One more question for today: 2 rats vs. 1

[jenakle]

My guy's getting close to 4 ft long now I believe, with a nice girth to him. I usually feed him one $2 live rat every week..they tend to be, oh, I dunno 1.5 -2 inches in diameter? Osiris is a good 2.5 - 3 inches in diameter, so I was thinking about moving up to the $4 (large) rats. However, those suckers can get pretty big, and even my local pet store (not a chain) suggested 2 regulars instead of 1 large one. I'd just need to wait for him to swallow the first, go into that 'seeking' mode right before the (slide back to hide), and drop the second one.

Doe anyone have advice going for larger feeds in their adults? Osiris isn't a picky eater, (well, except for those agonizing f/t attempts), but I don't want him to become intimidated by his meal! So do your scalyteens prefer 2 med. rats or 1 large one? And do you still feed once a week with 2?

Thanks guys! I love this site, the collective advice is always so helpful.

-Jenna

[rabernet]

I think you'll find that "most" of the rat feeders here feed no larger than a small/small rat, even for their largest ball pythons. They may feed two at a sitting, but the size of the rat is never larger than small/small (40-50 grams in weight, I believe).

[Adam_Wysocki]

Even my largest adult female breeders get nothing larger than a "small small" rat (approx 40 - 50 grams).

No need to ever feed a ball python a med or large rat ... my opinion of course.

-adam

[rabernet]

Even my largest adult female breeders get nothing larger than a "small small" rat (approx 40 - 50 grams).


-adam

Damn I'm good - right down to the weight!

[Adam_Wysocki]

Damn I'm good - right down to the weight!

I had no doubts.

-adam

[rabernet]

I had no doubts.

-adam

I pay attention, Sensei!

[elevatethis]

Back when I used to use the "girth rule," it seemed I'd always end up with picky eaters in my collection.

Funny, since I got some great advice for a certain someone and switched to feeding smaller stuff, those "picky" feeders now slam food week after week and have grown faster than when I fed them larger items.

Interesting, huh?

[jenakle]

Even my largest adult female breeders get nothing larger than a "small small" rat (approx 40 - 50 grams).

No need to ever feed a ball python a med or large rat ... my opinion of course.

-adam

I may have my sizes mixed up, since the local pet store does not carry pet size large rats...
let's say small versus medium then?

so, 2 smalls or 1 medium?

[rabernet]

2 smalls - small small (40-50 grams is a very small, small)

Edit - ever notice what a funny word small looks like when you write it over and over? OK, back to your regularly scheduled program!

[jenakle]

I think you'll find that "most" of the rat feeders here feed no larger than a small/small rat, even for their largest ball pythons. They may feed two at a sitting, but the size of the rat is never larger than small/small (40-50 grams in weight, I believe).

So I can feed 2 small rats a week? Do I even need to increase the number right now if he seems content/healthy with just one? I mean, I know they're opportunistic eaters, so if I drop a second one I'm sure he'll eat it but does he need it weekly, or can it be an extra treat once a month or...??