Quote Originally Posted by OctagonGecko729 View Post
I think the biggest three things are.

1.) Feed smaller meals

2.) Watch the snake

3.) Be ready with something to put in the rats mouth.

I think in general if you adhere to rule number 1 correctly then rule number 3 is a moot point. A small enough rat poses no harm (while it is dieing) to your snake unless it is capable of biteing an eye. The only way other then biteing an eye that a small enough feeder can do damage to your animal is if it left alone without supervision. The rat can begin using your snake as a chew toy.
Not to be overly picky or anything, but I don't subscribe to the smaller meals. I feed appropriate sized (you know, the regular rule-of-thumb being a rat is the same size as the widest part of the snake thing). Smaller meals means more often... which means more chances of getting a feeding accident. Ball pythons are efficient at hunting and killing appropriate sized prey.

But, you are correct in that it is not good to feed too big of a prey... if an appropriate size is not available, it's better to go smaller than bigger.

I've been feeding appropriate sized live ASF since 2008 and I've only had to stick a tong in a rat's mouth less than 5 times total.