2 questions about feeding

[MUSTANGGTANDGSXR]

1. i feed live. so when he stikes and constricts poo comes out the rat. lol well this time it was stuck to the rats butt. he did not eat it because it came off just as his mouth got over it. would it have been bad if he had ate it, like got sick or something?

2. rayden is 268g and today was his feeding day. i went to the pet store to buy a rat pup like i always do. this time they did not have any. so i got the smallest rat they had. well it turned out to be a little bigger than him. he still ate it but, can that hurt him?

[missi182]

1. Poo won't hurt him because if it was inside the rat it wouldnt....

2. A meal too big can cause regurgitation but if that rat was only slightly bigger than him he should be fine. Give him 48 hours or more to digest such a big meal before handling.

[monk90222]

If the rats are too big, you can get a mouse also....a med/large mouse is an equivalent meal to a rat pup...

[MUSTANGGTANDGSXR]

one more question. since i got my snake 2 weeks ago he spends 99% of his time in the cold hide. even after he eats, i put him in the hot side and spends a little time in the hot hide and then shoots for the cold hide. the temps are all good. you can see my set up here http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=82439

is there something i need to worry about?

[JLC]

one more question. since i got my snake 2 weeks ago he spends 99% of his time in the cold hide. even after he eats, i put him in the hot side and spends a little time in the hot hide and then shoots for the cold hide. the temps are all good. you can see my set up here http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=82439

is there something i need to worry about?

Just to ease my own worries, I like to have an identical hide on each side of the enclosure...that way I can be sure the snake is not favoring one hide over proper thermoregulation. But really...the snake knows what its body needs and will go where it wants.

[MUSTANGGTANDGSXR]

i do have 2 identical hides. one on the hot side and one on the cold side

[JLC]

i do have 2 identical hides. one on the hot side and one on the cold side

Well, there ya go, then! Nothing to worry about. You've done all you can do and now just have to trust the snake to know what it needs.

[missi182]

i do have 2 identical hides. one on the hot side and one on the cold side

Then your snake knows what he need I have noticed that from time to time my boy will do the same for up to a week, nothing to worry about.

If the rats are too big, you can get a mouse also....a med/large mouse is an equivalent meal to a rat pup...

This is true, but I stopped using this option last year as I noticed that once my bp was given a mouse instead of a rat, I would have refusals to rats on and off for a few months. Really it depends on how picky your snake is but I go with 2 smaller rats when what I need is not available.

[MUSTANGGTANDGSXR]

ok, he did not regurgitate the rat. will it be ok if i kept feeding him that size rat.