It's only after seeing all the pictures of full, round, chunky BPs here that I'm realizing just how very thin our Patriot was when we first got him. At the time I didn't know what was normal, just that I noticed his spine, which I'd never noticed on any other snake I'd ever seen before. Below is his Craigslist picture where he's more like the shape of an eel.

The prior owner was feeding him hopper mice, which I continued for 2 feedings. I'd read here several times that (a) hatchlings start on hopper mice and that a snake this age (6 months?) should be on adult mice, and (b) the prey should be the size of the snake's widest part. In this case, a hopper mouse WAS the size of the girth!

In the 2½ weeks we've had him, Patriot is gradually filling out, although he spent that first week hungry (not that I realized at the time). My question: What's the best way to handle such thinness? Several of the too-small size in one sitting until the snake fills out to take larger prey? Or go straight to the size it should be eating?