Can a weaned rat do considerable damage to a ball python?

[guambomb832]

According to the rule that ball pythons should eat 10-15 percent of their body weight, my ball python is supposed to be eating weaned sized rats. But one of the problems is that he is eating mice, and if I offer him a weaned rat he might not eat it and go on a strike. But since he eats live and frozen mice, I think he would not care if it is a rat or a mouse. A reptile store I go to a lot sells different sizes of rats, from pinkies all the way to jumbos and I was wondering if a weaned rat would give a ball python a nasty bite if allowed(and it won't be)?

Thanks

[Danounet]

According to the rule that ball pythons should eat 10-15 percent of their body weight, my ball python is supposed to be eating weaned sized rats. But one of the problems is that he is eating mice, and if I offer him a weaned rat he might not eat it and go on a strike. But since he eats live and frozen mice, I think he would not care if it is a rat or a mouse. A reptile store I go to a lot sells different sizes of rats, from pinkies all the way to jumbos and I was wondering if a weaned rat would give a ball python a nasty bite if allowed(and it won't be)?

Thanks

Well from my short expirience, mice has been more nasty to me than rats. Rats havent bit me yet and seem very social, there is even one sitting in my room at the moment, that Im not sure what ill do with... She was too cute to feed off . Anyways, I been bit twice by mice now .

My normal BP has eaten a few weaned (live) rats before no problem. But the last mice I fed her, It wasnt even a fully adult mice yet, bit her as she was constricting it and left her with 2 little scar marks from its teeth. Im sure it will go away with next shed.

[guambomb832]

So I guess weaned rats are a go?
I remember when my ball python got a little scratch on his nose by the mice's front feet and it drew very little blood and I honestly freaked out! But to my happiness, it healed within a couple days, but whenever I can will feed frozen, its just more convenient then buying adult mice for 2.50 each at Petco..

[Danounet]

To me adult mice might seem very little compared to a weaned rat, but their age more than makes up for their small size. They can be very nasty if they want to. A young weaned rat is just trying to get by... Thats just my opinion and what my common sence has let me to believe anyways. =)

[frankykeno]

Christian, why not sort of find a middle of the road place. You want your snake over to rats but are worried a weaned rat, which does have erupted teeth, might be too much for the snake since he's never had rats before. How about instead you see if you can get a few fuzzy or very young pup rats and see how he goes on a few of them first. If he's doing well and hitting on rats strongly you could move slowly up to the size you want to feed him.

[guambomb832]

Thanks for the advice frankykeno but if I buy fuzzy rats from say rodent pro, that is going to be 25 rats per bag and if my ball pythons eats them with vigor and I switch him to weaned rats, I am going to be left with 20 plus frozen fuzzy rats in my freezer. Should I just keep feeding him all of the fuzzy rats then go with the weaned rats or just feed him one fuzzy and then instantly switch him over to weaned rats?