To feed larger or more?

[Emaris]

My bp is about 24" now and still growing at a very fast rate. I have been feeding him small mice every 5 days and yet he never stops. Should I upgrade to large mice and feed him once a week or feed him more than one small mouse?

[A.VinczeBPs]

Go by the thickest part of the body, or 10-15% of body weight. Multiple meals can be hard on the sytem depending on how many you feed, but too big can be bad as well.
It's best to know the body weight calculation for proper weight.

[stevepoppers]

Try rats, going by the above rule. You'll end up feeding soooo many mice if you don't.

[jtyson123]

I agree, switch to rats. I personally believe they are healthier and will help with you not having to feed the quantity of mice. At 24" most bps can take at least small rats. I have some shorter that take medium rats. Now yours might be a little thin for even smalls, so follow the rule of feeding something the same size as the snakes girth at its widest part. Probably a hopper rat would suffice.

[Emaris]

He has no off switch with mice so maybe after my trip to Maine I might switch him to hopper rats.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Easiest way to go is to rub a crawler rat in mouse pee, and offer it up that way--they often start to eat it before they realize there's a difference, and frequently take the next one unscented, since it's now more familiar.

I've also had luck with offering a rat the size of an adult mouse immediately after feeding an adult mouse--this works on snakes used to eating multiple mice. They eat it before they realize it's not a mouse, lol.

[DarkSean]

My one around the same size or a little smaller is eating rat weaners. Switched no problem.

[Emaris]

Hopefully he will switch over without any trouble....

[king216]

rats my bp switched with no problem