Ball Python: When Should I Try Feeding Rats

[Slick116]

I have a ball python. It is a little less than a year old. He (or she) is about 32-34 inches long and weighs about 500 grams empty. I was wondering if he or she is big enough to start on small rats. As of right now i feed one live adult mouse every 5 days. (more often then not, F/T mice are simply wasted...sporadically eats dead ones) Any suggestions would be awesome!

[stratus_020202]

Oh yeah, he's more than ready for some small rats. I would drop him back to 7 days though You don't want him to get fat. Lol. Good luck.

[Slick116]

Thanks a bunch! Does this seem like a decent weight for a snake this length?

[WingedWolfPsion]

Keep him on 5 days, and definitely move him to rats. Juvenile ball pythons don't get fat--they grow. You said your snake wasn't even a year old yet. You don't have to worry about him getting fat until he's over 2 years old. If you think a small rat may be too big, use a hopper rat.
The sooner you can get a ball python on rats, the better. I try to get all of my hatchlings on rats as soon as they've had their 3rd meal, if they start on mice. (I always try to start them on fuzzy rats first).

[stratus_020202]

I switch all my males at 500 grams from 5 to 7. The only ones I keep at 5 days are the females. Males, to me, seem to do better on a straggled diet. But, she is right they won't get fat. I just use the expression

Definately get him on rats, but you can do either 5 or 7 days. Remember though, the season is coming in a few months. So, you might want to keep feeding him as often as he will eat. Just in case. It could be a long winter.

[Slick116]

Thanks Again... all the information is great! I'm definitely going to try to switch to rats. Any suggestions on how the switch will play out?
For the switch I may try F/T to get a comparison on size...

[ImBooBy]

I feed all my ball pythons rats if they would take it. I start hatchlings on them if they take them. Small pinky rats or pups in size are better than mice of the same size. I dont care for males to get over weight until up to about 700 grams, then i feed them around 7-10 days but not as large of feeding items. For females, I keep them on a 5-6 day feeding schedule until about 1000 grams then every 7 days after 1300 grams.
If your snake doesnt take rats right away, dont be discouraged. Try feeding at night time with a smaller sized rat. If that doesnt work, ive done chain feeding before and it works like a charm.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I pound food into all of my males for as long as they'll take it on a 5 day schedule. In the majority of cases, it'll never be that easy to get them to eat ever again, particularly after that first winter, lol.

[Slick116]

All this information is really helpful... thanks to all that replied! To those who have yet to, any info is awesome... multiple opinions would be great.