Feeding Size for Baby Ball Python

[Lina]

I picked up some adult mice for my baby ball python today. The store didn't have any rat pups/fuzzies. All mice and rats were in non-see-through packaging and I did my best to measure them with my thumb. The most fitting size seemed to be these adult mice but when I opened them, I wondered if he could actually eat these. I've been told that you feed them by the size of their most widest part. Here are some pictures below to give you an idea of his size and the mice. What do you think? Is it ok to feed him these? I look at his tiny head and wonder if he can do it since he's my first ever snake.

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...psgrxhkcrb.png
http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/v...pshykqtixt.png

The last picture was when I first opened the container and he crawled out on his own to my hand. I haven't handled him since (waiting for him to completely settle in) so it's a little difficult to tell how wide his mid section is to my thumb.

[majesticsami]

From the pictures, it should be completely fine for your ball to eat that size. I've had the same worry before with my baby ball python, it was actually smaller than your bp but it still ate the mice so I'd guess it's fine

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[BluuWolf]

That's what I and a lot of people I've seen on here use. When I first got my boy I was scared he wouldn't be able to eat it as well and ended up feeding him too small food for far too long. But sense I'm not sure if you know his grams yet I'm almost certain he can eat that. He seems around the same size as my boy right now and that's what I feed mine. But I do for sure suggest weighing him after he's settled and use that chart, takes away a lot of the guesswork


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[Lina]

From the pictures, it should be completely fine for your ball to eat that size. I've had the same worry before with my baby ball python, it was actually smaller than your bp but it still ate the mice so I'd guess it's fine

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Ok, great. It's nice to hear someone had the same thought about this at some point Thank you.

[Lina]

Awesome, thank you so much. Glad I chose the right ones. I'll be sure to use the chart in the future.

[hollowlaughter]

Yes, those are an OK size. For your future education, a BP has this (pics of my own boy):



Notice that slit-looking piece? Skin is folded up into the snake's jaw at that point, since their bottom jaw is split into two pieces unlike a human's. So, their entire process is three part, compared to a human's two part. This allows them to eat things larger than their head with ease, and thinking a snake can only accommodate something that matches their head size can lead to underfeeding (such as feeding rat pinks to an adult BP).

This thus unfolds like so (again, pics of my boy, thankful he's so good about photographing):



Obviously, you shouldn't just feed them WHATEVER size, but they can certainly (and should certainly) be eating things wider than their head. Some struggling is only natural also, to alleviate concerns: snake dinner is like a human trying to eat a pie with their arms tied behind their back. Not exactly graceful.

[Lina]

Oh, cool, I didn't know that! Thank you for the info and the photo. Unfortunately, mine didn't eat when I offered him. He seemed interested, flicking his tongue at it, then later it was like he was afraid of it. Tried for about 10 minutes. I left the mouse overnight. Just checked and it's still there. I'm pretty sure the people I got him from fed frozen thawed mice so maybe 3 days wasn't enough for him to get settled.

[hollowlaughter]

Yep, taking it within the first week isn't common. Some will, but it's no cause for concern if they don't.

Some other tips since you're a beginner:

• Wait for the week to pass.
• Also do not handle during this week.
• Consider some husbandry changes to help stress if not met: cool side 80F-ish, hot side 90F-ish, 55% humidity, two matching hides, water source, cover options (greenery, pvc pipes, substrate to burrow in, cover enclosure sides, cover top with towel.)
• Optimally next feeding day, they should be less stressed.
• Thaw your prey item in the same room as the snake.
• Heat the thawed prey item with a blow dryer.
• (Usually, they show interest after a bit of this.)
• Heat until fur is reasonably dry.
• Heat head until it is warm to your touch (100F-ish).
• Offer heated FT to snake via tongs.
• First keep it still.
• Then if not struck, slowly sway side to side.
• Snake should follow it if interested, may strike.
• If still not striking, try grasping the prey by the neck.
• "Zombie Walk" it around (make it look alive).
• Move it close to their nose slowly, this may also prompt a strike.
• You may need to reheat a few times through this.
• If they strike, lightly tug on it. Some need this prompt to actually swallow it (it simulates how prey would struggle in the wild and helps them transition completely on FT, YMMV.)
• If none of this works, try leaving the prey item overnight again.

Hopefully food will be gone for you and it gets easier after the first successful feed. Lots of people recommend no handling until at least 2 successful feeds, or 4. Please remember this snake will be with you for 30 years and may simply need some time to settle in properly. BPs can be a lil fussy at times.

[Lina]

Yep, taking it within the first week isn't common. Some will, but it's no cause for concern if they don't.

Some other tips since you're a beginner:

• Wait for the week to pass.
• Also do not handle during this week.
• Consider some husbandry changes to help stress if not met: cool side 80F-ish, hot side 90F-ish, 55% humidity, two matching hides, water source, cover options (greenery, pvc pipes, substrate to burrow in, cover enclosure sides, cover top with towel.)
• Optimally next feeding day, they should be less stressed.
• Thaw your prey item in the same room as the snake.
• Heat the thawed prey item with a blow dryer.
• (Usually, they show interest after a bit of this.)
• Heat until fur is reasonably dry.
• Heat head until it is warm to your touch (100F-ish).
• Offer heated FT to snake via tongs.
• First keep it still.
• Then if not struck, slowly sway side to side.
• Snake should follow it if interested, may strike.
• If still not striking, try grasping the prey by the neck.
• "Zombie Walk" it around (make it look alive).
• Move it close to their nose slowly, this may also prompt a strike.
• You may need to reheat a few times through this.
• If they strike, lightly tug on it. Some need this prompt to actually swallow it (it simulates how prey would struggle in the wild and helps them transition completely on FT, YMMV.)
• If none of this works, try leaving the prey item overnight again.

Hopefully food will be gone for you and it gets easier after the first successful feed. Lots of people recommend no handling until at least 2 successful feeds, or 4. Please remember this snake will be with you for 30 years and may simply need some time to settle in properly. BPs can be a lil fussy at times.

Thank you so very much for the tips. I really appreciate you taking the time to do so. I've covered part of the top and sides of his enclosure. There might not be enough items in there (I have a water dish and two hides but they're not matching) so I'll definitely add more. I stressed over getting the temps correct. Besides my worrying, they should remain stable while I leave him more secluded for the week. Hope to get him set so he'll be much happier.

[hollowlaughter]

The steps you've already taken should help, I just like listing all possible options.

For the sake of cover, plastic greenery from your local craft or dollar store does them just fine, as does options like balled up newspaper or paper towel. Matching hides can be vital since they do need to be somewhat snug for a BP to feel secure, so if one hide is more enclosed or fits more snugly than the other, that can lead to the BP favoring a particular hide or resorting to options like using in/under its water bowl as a hide.

Usually not a major issue, but such behaviors CAN lead to bad situations like regurgitation, since the BP may not feel secure in its hot hide and thus may not have the temperature needed to digest.

Ultimately, I'd suggest either the RB hide here, options from ExoTerra or PetTech here, or doing as I do since mine is still growing: rigging something up out of opaque tupperware, plastic takeout containers, little plastic boxes from the dollar store, rodent igloo houses, or various other options. Like mine are $2 cheap dog bowls from a local store that I cut the bowl area out of then cut a little door into. To show how that worked:

this dog bowl + scissors/lighter = this hide