can i "power feed" just this once?

[FrankieCarbone]

the last 2 feedings, i have had to feed my now 473g BP, small 30-32g mice, the reason being, my job schedule is very hectic, and sometimes i work alot of overtime and i dont know what days i will have off during the week. Now i have found a mom and pop store that has the perfect selection of mice\small rats, and last time i found one that was at around 70g. That was 3 feedings ago, and my BP was able to take it, here is the issue, i feed every 5 days, and the last 2 feedings i had to use petland (30-32g mice) because they are open at the time i get off work. The mom and pop shop i go to closes at 6. My bp has definetley seem hungry lately and after he feeds on the smaller 30 gram mouses he always is in "hunt" mode, as opposed to when he took down the 70gram small rat he took him down, then went into his hide and did;t come back out, almost as if "im so full im going to sleep!"

So, last time i fed was on 4 days ago, and today is my second day off work. I know that i will be working the next 5 days and i might not make it to the mom and pop shop and might have to go petland and once again get a mouse thats way too small. Now i dont want to get into the habit of feeding 2 mouses, so thats out of the question, and i dont want to try and fed him the "medium rats" that petland has, because they seem way to big. So is it ok for me to feed one day early since i know i can get him the proper size prey today? or should i just wait until tommorow which makes 5 days and once again feed a small mouse?

[aldebono]

My understanding is "just this once" will not be power feeding. Power feeding would be doing it every time, all the time.

Your snake wont take frozen thawed? If you are not ready to thump rats yourself, the mom and pop shop will probably sell you a "sleeping" rat and you could freeze until you were ready to use it next week.

Also, a 473g could easily go a week inbetween feedings IME.

[FrankieCarbone]

i mean i guess he could go a week in between feeding, but if he has been feeding every 5 days without any problems for so long why mess with that? i mean its everybodys fear to have a BP fast, so why mess with a good thing? There some people in here who can only DREAM that there BP eats every 5 days, i dont want to mess with a good thing.

On F/T thats out of the questions, i HATE mice/rats, i even had sort of a traumatic experience when i was a child, and lets just say im disgusted as well as scared of them even! When i buy them i use leather gloves to open the box they come in and scoot them into my BP's tank, so dealing with a high number of them is out of the questions, and liek i said before, there is NO WAY im gonna have a pack of dead rats next my t-bone steaks in the freezer.

So im guessing i can feed one day early this once no problem?

[DemmBalls]

That wouldn't be power feeding. I would go ahead and feed him.

[Alexandra V]

I agree with DemmBalls, feeding every 4-5 days is not power feeding, and I don't see why not feed a little more often if they're smaller prey items.

IMO, "power-feeding" is more like feeding every 2 or 3 days, where the snake has just finished digesting annd you're offering another meal.

[llovelace]

Go ahead & feed today, you won't be power feeding

[rabernet]

It is not power feeding if the snake accepts the meal. I feed my young ones every 4 to 5 days.

Power feeding is putting the nose of a f/t or pre-killed prey item into the mouth of your snake as it's finishing up swallowing another one so that your snake thinks it's eating one prey item and not two.

Ball pythons know what they can handle. When they've had too much, they'll stop feeding. So, there's no problem feeding a day earlier if he'll eat.

[MasonC2K]

Same as above. What you are doing is not even close to what power feeding is.

Well, actually, there is not real firm definition of power feeding. There are several depending on the source. But this doesn't meet any of those criteria.

[DemmBalls]

It is not power feeding if the snake accepts the meal. I feed my young ones every 4 to 5 days.

Power feeding is putting the nose of a f/t or pre-killed prey item into the mouth of your snake as it's finishing up swallowing another one so that your snake thinks it's eating one prey item and not two.

Ball pythons know what they can handle. When they've had too much, they'll stop feeding. So, there's no problem feeding a day earlier if he'll eat.

I agree 100%. If my snakes are hungry...They get fed.

[EverEvolvingExotics]

Like i said before, there is NO WAY im gonna have a pack of dead rats next my t-bone steaks in the freezer.

First off, you should never freeze a delicious T-bone steak. That's just horrible! Second, go ahead and feed that little pig, nothing bad will happen. On the other hand you don't HAVE to stick to feeding every 5 days. I don't believe that sticking to a schedule is why or why not BPs go off feed.