what should my bp eat

[ballpythonmorph]

hi i have a male bp that is 9-10 months old and is 2 feet long and eats mice and he is around 220 grams is he under weight what should i be feding him and whats girth?

[CamHanna]

I've never weighed any of my snakes so I can't say for sure what a 2ft BP should weigh.

As for feeding, I'd get him on rats as soon as you can. At that size mice aren't TOO small but he should probably take 2 or 3 at a feeding. He should really be taking small rats. I hear they are easier to switch when the snake is still young.

[ballpythonmorph]

the pet store where i get his mice say that he isnt round enough to take a small rat they said he cant even take a jumbo mouse are they lieing to me?

[CamHanna]

I would be surprised if your snake is too thin for rats. I'm not even sure that a ball python CAN be be too small for rats, most can eat them strait from the eggs. Pet stores aren't known in the snake community for giving good advice and I'm not sure that they are in this case.

I can't really associate the weight of the snake with the size but if you can post a picture I could be more of a help.

[VI Reptiles]

Well, My 9 month old bp which I also got from the petstore is 480 grams. He can eat 4 adult mice or 1 small rat.


VI Reptiles

[munchy]

Originally posted by ballpythonmorph
the pet store where i get his mice say that he isnt round enough to take a small rat they said he cant even take a jumbo mouse are they lieing to me?
well im by no means an expert and i dont like to call anyone a liar, but to the best of my knowledge BPs can take adult mice pretty much right after they hatch...

[ballpythonmorph]

my bp is 4 inches in girth so what should he be eating and do you think that he is under weight?

[mykee]

a 9-10 month old ball (if fed) should weigh in between 400-1000g. You're either off on the age, or your ball is the most undernourished snake I've heard of. At 2-3 months of age (how old a 200g ball should be) balls can take fuzzy rats. Please please please don't take what the "pet store guy" says as the word. They're usually quite useless when it comes to darn near anything. Also, if your ball is truly 9-10 months old, chances are he's not CB.

[ballpythonmorph]

well he is 9-10 months old but the reason hes so small is because i was told that he should be eating 1 adult mouse per week sice he is 4inches in girth what she he be eating?

[mykee]

Fuzzy rats. 20-30g.

[ballpythonmorph]

is that bigger than a mouse an adult mouse that is?

[mykee]

I don't know, how big are your adult mice? About the same size, maybe a little bigger.

[malaysianbloods]

Most adult mice that i've had in the past are about 35-45grams. So I think that you should either feed him more mice or get him on to rats and yes he could easily take a jumbo mouse most likely a jumbo and a regular adult mouse all depending on how big they are where you get them from. Then again thats just IMO.

[ballpythonmorph]

well im going to the pet store in like 10 minutes i want to no what i should get him to eat please respond right away

[malaysianbloods]

So what did you get for your snake to eat.

[ballpythonmorph]

i got him 1 medium mouse and a kinda fuzzie rat but i fed him the mouse to get his appetite up then i tried to feed him the rat( these both are live) and then he sniffed it and kept staring at it then he moved away from it so i put the rat in a kritter keeper what should i do?

[Mark]

keep trying to get him to eat rats. It s easier to switch them when young then older animals. I've always had great luck getting non-feeding balls and mouse feeders to eat rat fuzzies or pups/ As they do not have teeth I leave the live rat fuzzie or pup overnight. Also try using the rat first and then finish with the mouse if the meal was to small or feed it a couple of days later. Also fuzzies rat (usually 10-20g) and pups (20-30g) are about the size of a small and large mouse

[ballpythonmorph]

well the rat was bigger than the mouse

[mykee]

To switch over, try to find a rat that is the same size as the mouse you were feeding. He'll be reluctant at first to eat the rat, but rub a live (or dead) mouse on the rat so as to scent the rat so it smells like a mouse. Good luck, don't give up, or start saving up your money, you'll need it to feed your mouse eating adult ball.

[ballpythonmorph]

well the rat was the size of a jumbo mouse and i still have the rat and hes alive should put it in his cage right now

[ballpythonmorph]

well this morning i fed him the rat and he killed it right away and ate it backwards so i hope hes on rats now

[mykee]

Good, next time try a larger rat.

[Mark]

glad to hear he took a rat. Now just keep them on them and never give him a mouse again. Good luck on the next rat.

[ballpythonmorph]

why should i go larger next time?

[malaysianbloods]

Because he can take a larger one by your description of him. But when you give him larger (if you do) make sure to restrain it ore give it to him freshly killed. HTH

[ballpythonmorph]

well if i go larger it will prolly be to big

[zero&stich]

You be surprised what any snake can actually swallow. Basic machanics, snakes are capable of unhooking their jaw so they are quite capable of take larger prey. Good rule of thumb, when in doubt, feed according to the thickest part of the snakes body(girth). If the pet store does not know those two concepts, I would find a new supplier to deal with herps. Also, the point of feeding larger prey now is for him to get back on par with 'good' wieght. It will need it, when it begins the fast.

Good luck.

[Vengeance]

This should give you a better idea of the size of rat a ball python can take. My Ball python ate the rat beside him without a problem. This isn't an indication of what you should be feeding your Ball python but it should give you an idea of just how large a prey item a Ball python can actually get down.

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/3606Rat-med.JPG

[ballpythonmorph]

ok the rat that my ball ate was about that size and he didnt have a problem i dont think!!!!!!!!!!!! i really want to no how i should set up his rubbermaid # 2119-87 i want to get flexwatt and everything else that he needs from one site if i could but i will be getting the rubbermaid from walmart what site has all the things i need?

[BoidKeeper]

Great post guys! Lots of good support and a person asking questions with a williness to learn. Nice to see.
Adam I was going to post exactly what you did, nice job.
I've a female ball here that was born in July and weighs 368g as of an hour ago. She eats 40-50g rats. She slowed down this winter and even too a month off from food. Had she not she'd be over 400g for sure.
Cheers,
Trevor

[nita]

If the snake can eat the rat backwards it is too small! LOL, as for size, all depends on how well the animal eats I have some that are between 8 and 9 months old and the weight ranges from 190g to 490g. The small ones are mouse eaters, two of wich will only eat one mouse every month the 490g girl eats a 75g rat every week!! I have a 2yr old male that is my worst eater, he eats only one item at a time, only once a week I tried getting him to eat every wed and sun like my little hatchling but he refuses. He also stops feeding for months at a time. He currently weighs only 380g, I'm hoping eventually he will smarten up though.

[ballpythonmorph]

i am about to get a rubbermaid and things for my ball pythons new home wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nita]

GOOD LUCK!!

[ballpythonmorph]

ima bout to leave right now bye

[oliver]

so i think thatyou should get adult mice they work for me :) make it two my bp is smaller thann your and thats wat he eats

Oliver

[oliver]

bibi

[malaysianbloods]

Sorry oliver but if his ball is willing and already takin a rat then he should never even offer it a mouse ever again.

[mykee]

Oliver, that's just a bad idea. Good luck with your mice though....

[ballpythonmorph]

i just got back from the petstore and they weighed him and now he weighs 272 grams before he weiged 218 is that ok that hes gaining weight that quickly even tho he is under weight?

[TheMan]

He'll be fine...just stay with the recommended 4 to 5 day feeding schedule and now that he eats rats he'll start gaining weight so fast that you'll be able to see him growing...LOL

Sam

I meant to say 5-7 day schedule....4-5 is how my female was eating...but now she's eating 5-7

[ballpythonmorph]

yeah he eats every 7 days
is that ok?

[zero&stich]

I think that should be fine. Most people to my knowlege feed most boids every 7-10 days. Slow metabolism.

And ya, now that its on rats you will see a tremendious increase in wieght gain and girth. Nothing to worry bout in this point of time. Younger snakes usualy have a higher growth rate than adults anyway.

Oliver-If you can, try switching your BP to rats, more nuterious and a larger meal. You will kick yourself in the butt a few years later an wish like heck you had switched your snake over to rats when/if it starts to "prey imprint". Like mice, there are different levels of rats such as rat pinks, fuzzies, pups, weanling ect. Pick according to the size that is apporiate to the thickest amount of girth of your snake for a choice size on rats. Just my thoughts.

Good luck Oliver and ballpythonmorph.

[ballpythonmorph]

ok when he first got weighed he weighed 218 grams then he weighed 272 now i just weighed him today and he weighs 353 grams is that ok with that big of an incresment? i would get pics but my camera sucks im thinking about taking it back. i took him out of his snake bag and i tried feeding him another rat today but i lifted the bag up side down( the snake wasnt in it) and 2 terds fell out the where white and one was like gray but they where heavy like rocks also he peed through the bag and got my pants wet:o lol so anyone can respond with ANY comments !!!!!!!