He is currently eating a mouse every 2 weeks, but acting very hungry like he could eat more. Should I increase his food. Im not really sure... HELP ????????
2007-02-19 13:23:10 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
I would feed it an adult mouse EVERY week. A ball python will not usually "over eat" It will fast (go off food) once and awhile to "diet". Once the snake is 3+ feet, I'd switch to 2 mice a week. My bp is 3.5' and that is what she eats. There has not been a study to determine a ball python's nutritional requirements so to say that a rat is better for it is just an opinion. In my opinion, mice are just fine for a ball's entire life assuming they are the correct size and are being fed to it weekly. Go to repticzone.com. It's a great site for info on a lot of different reptiles and other animals! Hope this helps.
Edited to add: Laura, a few posts down says she feeds every 2 months. I'll guarantee her snake is under weight. In the wild, Balls CAN go for long periods of time without eating but in captivity there is no need to go that long. She should be reported for animal abuse.
2007-02-19 15:02:01 · answer #1 · answered by poutypitbull 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He should be fed more often. At that size, he could probably take a mouse each week. The rule is to feed food no bigger than the widest part of the body (and a python can get pretty wide!). Rather than go big immediately, You can also give multiple small mice in one feeding. The next time you feed, try two mice instead.
You don't say if you are feeding live or pre-killed, but I'd encourage the latter. There's already been one posting today from an owner whose snake was bitten by his "prey". Frozen foods are much more convenient, safer (for the snake and you) and can be cheaper. Look for websites for the companies "RodentPro" or "Mice Direct" - both have prices about the same - you can order and have them shipped to you. They "grade" mice and rats by "sizes, so you'll always know what's the "next step up".
http://www.anapsid.org/prekill2.html
2007-02-19 15:11:00 · answer #2 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When we got our first ball pythons they were only about two and a half to three feet. The guy we got them from was already feeding them rats. (Small ones of course.) If they were fed mice they would eat 5 each and be hungry by the next week. With the small rats they were hungry about two weeks after feeding.
2007-02-19 16:34:35 · answer #3 · answered by psmgirl1981 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
basically, the rule of thumb is that the prey should be about the size of the largest part of his body. So if you could fit 3 mice side by side in the largest part of his body, the food is too small.
It sounds like you can increase the size, and you could probably decrease the amount of feedings as well (as long as the prey size increases)
Depending on how big he gets, you should switch to rats and rabbits. A juvenile rat is roughly a step up from an adult mouse.
2007-02-19 14:30:10 · answer #4 · answered by D 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Large Mice
2007-02-19 13:26:37 · answer #5 · answered by yamsyams123 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try upgrading to a larger size rodents. We have a 2.5 ft Ball Python and she eats a (frozen) large rat about every 2 weeks.
2007-02-19 13:25:47 · answer #6 · answered by squirrelsandstars 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You should probably give him a mouse once a week and when he gets bigger he will eat rat pups.
2007-02-19 15:05:31 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try a large mouse every week.
2007-02-20 11:33:20 · answer #8 · answered by Jesse E 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They don't have to eat that often. I feed mine every 2 months. If he is growing you may want to feed him more often but once he reaches his mature size you can wait a month or two to feed him.
2007-02-19 23:12:03 · answer #9 · answered by L 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My snakes are about 3ft long and are fed two large rats monthly. At about two weeks each. The snakes will overeat.
2007-02-19 13:32:01 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋