Hides and Feeder sizes

[danielwilu2525]

Alright so there aren't any rat breeders around me that sell live weaned rats, so I fed Sammy a small rat (THE SMALLEST ONE I COULD FIND) he was really sturggling but he managed to eat it (thank god!). He's 4 months old, I don't know how much he weighs but if I could take a guess I'd say somewhere around 230 grams. Next time, do I feed 2 rat pups or 1 small rat? Also, I see that he's starting not to fit IN his hide, I use the reptile basics hide. He's currently in the small size, I want something bigger for him but the medium is waaaaaaaaaaaay too big. Is there anything like in the middle of them?

[Morjean]

I don't know about the feeders, but you could buy the too-big medium hide and stuff it some!
Put another smaller box or crumpled up paper or whatever else you deem fit inside and you got yourself a smaller hide As he grows, you can gradually make that filler smaller and voila, saved some money~

[danielwilu2525]

Oh ok, I'll just stuff some paper towels then. Thanks!

[danielwilu2525]

If anyone can answer the feeder questions please do!!

[fireflii]

I would definitely get a scale and weigh him soon if you can. If really is about 230g, then a small rat could be a bit too big (unless you've just got like a weaned rat-sized small rat or something). You can always eyeball, too, to see if it's bigger than the largest width of your snake. I feel it's best to feed smaller, though, in case you're not sure. Whenever you can, getting a weaned rat sounds like it would be a good size, though. You can check out some local facebook groups, wait for a reptile expo to come around, or buy bulk online.

As for hides, you can use household things like flower pot, tissue box cut in thirds (be sure to exchange for new ones often so they don't mold), etc. I second to the above you can fill a medium hide box with things like paper towels. I did that for a bit and found that he always laid on top of them anyway, though, so it didn't feel like it was much smaller. What I did later on was put a small hide UNDER the medium hide (to one side). So that way he can feel secure, but if he sticks out a bit, he can just poke out through the whole and still feel secure in a dark, well-hidden place. You can also put some leafy decor in there, too.