What should i feed him!

[geko]

I have had my BP for about a month now and he is 5 months old.
I was feeding him 2 pinkies a week but last week i feed him 2 fuzzies.

I have heard of people feeding 4 month old BP's full grown adult mice. Is that true and if so can i feed my snake adult mice?

I can take pics of my snake if needed. The reason i ask is because i breed mice and need to get rid of a few!

[Pixie]

Your BP can definitely handle some larger food items. I have a very young one myself and he eats young adult mice.

It is preferable to feed one large food item instead of many.

When you do offer a larger prey item, be sure it is either pre-killed or thawed from frozen. I'm sure you don't want your snake to get bit or hurt...

Pixie

[Jeff_Favelle]

Baby Ball Pythons can eat adult mice as their FIRST feeding. Its a PYTHON. Feed it like one.


Baby eating an adult mouse. People have to realize that they don't eat like us. They eat like a Python.



http://members.shaw.ca/gallerya/henryeat1.jpg

[geko]

Thanks for the replies!

how should i go about killing a mouse in a more humane way?

[ReptiZone]

Nice job Jeff I like to see well fed animals ppl get upset with me when I say I feed a 12 foot adult male burm 1 rabbit a week some times 2 if they take them. I am like ya it will live if I feed 1 every 2 weeks but why do that when they will eat a way better diet every week to me if they eat it and it goes down I give a few extart degrees to digest the rest is well common sence.

[Kappa]

adult mice or rat pups right off the start, my yearlings take 1-2 rat pups a feeding.

[DarkHunter]

Geko......
Killing a rodent a humane way? Feed Frozen thawed :P! You can pick frozen mice up at most local pet stores...Less chance of your snake being bitten anyways...

[BoidKeeper]

If you are going to feed it like a python then feed it rats not mice. Personally I would go for a fuzzie rat. If it gets hooked on mice you may be feeding your adult BP 10 mice at a time some day when its an adult.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Jo060]

Originally posted by geko
Thanks for the replies!

how should i go about killing a mouse in a more humane way?

I had this question too Geko.

But, what I do now is simply put it in a long tube sock (or pillow case depending how big the rat/mouse is) Then stand by a wall/desk spin it round' a couple times and build up a LITTLE momentum(sp) Then hit it against the wall as it is going down. But be carfull dont hit it too hard or u will have a mouse/rat that is split. here (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23338) is a post I started a little while back when I had the same question as you. Hope this helps.:)

[geko]

Originally posted by DarkHunter
Geko......
Killing a rodent a humane way? Feed Frozen thawed :P! You can pick frozen mice up at most local pet stores...Less chance of your snake being bitten anyways...

I breed mice tho so there is no reason i should have to buy anything ;)

I guess i will use the sock method to kill my mice!

thanks again!

[Invictus]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
People have to realize that they don't eat like us. They eat like a Python.

I don't think it could be phrased any better than this. Good quote Jeff. :D

[sapphire_moon]

Don' t feed mice. Rats are more nutritious for BP's. If your BP gets stuck on mice then as someone else said, you could be feeding up to 10 mice a feeding......And as I said, rats are WAY more nutritious for BP's.......and I suggest next time you get an animal. RESEARCH IT FIRST, BUY THE SET UP, KEEP THE TEMPS FOR A WHILE, THEN BUY THE ANIMAL, and preferably from a reputable breeder.....And when you feed, feed F/T it is WAY more safer than a live rat.

[annoying_alien]

Rats come in pinkies, fuzzies, adolescent,
and adult. You can buy them pre-killed, so
dont worry about killing it yourself.
I just moved my snake up a size on rats
yesterday. Its about 2 feet, 3 inches.
When selecting food, make sure
the food is about 1.5 times larger than
the largest part of your snake.
You should be able to tell the snake
is full 10 feet away.

[Jo060]

make sure the food is about 1.5 times larger than
the largest part of your snake.
You should be able to tell the snake
is full 10 feet away.


That is a common mistake. After feeding your snake should have a lump in it's stomach about the size of a beer bottle. Dont go by the size of the snake. a baby BP can eat a grown rat!

[mykee]

Jo060. if my hatchling had ate a food item that made him look like he swallowed a beer bottle, Firstly, I would be an irresponsible snake owner, and secondly, I would probably have a dead ball. My 'rule of thumb' if there is one for feeding bp's is that I feed it when it wants to eat, or will take an item, and I tend to feed them between 15-25% of their total body weight per meal.

[Invictus]

Originally posted by mykee
if my hatchling had ate a food item that made him look like he swallowed a beer bottle, Firstly, I would be an irresponsible snake owner, and secondly, I would probably have a dead ball.

Ummmm.... wrong on both.

Even my corn snakes look like a beer bottle after I feed them. That's how they feed. They are snakes, not people. If my corns look like a beer bottle, and they are nowhere near as flexible as boids, what makes you think that giving a BP something 1.5 times his own girth is going to harm it in any way? You should see my male BCI take down a 1 lb rabbit. He looks like a 2L coke bottle. And ya know what? He's totally content, extremely healthy and shiny, and growing like a weed. In fact, he's grown a foot in the last 6 months. So, no, you won't have a dead ball. You will have a healthy, happy ball if someone can look at it from 10 feet away and say "Wow! He's full!"

[BoidKeeper]

Even the Sutherlands will tell you smaller meals more often if you want them to grow. True they are not people but a really large meal can be hard on their system. A smaller meal is easier to digest and they can be on the move again a lot sooner and ready for a second one. They eat what they can in the wild and sometimes it's a huge meal because they take what they can get but that doesn't mean that it's the best choice for them.
Feed your snakes what ever you want, their your snakes. I will say that I've had great sucess with feeding my snakes smaller meals more often. I go with a meal that is equal to or slightly smaller then their girth. I go big sometimes too but as a rule I tend to stay at the snakes girth and this has worked great for me.
Cheers,
Trevor

[mykee]

Invictus, I think you misunderstood my post, I am talking about ball python hatchlings, if you have ever seen a hatchling BP, they are **MAYBE** the circumference of your thumb. if you fed a snake that size an item that made him look like a beer bottle, you would have a DEAD BP. Well, actually, you wouldn't because they're not stupid and wouldn't eat something that big. Plain and simple. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a BIG fan of feeding your BP's enormous food items, I feed all of my balls, from hatchlings right up to my big females much larger than the "width of the largest part' crap. I feed more like double that. I've never had a snake regurge, so I must be doing something right. However, there is a point where common sense takes a backseat for the "let's see HOW big" mentality.