It's actually more like what would happen in nature: snakes eat whatever they can find & catch: sometimes it's bigger than is best, other times it's too small & they just have to get along the best they can. (A meal that is REALLY too big can be harmful, by either causing internal damage or aspiration & death from a failed regurgitation, so obviously you never want to push the limits just to "see" what a snake can swallow.) Snakes in the wild also don't stick with a feeding schedule, & are more likely to be under-fed than over-fed because food is scarce & life in the wild is a lot harder.