Feeding rats to a ball python

[Scooby]

My ball python is 35 1/2 in long and it seems like the feeder mice are just not very filling since im getting them 3 to 5 days. Im wondering if it safe to get him a rat instead.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Lenght does not help telling what to feed to your BP, you need to go by the girth size to find out what size prey you should feed him.

Yes but it does not mean he will take it, it migh take time to switch him. I would recommend you start by feeding a smaller rat (rat pup to be exact) the same size than a mouse.

Here is what I go by as far as feeding, I feed a prey slightly smaller than the girth size once a week, and nothing ever larger than 2 to 3 mice or a small rat (4 weeks 45/65 grams) to my adults.

[Scooby]

Thanks most the rats here to me seem big and the feeder mice are so small. Tallahasse has no real shop that has a small rat or a good size mouse. I think ill try just feeding him 2 small mice just to be safe.

[AjBalls]

No need to feed a ball python less than every 5-7 days.

[PunkerGirl1107]

This seems so odd to me... Pandora (female 1 yr old with a diameter girth of about 1.5" and well proportioned) eats 2 adult, good sized, mice every 7 days and she STILL acts like she's starving in about 4-5 days after feeding. She's also really aggressive lately and wont tollerate my hand anywhere near her. She used to only be this way on feeding day itself but would never strike at me. Sometimes she'll strike the mouse before it even hits the bottom of the feeding tank. You also cannot see any kind of lumps in her at all after she's eaten. You can feel parts of her belly that she can't pull in as far but that's about it. Small rats are extremely aggressive and there is nowhere that I can get ahold of rat pups around here to slowly upgrade her. I know she will eat larger prey because she got the baby chick that Petey wouldn't eat at the order of our vet. It took her a while to figure it out but she did it with no problem what so ever and no runny stool either. And she flat out refuses frozen-thawed mice. So what can a girl do to feed a snake that deffinately lives up to her name?? lol She's just a funny girl. I'm not sure if she should eat sooner than every 7 days or if I should just knock a small rat unconcious and pin it's little legs away from her body while she constricts. I have actually had to do this with her when she was younger and started eating good sized mice. She'd strike and the back legs would be trying anything to tear into her side, so in come the forceps and hold the legs away from her until she's finished the job. Anyway... I hope you all could read through the fluff and get to the real question in all that.

[dr del]

Hi,


Well if she has that good an appetite I would think of trying to let her skip a week of eating then offer her an F/T rat that has had its head warmed really well with a hairdryer after letting it defrost near her tank so she has been smelling it for a while and knows dinner is afoot.

If she refuses that (I'd offer off tongs to avoid accidents) then you can try scenting it with mice or chicks by rubbing them over it before offering.

As to the agressiveness the rubbing them on the back with a hand or a glove to let them know its not feeding time can work quite well.


dr del