What else can we feed our BPs aside from rodents

[771subliminal]

the baby mice were smaller than my thumb, vision not developed, very small amount of hair - still pinkish.

you should up your prey size a pinky mouse is way to small for a bp, hatchlings start off on hoppers and quickly move up to sm adult mice alot of people even start them off on rat pinks and quickly move up to rat pups.

they waste more energy killing and eating prey to small than they get from them

[Zenllama]

IMHO, you have to look at the fauna that has been available to them since the beginning of their species. God (nature, or what ever you believe in) has, as it was said earlier, "hard-wired" them to eat food items that are available in the wild. In their African environment, the only valuable food source in abundance would be nocturnal rodents. This is a multifaceted food source. Not only are these rodents active when the pythons are, (or the pythons are nocturnal because that is when the food is active, but I digress) the pythons use the rodent burrows for hides during the blistering hot hours of the day time. While also giving them a secure hide to take the time needed to eat the inhabitants of the burrow. Not saying they don't surface hunt but it is the reason some bp's will only take food when put in a smaller box or dark cloth bag.
So, what you have is really a finely tuned coexistence that has had millions of years to perfect itself. Whether your pythons have been CB for generations or are imported, the python knows what millions of years of success as a species has taught it. Eat rodents.
Also, the very reason that bp's don't require UV lights and bone aids like most lizards is the fact that their bodies have adapted in a way that they extract the nutrients they need from the skeletons of their prey. Reptiles that tend to feed on fish(having mostly cartilage), invertebrates(having exoskeletons made of a matrix of complex proteins, not calcium), and other such food items require sun, or UV basking for proper bone development and health.
In essence, they eat what they eat because that is what has made them successful for millions of years. You don't see Great White sharks eating sea weed or plankton. It just doesn't work for them. The same as gold fish do not work for Ball Pythons.

[vintod]

you should up your prey size a pinky mouse is way to small for a bp, hatchlings start off on hoppers and quickly move up to sm adult mice alot of people even start them off on rat pinks and quickly move up to rat pups.

they waste more energy killing and eating prey to small than they get from them

yeah - i noticed the same thing - it took longer to kill/eat the tiny pinky, which was almost too small for the snake to squeeze. This is why I immediately went back out to the store to purchase larger mice (So, in total, she ate two pinkies and two regular). The person I adopted the snake from was a dunce, to the point where I look like a pro in comparison.

I still stick to my initial statement that if a BP is hungry enough, it will eat anything small that moves. Maybe captive bred BPs would allow themselves to starve to death if no mice are available, but the primary goal of any creature in nature is to live, mice or no mice. BPs included.

[stevepoppers]

It's really weird and counters their instinct to survive, but they can and will starve themselves to death. The rats and mice we feed them aren't native to Central Africa, and I kind of doubt they're common. It makes sense for them to fail to recognize them as food. There's a reason ASFs work so well.

[blackcrystal22]

I wish they were egg-eaters. So much cheaper, right? But I can just see a ball python trying to constrict an egg and having it go flying across the room like Julia Roberts' escargot in Pretty Woman.

You can't feed chicken eggs to reptiles.. they're toxic. Egg eating snakes are very difficult to feed in captivity because we just don't have the resources to feed them the proper eggs, and chicken eggs are not an option.

the baby mice were smaller than my thumb, vision not developed, very small amount of hair - still pinkish.

as for the other post - just making a comment that if a snake is hungry enough, it will eat whatever small living thing you put in front of him... guaranteed.

I did not comment about which is better food/nutrition source or anything like that.

You can stick to your statement as much as you'd like, but it still is completely incorrect. Many ball pythons have not thrived and some have perished due to stress or just simply, they never ate regularly. Some snakes will starve themselves to death. There have been multiple instances of such.

[stevepoppers]

Now I'm curious. Why are the chicken eggs "toxic."

[rabernet]

as for the other post - just making a comment that if a snake is hungry enough, it will eat whatever small living thing you put in front of him... guaranteed.

Sorry - afraid that's not guaranteed with ball pythons - I can guarantee you - they won't eat a fish. They won't even recognize it as prey.

BTW, you definitely need to go up in size on what you're offering your snake.

[dc4teg]

like humans were susposed to live off of steak and potatos (jk), bps were meant to live off rodents

[rabernet]

I still stick to my initial statement that if a BP is hungry enough, it will eat anything small that moves. Maybe captive bred BPs would allow themselves to starve to death if no mice are available, but the primary goal of any creature in nature is to live, mice or no mice. BPs included.

I'm curious to what studies you can cite to back this statement up? Captive bred BP's are no different than wild hatched ball pythons. We're only a few generations removed - their instincts are the same.

[sorakitty]

You little one looks adorable! But here's just a few things I've learned myself over time.
1. If you feed live, you have to keep a close eye on the snake and mouse. I know everyone had told you that, but my snake ended up getting bite in the eye after a live feeding. She got the rat back good (by eating it), but even then, it was still an accident due to live feed (also, the accident happened while she was constricting).
2. Is that the reptile bark you're using? While I know every one has different opinions on it, I would personally suggest picking up a can of Provent-A-Mite (PAM). I use to have that in my snake enclosure, and she got mites. Currently I use cypress mulch, and it works wonders for me.

Anyways, those where just my own two little tips/pointers. I'm no expert, so don't take everything to heart. I've only owned my snake for three months, but I've learned so much from her, and from here.