Need help with what to feed new BP.

[ridingtheclouds]

Hello! I got my first Ball Python today (not my first snake, just first BP). Im unsure how old he/she is, his/her weight. I do know that she/he is about 10-12 inches long and about 1"- 1 1/2" in width at the largest girth. My question is what should I feed him/ her and how often? I was told pinkies, but I seriously am doubting that. But anyways thank you in advance![IMG][/IMG]

[cchardwick]

No, not pinkies LOL Feed mice that are as big around as the biggest part of his belly, you can probably jump right into adult mice. Hopefully he will eat frozen thawed otherwise you'll have to find live mice or rat pups. Rat pups are preferred for live food since they are not as aggressive as an adult mouse. I'd wait a few days before you try to feed him though, most won't eat right away.

[ridingtheclouds]

Ahh thank you!! And any idea how old he/she may be? I know it is really hard just from length and a picture haha.

[redshepherd]

A ball python pretty much grows at how well they are fed. So you can't tell their age by size or looks. They'll barely grow at all if they are underfed, and for the well-fed ones, some grow faster and others grow slower.

Your BP also looks very thin, and I bet he can take normal sized adult mice too. Once he gets more up to weight, the rule is the width of prey = width of the thickest part of the snake, at least until they're nearly full grown.

[ridingtheclouds]

Thank you! Sad that he his thin hope to change that around really quick! Do you recommend frozen or live? And how often?

[redshepherd]

Thank you! Sad that he his thin hope to change that around really quick! Do you recommend frozen or live? And how often?

I'd try frozen thawed first, and look into the "how to get ball python to eat F/T" threads all over the forum and internet. Warming up the prey properly to 100 or even 110, holding it by the back of the neck/back and having it "twitch" a little in front of the bp to imitate live prey, etc. At that size, he can eat one adult mouse every 6~7 days.

If he refuses the F/T, I'd post a picture of your setup and husbandry here... I personally wouldn't resort to live prey until he refuses for over a week while living in a proper setup, because some bp's are hard to switch back to F/T.

[LanceM]

Thank you! Sad that he his thin hope to change that around really quick! Do you recommend frozen or live? And how often?

You can try every five days to get his weight up also rats are more fatty than mice are which means he/she will put weight on faster.So i would try a rat pups to start.

[blue roses]

I would not even try feeding for the first week. Make sure his temps, and humidity are spot on, then leave him be for at least 1 week, and no handling. After the first week i would try what ever he ate before you got him, but since he is a little thin, i would go by his girth and feed prey that is the same size as the thickest part of his body, and you can feed him every 5 to 6 days. Once he eats a couple of meals then if the previous owner fed live i would try to switch him to ft. Also since he is a little thin you might want to keep him on the food he is used to till he fills out a bit, good luck with your new addition.