feeding baby BP

[bruster]

i was wondering if feeding a baby BP 2 or 3 pinky mice or maybe a rat pup rather then a small mouse would be better. i have heard that the new-born mice and rats have more nutrients in them then full grown. Is this true?

[Cam]

It will be interesting to see the replies you get...
I have heard and read the exact opposite. The older the food item the more nutritious for the snake...

[starmom]

Well, ya know, we have members who have always fed mice and have healthy and breeding snakes. We have members here who have always fed rats and they have healthy and breeding snakes. There are also a lot of members who feed multiples of mice and they healthy and breeding snakes. There are members who feed one rat a week and they have healthy and breeding snakes.

What you need to do is choose rats or mice, based on the availability of product and your choice of product. There are many stories of problems switching from rats to mice or switching from mice to rats once a feeding routine has been established

[Abby_The_Python]

i fed my new 2 baby bps a rat pup ( i think thats what is pictured)each last week & they snapped it up. Here is a clickable pic of one



Their first live feeding by the way (with tongs). I was just very glad they both ate my first offer, lol

I have a 2 yr old bp that has not eaten since June 14th. Very let down everytime she turns down a meal, but thats how it is....we will see how tomorrow goes.

These were pretty large rat pups, but they were out of pinky mice & i had to make a decision. Someone told me once to get them to rats soon as i can, i just follow what these forums tell me, so far so good!

[bruster]

im looking to feed ever 5 days, he/she just took the first meal of a small mouse, cause that was what i was told it was feeding on...is it better for pinkies or the grown mice? i feed my blood python 3 pinky mice ever 7 days and he gre rather quick, now i feed him 1 medium rat every 10 days.

[Somed00d]

These were pretty large rat pups, but they were out of pinky mice & i had to make a decision. Someone told me once to get them to rats soon as i can, i just follow what these forums tell me, so far so good!

That rat is not too big in my opinion.

[icygirl]

Adult rodents are healthier since babies and young juvies are mostly fat.

Also, it's better to feed one large prey item rather than several small ones. Every time the snake feeds it wastes some of its energy stores. Swallowing once wastes less energy than swallowing a few times in a row. Just make sure the prey item is appropriately sized for your snake.

[bruster]

thanks for the advice on this

[rabernet]

i fed my new 2 baby bps a rat pup ( i think thats what is pictured)each last week & they snapped it up. Here is a clickable pic of one



Their first live feeding by the way (with tongs). I was just very glad they both ate my first offer, lol

I have a 2 yr old bp that has not eaten since June 14th. Very let down everytime she turns down a meal, but thats how it is....we will see how tomorrow goes.

These were pretty large rat pups, but they were out of pinky mice & i had to make a decision. Someone told me once to get them to rats soon as i can, i just follow what these forums tell me, so far so good!

Pinky mice are never a choice for me to feed to baby ball pythons. Hopper mice at the smallest (eyes open and ears just opened). That's for an average sized baby.

In your picture, I'd be feeding your snake a rat fuzzy, that rat is actually small in proportion to your snake.