prey size

[gmcclurelssu]

just wanted to gain some feedback on a question i thought of today. my local pet store is a pretty small place and dosn't always have the size rats i usually feed. my options today were (and this is the most extreme case) large rats or babies about the size of a small mouse. my guy usually takes 2 small rats or one medium. is it better to go larger than normal or more, way smaller rats?

[jglass38]

How big is your Ball Python? I never feed anything bigger than a small small to any of my snakes, even the biggest girls. General rule is that the prey animal should be no bigger around than the thickest part of the snake. In my (and others) opinion, Ball Pythons are way overfed in captivity anyway. If they don't have small rats that week, feed a couple weans, or feed a couple large mice. Just my opinion through my experience.

[gmcclurelssu]

he's about 40 inches (still need to buy a scale, so weight is unknown). what this pet store labels as mediums are about the same girth, so that's what i try to feed normally. this week i ended up going with a few weens