3 mICE VS 1 mED RAT help pleeze

[Apollo'sDad]

so my bp whom i bought in october, has been on a diet of rat pups and then medium size rats since i bought him and within the last couple of months i have found my self buying rats and then he just strays away from them or curls up as if he is afraid. i then try to maintain the rat for about a week with no success. Repeatedly introducing them and he just does not want it no matter how long he has not eaten. I went to the pet store and bought 3 mice to try to balance the amount of weight of the rats and he took to them as soon as i placed them in his tank. What seems to be the problem? Is he afraid of the rats, or does he just not like them anymore, should i keep him on the 3 mice every 10 days diet or what? Med rats 4.99, 3 mice $6.00 Thanks for the help

[SatanicIntention]

Is the snake male or female? If he's an adult male, then he really doesn't need any more than 2 adult mice a week. Medium rats are much too big for male Ball Pythons, as they just don't need that amount of food to grow and thrive.

[Brimstone111888]

Sounds like you answered your own question. The prey item was too big.

[Blue Apple Herps]

Maybe it was too big, maybe not. My female mojave randomly stopped eating rats. I thought she had just gone off feed for the winter. But now that it's warming up and all of mine are back on feed, she still refused rats. Tossed a couple of mice her way and she gobbled them right up. Even after eating the mice she still refuses rats.

She's 1000g and being offered small rats - so I know with her size is not the issue. But so long as they're eating and putting on the necessary weight (w/o becoming too fat) then feed mice. It's what I'll do with my girl until she goes back to rats (if she ever does).

[Freakie_frog]

If they eat mice and not rats feed mice theres no law that says that BP's have to eat rats I have an avid mouser and shes the biggest one I own.

A great python Jedi once told me "feed them what they will eat"

[starmom]

A great python Jedi once told me "feed them what they will eat"

The Force is strong within you