What size should I...

[wilomn]

15% of the snake's body weight is NOT too large, in my opinion. You keep your opinion, I'll keep mine.

No, it isn't. Nor was it the point of several posts now.

Wee bit defensive eh?

[abuja]

No, it isn't. Nor was it the point of several posts now.

Wee bit defensive eh?

Exactly, it was the point. I said "rather too big than too small", and I would rather feed 15% than 10%.

I am defensive, because you accused me of being wrong. Now, you are offensive for a reason I'm waiting to see.

Edit: Sorry to the OP for getting off topic.

[rabernet]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Wes on this one. Erring on the side of too small is better than erring on the side of too large, for reasons already mentioned. Regurgitation with too large a meal being a primary reason.

My adults all get much less than 15% of their body weight a week for meals.

[toddmbecker1234]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Wes on this one. Erring on the side of too small is better than erring on the side of too large, for reasons already mentioned. Regurgitation with too large a meal being a primary reason.

My adults all get much less than 15% of their body weight a week for meals.

Totally agree Robin. I have two females that weigh in well over 2,000 grams and probably closer to 3,000 and I still feed them medium rats. They could easily take large ones but I know how finicky and skittish they can be so I just offer them mediums and they eagerly take them as well as any that dont get ate by my other snakes.
ABUJA, it is not so much that what you said was wrong but you did not go onto to explain yourself very well in the first post where you said bigger is better. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation and if someone that is looking for good solid advice reads that they might not understand what you were initially trying to imply. When giving advice ensure that you are descriptive in it and that the message you are trying to portay is actually portrayed. Just some simple advice. Todd

[MsPrada]

I feed my girl small rats. Shes prob around 400-500 grams? The rats weigh around 40-43 grams each and I def wont be going up in size for a long time. She doesnt have much of a lump when she eats, but I believe this is a good size for her.

[Hulihzack]

I feed my girl small rats. Shes prob around 400-500 grams? The rats weigh around 40-43 grams each and I def wont be going up in size for a long time. She doesnt have much of a lump when she eats, but I believe this is a good size for her.

Balls don't have the quickest of metabolisms, so I think that's the way to go. For the poll, I say 10%

[seeya205]

Smaller is better than too big! 10% of the body weight is perfect! This is just my option! LOL!

[Patricia]

Now that our snake has reached 200g, I'm seriously looking into the proper size to feed it, read this entire thread, and don't see what's wrong with what Abuja said about a bigger 15% being better than a smaller 10% or why he was jumped on. I think I'll start a separate thread for my question.

[unrezt]

Now that our snake has reached 200g, I'm seriously looking into the proper size to feed it, read this entire thread, and don't see what's wrong with what Abuja said about a bigger 15% being better than a smaller 10% or why he was jumped on. I think I'll start a separate thread for my question.

Basically what I got out of it was that its better to take your chance with a smaller prey because if it is too large it can cause a regurge, and that will just cause a lot of other problems. This is why I made this a poll so I could really see people's opinions in a graph like image.

[unrezt]

My rats are approaching feeding size, I have 17 of them(my pet rats are pros, lol). I think that is enough rats for about 14 weeks at the rate of 1 per 6 days.

Obviously I can't euthanize them all at the same small size of 30grams, because my snake will have grown a lot in those weeks.

How should I plan this?

Also what is the best way to measure a snake's girth? And does "as wide as the snake at its widest point" mean at the rat's hips, or its fat?