Does this mean her meal was too small?

[DreDeuce]

My BP is anywhere from 700-900 grams, not sure because I don't have scales. I fed her a "small" rat. -Arctic Mice-brand. I think both of the mice are 50 grams a piece. The box says 100 grams. Well, it left a slight lump in her belly, which pretty much disappeared after 10 minutes and she is still crawling around and climbing, and stretching to the top of the terrarium.. does this mean it was too small and she is still hungry? At 50 grams, wouldn't that be a weaned rat and not small

[Snakes1]

It sounds like it was the right weight. Snakes don't get hungry the same way we do, and they are not hunters like lions so they don't go looking for more food. Just feed the snake the right sized food, and then feed it again next week. It's that simpe


Edit: Snakes will often eat more than they need, if you offer it 2 rat pups each day for a period they may eat it all, because in the wild (and in their head) it can be months before the next rat shows up!

[cchardwick]

You could have probably offered a second one. Typically I'll feed a maximum of about 10% of the body weight of the snake, so my 10 pound reticulated python gets a one pound rat! Usually once you feed one rodent they are still in 'feeding mode' and will take another one right away, sometimes they will take up to three at a time if they are a bit smaller, usually about 10 minutes or so between feedings. Once they stomach the rodent and start looking around for another they are ready to feed again.

Also keep in mind that, unlike all other animals, snakes will grow as fast as you feed them, and will never stop growing until they die. So the more you feed them the bigger they get. If you want really big snakes feed large meals more often. Personally I like to really power feed my snakes because when they go off of food for months at a time they still have a good body shape. I've had a snake go off of food for six months and still look great by the time he decided to start eating again. I have a female ball python who is breeding now and hasn't eaten more than a couple adult mice over the last few months. She should come around and eat again once she lays eggs. Also, most breeders will try to get as much food into a snake as possible to increase their egg production and to keep them healthy during the breeding fast.