Underfed bp from pet store

[jcorley556]

About a month ago, I bought a bp from a pet store. She had been there for 9 months, and they were feeding her a fuzzy (3g-4g) every week. I realized that she should have been eating rodents about 5 times the size of that, but I had to gradually work her up to larger ones because she would not eat them right away. I finally have her eating a 15g-17g mouse every five days. She was 166g and about 25" long when I got her. I weigh her before each feeding, and with the medium mice she is gaining 10g-13g each time I weigh her. I am planning on switching her to rats, but I want to put some weight on her before I make the transition. She is obviously still underweight, but she is looking a lot better than she did when I first got her. Her skin is finally tightening up; especially around her neck. I figured that it would be healthier for her to gain weight at a normal rate instead of trying to get her to rapidly gain it all in a short period of time. I'm just wondering what other bp owners thoughts are about it. Thanks in advance

[BCS]

Rats are way more healthier for snakes and it goes without saying that rats would make a better choice. It seems as though you have had her on mice for a while now so I would immediately switch her to the appropriate size rat.

[bcr229]

I would also convert her to appropriately-sized rat feeders ASAP.

[lorrainesmom]

Rats are a better food source, my bp really started gaining once she was switched over from mice to rats. When I got her she was 216g, and in a few months she was up to a much healthier 600g for her length and age. Here's the thing I cannot wrap my head around. Every few days, we hear of another underweight, neglected snake that has to be rescued from either a situation like the original poster found the snake in, pet store neglect, or a snake has to be rescued from another owner that just didn't bother to feed it.

Right now, I'm petsitting a 7 month old corn snake that is the size of a hatchling because the owner thought that one pinky a week was plenty. Of course I switched the snake over to fuzzies, and will be moving it to hoppers as soon as possible. It just goes on, and on. What really gets me is that if this kind of abuse and neglect were directed at any other type of pet, the people neglecting these pets would be publicly shamed, and arrested; as they should be. Why don't we hear about it happening when the victims of abuse and neglect have scales?

Sorry for the rant,

*grabs soapbox, slithers away*

[Aercadia]

Noob here! What makes rats a more nutritionally beneficial option than mice? I always assumed that switching over to rats was due to a convenience issue (mice are smaller = more bodies per meal = more expensive) - I was unaware there was a nutritional difference! :) Please enlighten me!

[tbowman]

Rats are a better food source, my bp really started gaining once she was switched over from mice to rats. When I got her she was 216g, and in a few months she was up to a much healthier 600g for her length and age. Here's the thing I cannot wrap my head around. Every few days, we hear of another underweight, neglected snake that has to be rescued from either a situation like the original poster found the snake in, pet store neglect, or a snake has to be rescued from another owner that just didn't bother to feed it.

Right now, I'm petsitting a 7 month old corn snake that is the size of a hatchling because the owner thought that one pinky a week was plenty. Of course I switched the snake over to fuzzies, and will be moving it to hoppers as soon as possible. It just goes on, and on. What really gets me is that if this kind of abuse and neglect were directed at any other type of pet, the people neglecting these pets would be publicly shamed, and arrested; as they should be. Why don't we hear about it happening when the victims of abuse and neglect have scales?

Sorry for the rant,

*grabs soapbox, slithers away*

Because what I consider neglect and what you consider neglect can be two completely different things and snakes are extremely adaptable and variable.

Most captive snakes are overfed, there is no standard for what a healthy weight is at a particular age.

Take a wild snake and a captive animal of the same age and just about every time the wild snake is going to much smaller and thinner as well, does this mean the snake isn't thriving? Not necessarily.

[DVirginiana]

Noob here! What makes rats a more nutritionally beneficial option than mice? I always assumed that switching over to rats was due to a convenience issue (mice are smaller = more bodies per meal = more expensive) - I was unaware there was a nutritional difference! Please enlighten me!

I believe rats have a higher muscle to fat ratio than mice. Also, it's easier to feed one appropriately sized rodent than multiple rodents or more frequent feedings. My BP should be on rats by now, but absolutely refuses f/t to the point of losing weight, and the only available options within any sort of reasonable distance from where I live are adult mice and large adult rats (which she is not big enough for), so I feed more frequently than most people. Some BPs are just dedicated mousers who won't take rats for whatever reason. They won't suffer from deficiencies or anything on a mouse diet as long as they get fed enough, but it's easier and a little healthier to feed rats.

[beeze]

When I got my Sev he was severely underfed as well and he had a prolapse. He's since gained weight and no longer has a prolapse. Switch to rats asap. They are better for the snake and it also prevents you from having to feed more rodents. My snake doesn't discriminate. When the local pet store doesn't have any rats i give him feeder mice, but overall, I prefer rats. I've noticed that he stays fuller longer with rats too. I say this cos on weeks when I have to give him mice, the next feeding day he's very eager to eat, on weeks that I can give him rats he is eager, but not so eager he's jumping at his food.