People do underestimate how much these snakes can swallow, probably because their neck is so narrow by their head.
The rule of thumb is, the prey should be as big around as the widest (not the narrowest) part of the snake (unless the snake is thin due to lack of feeding, then it can be a bit larger). Since ball pythons are heavy-bodied snakes, this means they can take quite a large prey item. Brand new hatchling ball pythons usually start on fuzzy rats or hopper mice. After two or three months, they're ready for small crawler rats, and adult mice.
If you can clearly see the lump in the snake from its prey, it may have been a bit too large. If the lump is almost invisible, it was just the right size. Either way, so long as the snake doesn't regurgitate it (which he would likely do in the first day or so after eating it, if he's going to), then it was fine.
If you see a repeat in diarrhea, take a fresh (not dried) fecal sample to the vet and have a parasite check done.
Reply With Quote