Rats

[joe18]

i just switched my ball pythons from adult mice to medium rats,i noticed the 2 adult mice they were both receiving didnt really fill them up,they are both 1 1/2 years old and about 3 feet long

i always kill their food,they took the rats without a problem,my question is should i feed them every 2 weeks now or keep them on a once a week feed

[dsmalex97]

once a week appropriately sized. Just make sure the rat is small, and make sure the girth is almost the same as your snake and you should be golden.

[Jenn]

I would wait a few extra days. When I up the prey size or switch to rats I notice that first meal really takes a toll. They don't come out of the warm side hide for several days.

I would wait 10 days or so in between feedings for a while.

[Crazy4Herps]

I agree; wait a while to feed, then start feeding one rat (the size of the snake's widest point) every 7-10 days. Rats are healthier than mice; they have larger bones, and therefore more calcium content.

[dr del]

Hi,

How certain are you that that holds true when they are compared weight for weight?

How certain are you that multiple mice (adding up to the same mass of food )
do not provide enough calcium?

How much calcium do they need in their diet - and what happens to any excess?

Many people raise their ball pythons on mice and have no problems whatsoever.


dr del

[Jenn]

Many well respected breeders will tell you that there is no real difference between an adult BP raised on rats, compared to one raised on mice. In fact, one of my largest females is a mouser!