I have a baby ball python, but she's grown a lot since we got her. We are feeding her one good sized mouse a week, and today we moved her up to a bigger mouse than usual. She ate it quickly and didn't have any problems. (we've never had a problem with her eating) but i'm wondering. How will i know if we are feeding her too much? How often are we supposed to feed her. She about 2 feet in length.
2007-03-21 09:32:17 · 8 answers · asked by Andii 3 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Balls are very good at regulating their food intake. Balls up to a year old will usually eat every week and they can grow very fast, however many Balls hit a "wall" at around 600-900 grams and will stop eating for whatever reason. It may take a few months to get them going again, but usually it's not anything to be concerned about. Adult Balls will often stop eating as well if they are fed too much such a medium or large rat weekly.
Sometimes you will get a Ball that will eat everything you give it. In that case you should make sure she doesn't become obese. If you can see the skin between her scales or if you can see visible rolls when she's coiled up, that's a sign of obesity.
I'd recommend feeding her one mouse once a week until she is 2 years old, then you may want to increase it to two mice weekly.
2007-03-21 09:45:21 · answer #1 · answered by xyz_gd 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Generally ball pythons will not eat unless they are hungry--I have one that is between 1-2 years and she eats 1 rat every 2 weeks--when she was younger she received 2 mice every week--the older they get the less often that you have to feed them...I do want you to know that even in captivity these snakes will hibernate--they usually do this the end of winter--when i say hibernate i don't mean sleep and be come uninterested in anything-but they usually will not eat and they tend to be less active--our snake is still in hibernation mode right now and has been that way for over 6 weeks--we bought a rat and she refuses to eat right now so needless to say we have a pet rat right now too...
they often times will not feed when they are getting close to shedding time (you will know when this is because the eyes will cloud over-they will stay that way for a few days and then they will become clear again--after they clear the shedding usually starts with in 2-3 days-give or take)--
One more thing-if you have a female when she gets close to shedding time after she has reached sexual maturity her belly will also have a pinkish color to it when she gets ready to shed--(we thought ours was getting a skin rash or infection of some sort-so we were keeping her very clean and rubbed down with beta dine-we took her to the vet and come to find out our snake was a little girl who just happened to be getting ready to shed-as this was our first ball python we were unaware of the fact that the stomach would become pink--just thought i would save you some confusion if you do have a female...)
Best of luck!!
2007-03-21 12:56:55 · answer #2 · answered by Ayden's Mommy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The main goal with feeding is to give it a food item that isn't going to rip their jaw when they try to eat it and something their digestive track can handle. Another thing is to not overwhelm their liver. In my personal opinion, once a week is a little too frequent for a Ball Python that size. I'd reduce it to once every other week. The size sounds about accurate. When you say good sized I'm assuming an adult mouse? You can overfeed a snake, it is possible... And granted, Ball Pythons TYPICALLY are good about not overeating and knowing their limits... There are always exceptions to the rule. And again, you have to take their liver in to consideration and if you're overwhelming it to the point of failure. Too many herp hobbyists have a tendancy to overfeed their snake, with the goal of making them grow larger quicker. Where as this does work as far as accomplishing this goal, it strains the snake's internal organs. This makes them more prone to illness and a shorter lifespan. Good luck to you and I'm so jealous!! I miss my BP. :-(
2007-03-21 10:37:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I'd keep it at once a week. As the snake gets bigger so should the weekly meal.
2007-03-21 11:43:15 · answer #4 · answered by mikeylikesit 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Snakes consume live food about every week or two. This might put a visible bulge into their body. If the bulge does not go down, the snake doesn't need another meal until it does.
2007-03-21 09:41:18 · answer #5 · answered by DinDjinn 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Once a week is about right to feed her.
2007-03-21 09:35:14 · answer #6 · answered by allyalexmch 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
truth is, if they eat it, their hungry. They will not touch a mouse if they do not intend to eat it.
2007-03-21 13:30:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
if your snake starts to get fat... you know its a problem
2007-03-21 09:36:38 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋