Feeding prey size

[jack jones]

Up until now I've followed the 10-15% guideline without an issue. However, my boy is about a year old and a little over 500g. My last order from Big Cheese was weaned rats (35-49g per their website). The rats aren't quite as thick as he is though. Should I feed more often than 7-10 days? Should I double up? Finally, after this order is used up should I move him to smalls? I doubt he would ever eat beyond smalls.

[jbzapanda]

I've heard of a few breeders just keeping their males on small rats all their lives. I'm sure he could take down a small rat just fine at 500g

[cchardwick]

I have a California King snake that is my 'garbage disposal'. She actually ate three adult mice one time in one sitting, I was feeding her all of the leftover mice that my other snakes wouldn't eat. I was shocked that she actually ate them. Now she is HUGE! I decided to get another garbage disposal for the bigger stuff, just picked up an albino dwarf reticulated python. She will be able to handle probably all of my left over rodents, I'll never have to ever throw one away. And she should be able to eat my jumbo rats at some point, right now I don't have anything that will eat them and I give them to the pet store. They say a snake will grow as fast as you feed it, so feeding less will have slower growth. Most of my snakes will refuse a second or third (or fourth) meal once they get enough, sometimes it just takes a couple tries with two or three rodents to see if they will take them. If you can feed three in one sitting he will grow like a rocket!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

That size is more than enough especially for a male, male should be lean (big difference with being kept small) even a large male 1400 grams or so never need anything larger than a 75 grams rat.

To give you an idea I feed rats in the 55 grams range to males 700 grams and over and max out at 75 grams for my large males.

Males are fed once a week however I skip a week every now and than.

Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk

[jack jones]

So there really is no concern at this point. And probably no need to move up to smalls until the next batch, if I even do?

[blk02ssmonte]

At 500g they can eat small rats. Feed off your weaned at 1-2 a week. See if he will eat two on feeding night. I once gave my rat snake 3 crawlers(such the oinker!). My small albino is pounding 2 crawlers a week right now, only a few left then on to weaned. He is about 250g right now. Most Adult balls will max out with a medium rat once a week.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

There is a big difference between can and need I never fed a medium to a male, only to large females so yeah you are good.