This too big to feed??

[Solid Snake]

Im gonna try feeding him rat pups, hes a month old and about... 1' 10". would he be able to eat it?

[CyberGhost]

I'm not sure, maybe if its not to much bigger then his head I guess it would be al right. I guess the only way to find out is to do it and wait to see how it turns out. But its been said a million times its not safe to feed anything bigger then the diameter of ther snakes head.

[BoidKeeper]

Yup. He is very nice I love that strip he has.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Trace]

But its been said a million times its not safe to feed anything bigger then the diameter of ther snakes head.

CyberGhost: I believe it's been said a million times that it's not safe to feed anything bigger then the diameter of a snakes thickest part of their body. Get your facts straight!

Yoeun905: That being said, as long as your rat pup is smaller than the thickest part of your BP, go ahead and feed it.

Cheers!

Trace

[yankeefoxtrot]

More power to ya trace! I would prolly keep that ball on mice or small rat pups just take a look at his fattest part and then go to the store and pick out what you think looks the closest. I always say when is doubt, go with smaller prey. A regurge is not a fun thing to deal with! Good luck!

Lucas

[Solid Snake]

the rat pup is just a bit bigger than the largest diameter of his body.

[yankeefoxtrot]

Well then its to big. I usually even go a LITTLE bit smaller someitmes. Be safe with your snakes, if it regurges it will get dehydrated and its just a hassle, and no fun for the snake too!


Lucas

[CyberGhost]

No, its been said to feed on the diameter of their head on this site by members. Give me a little while and I will collect the post. But I've also heard the biggest part of the body to. I'm not for sure which one safer but I think it will be ok to feed the rat pups to the snake. I also love the strip!!! Great looking snake!!!

[yankeefoxtrot]

I have never heard the head thing before cyberghost. Im pretty shure its better to go with girth. ...


Lucas

[Andy_G]

Rat pups can be fed to hatchling ball pythons as long as they are of proper size. Anything the same size or a very small amount smaller/bigger is ok. Don't forget that all pythons have very elastic jaws and can swallow a lot larger prey then we offer and he probably won't regurge if it's a little bigger.

[Solid Snake]

aaaaaah! it bit him! the clerk at the reptile shop told me that mice/rats with no eyes will not bite! he was wrong! Once he bit i took the rat and killed it myself (the ol' bag swing n' table). I feel terrible for killing it... argh. The bite isn't too serious just a little bite, i couldn't see it on my BP.

[yankeefoxtrot]

DEAD FOOD!!!!!!!! Nothing more nothign less. I hope you plan on takin him to the vet and not using your own medical advice on if its bad or not!!!!! *sigh* Im out! : (


Lucas

[Snake69]

CyberGhost, you have probably heard it somewere before.

When it comes to ball pythons, it is best to go with food no larger then their head for the first few months of their lives, until they become an established feeder. Anyone who has raised ball pythons can tell you that they can be finiky eaters.
Once they are a few months old then you can graduate the food size to match their girth safely with less chance of regurg..
This is just a rule of thumb that I and many other ball python owners go by. Over 20 years following it with no probs :D
And always feed dead pray whenever possible, or at least stunded as to protect your snake from bites.
Snake69

[LdyDrgn]

The rat pup is fine. I have a Royal python here taking 1 small rat every 2 weeks and they are much bigger than her head. They leave a slight bulge in her which is fine. Royals should never see a mouse in their lives. They are big enough when hatched to start off on rats.

CyberGhost, I don't know where you saw it, or who said it. But it is called the Girth Rule, not the Head Rule. Trust me, if you fed using prey no larger than the head, they would starve to death.

[Solid Snake]

alot of colubrids have heads that are same sizes as their bodies. i seen people sating that in the forum there alot. So im assuming he got mixed up?

well, my BP took it like a champ! he ate it... im so glad

[yankeefoxtrot]

Well i think cyberghost is a little to stubborn to admit he is wrong......EVER!!! So he is banned. Im glad your snake ate it and that the bite is ok. Lates.

Lucas