Got my first BP today! Have a feeder size question

[SnakeLuvnGirl]

Hi there! I'm very excited! My very first ball python arrived today--I got a female het stripe who's five months old, and I named her Nala. I've had her for exactly an hour and a half, and so far she's doing great! She's exploring her new home and seems very healthy. Her breeder told me she was eating F/T large mice, so since I don't have any of those--my corn is eating fuzzies--I ordered some along with a small bag of weaned rats. My question is this--when should I move her up to the weaned rats? I do have a digital scale, but I haven't weighed her yet because I want to leave her alone for a week to adjust to her new home. I was a little unsure as to the weight. So far you guys have been very helpful on this forum, and I thank you in advance for any advice!

[Trochu]

It's typically recommended that a BP be fed 10% to 15% of it's weight. Younger BP approx. every 5 days, mature BP every 7 days. Keep in mind though, this is a general rule of thumb.

[Slim]

Whenever I get a new one I always weigh them before putting them in the tub to settle. I figure they're already stressed out, so a quick weigh in can't stress them any more than they already are.

You should move her to the weaned rats when she grows to the point where the rats are about 10-15% of her weight.

Until then, she'll be fine eating the large mice.

After she has eaten a few times for you, you can get her out and get a good weight on her, then go from there.

[SnakeLuvnGirl]

Thanks for the advice! Ok, I did get her out quick to weigh her, and according to the scale she's 167 grams. Should I be feeding her smaller meals? I'm not quite sure--I'm terrible at percentages.

[mbaker8686]

Well if your BPS weighs 167 grams, then 10% would be 16 grams and 15% would be 24 grams. That seems right in line with the adult mice i purchase that are around 20-25 grams. You could also look into rat fuzzies, which from my supplier, would fall in that weight bracket.

[SnakeLuvnGirl]

Thanks so much! I feel better now! I actually just found an online percentages calculator, which is perfect for a mathematically-challenged snake owner like me, LOL!