Quote Originally Posted by cchardwick View Post
... they can eat several large adult mice in one sitting, better to use a medium rat instead. I couldn't imagine feeding mice to a full size adult ball python, it would take at least half a dozen just to give him a good meal. I just weighted my largest ball python, she weights 2320 grams (5.11 pounds). She can for sure eat a jumbo rat! I'm actually feeding her smaller rats right now because she is pretty hefty and I'm going into the breeding season...
This is a bit off-topic so my apologies to the OP for hi-jacking. Mods feel free to move this if need be.

cchardwick I agree better 1 med rat vs several large adult mice. Adult rats are probably a better food source vs mice. But what about, for example, the idea of several small meals in several sittings over the span of 1 week? Your 2320gram girl that you are feeding small rats even though a jumbo could be appropriate - would you feed her more than 1 small rat in one sitting or would you space them over the span of a week?

Small rats are 45 to 85 grams. For mathematical ease let's say 50 grams. Large rats are 175 to 275 grams. For mathematical ease let's say 200 grams. Therefore, the weight of 1 large rat could = the weight of 4 small rats. By extension, 1 large rat per week could = 1 small rat every 48hrs. In your experience/opinion which, if any, is better?

I once fed an adult BP 3 small rats in one sitting. He regurgitated. It had been on 1 small per week but as it grew I increased the number of rats to 2 but did not increase the size, i.e. kept it on smalls. Its behavior indicated it was still hungry. This snake was a pet in a tank not a breeding project in a rack. Behavior was easily observable. This snake had been an aggressive feeder, but after that incident it never was again. I often wonder what the outcome would have been if I had fed it a small rat every few days instead of 2 or 3 once per week.

The 2nd to last paragraph of this link: http://www.vmsherp.com/LCBreedingBalls.htm reads, in part, "... the females will be getting a small meal every three or four days... " It pertains to what the author calls "the fattening" in preparation for a successive breeding season. But could it apply to non-breeders as well?