Switched to F/T -- Too Large?!?! - Some Concerns - Please Advise

[Vinny 4]

And I don't think you need to worry about a regurge. It sounds like the rats are a decent size. I prefer to go by the looks of it in relation to the snake's girth as opposed to the 15% rule.

Maybe post a picture of the snake next to one of the rats?

ok, thanks.. i feel slightly better lol

yup, will do. I snapped a few pictures both times I fed f/t, so I will post them as soon as I can upload them and figure out how to post them lol

[Crazy4Herps]

I thought i was going to have to leave it over night this second time, but i came back like 15 minutes later and she already was getting it down. My BP doesn't seem to be too shy in front of me because it keeps biting and attempting it, so I guess it just needs some time to get going and find the head.

HaHa I guess you may be right about the hemostats. I don't know why, but I kind of have it in my mind it has something to do with how I am offering it, since mostly everyone from what I read or see in feeding videos they are offering it with hemostats or tongs and the snake strikes the head and coils up, which is what I want. At least that would be a little exciting and more natural for the snake.

I loved watching him strike and coil a live mouse, and hear the streak the mouse gives when the snake strikes hard.

If I would be able offer with hemostats and actually get the snake to strike, and not just calmly and gently bite it rat, then maybe he would get the head and coil up. Thats why I thought I might need them.

Plus the first time I was offering the f/t rat with the 10" tongs I have, the snake would come up and smell the head, then move up to the body then up towards the tail, coming up pretty high in the 10 gal. tank I have the snake in in, and I was thinking that since the tongs aren't that long maybe the snake was picking up the heat or some sort of scent from my hand. maybe an 18" hemostat would solve that, or maybe he just wanted to get out of the cage and get some exercise lol.

You can certainly try hemostats if you want, but there's nothing wrong with how he's eating now. They're all different, and it sounds like that's just how he likes to take f/t. I have found that heating up the head to be a few degrees warmer than the rest of the body can help the where-to-begin-eating confusion.

As I said, you're welcome to try whatever you want, but in my experience when ball pythons act interested in food but don't strike, they're only humoring you and have no intentions of actually eating it.

[Vinny 4]

You can certainly try hemostats if you want, but there's nothing wrong with how he's eating now. They're all different, and it sounds like that's just how he likes to take f/t. I have found that heating up the head to be a few degrees warmer than the rest of the body can help the where-to-begin-eating confusion.

As I said, you're welcome to try whatever you want, but in my experience when ball pythons act interested in food but don't strike, they're only humoring you and have no intentions of actually eating it.

Yeah, I see how the next couple of feedings go.. You may very well be right, and I might not need anything at all, just waisting my time and driving myself crazy trying to get him to strike when offering with tongs/hemostats

[Emily Hubbard]

Do you (or anyone else) know any places online that I can order small quantities of 25-30 gram rats?

I'm guessing not, since you mentioned you can't buy 100 rats online and store them just for one snake, you weren't able to lol ..

I only have one snake as well, and even if I did have the room, I wouldn't need 100.
The snake will probably be up to eating one or two size bigger rats by the time I'm even able to finish the 100 rats haha.

Everywhere I looked online, even if they offered smaller quantities, the shipping was the same, so it wasn't worth it. I just get frozen rodents from a local pet shop, but they have a small selection and their rats start at 50gm. You do what you gotta do. I made the decision to feed mice til 300gm, you made the decision to just get yours on rats and get it over with. Both perfectly viable options.

Sounds like your guy is doing great. Really with BP, as long as they eat, who really cares what you have to do to get them to. Haha. "Zombie dance" with feeding tongs or just tossing the limp rat in the tank. As long as the rat ends up inside the snake, the feeding is successful.

[Vinny 4]

Does anyone else have any input on the 40g rats for a 172g BP?