How to know how much to feed a ball python...

[Chris Stone]

I have a ball python that is about 23 inches or so long....and i have fed him 2 small mice....yesterday...well....i ahve heard people tellin me to get rat pups...and i dont get this whole concept..see i feed live prey....how do i know how much or what..to feed him...???

[BoidKeeper]

Read the ball python manual and you'll know all you'll need to know about feeding.
In case you don't get it before your next feeding I'll fill you in on how I feed my ten balls.
Each ball has only every been given F/T rats. 1 rat every 7 days that is equal to or slightly larger than the snakes largest girth.
That's it that's all nothing complicated about feeding ball pythons.
The sooner you get him on F/T rats the better off you will both be. Not only is safer for the snake it's much more convinient for you.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Invictus]

1) A ball python takes adult mice right out of the egg.
2) I do hope you have a good reason for feeding live. Live feedings should be done ONLY as a last resort. Have you ever seen what an angry/scared mouse or rat can do to a ball python? Evidently not.
3) When your ball is 5 feet long, are you still going to feed it mice? You'll need about 30 per meal.

Unless the ball python absolutely refuses to eat prekilled food, there is NO REASON whatsoever to feed live. And yes, move it up to rats. Our BPs are about the same length, and they pound down medium rats like they are going out of style.

A lot of people will tell you to feed a prey item equal to "or slightly larger than" the the girth of the snake, but I think this is garbage, especially for BPs. Ours take easily double their girth without a complaint, and not even 5 days later there is no lump to be seen.

BUT, since you are eventually going to have to feed your BP rats, start trying to get it to take frozen/thawed, or believe me, you will regret it when a rat tears your BP to shreds.

[mykee]

When it actually explodes, you've fed too much. They'll stop eating when they're full.

[sapphire_moon]

I was the one that said go to something like small rats.....
I didn't know he was feeding live. I second what everyone has said about live feedings.....It takes not even a quarter of a second for a mouse to rip out a ball pythons eye.......
"but it has never happened before, and besides, I supervise."

Your not superman, you can't move that fast.

[Invictus]

Amen to that, Sapphire. I'm tired of people saying "I supervise it." Big deal. You get a front row seat for the bloodbath. That's all that means. :)

[mykee]

IF you take necessary precautions, there will BE NO bloodbath. I've fed over 2000 live rats, NEVER an incident. Take the blinders off. JMO.

I should also add that I go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that my live rats are incapable of inflicting damage, these extra precautions make my feeding technique 100% successful. I would however, not recommend live-feeding to anyone not willing to take every precaution that they can to ensure the safety of their snakes. This Public Service Announcement brought to you, by me.

[Auskan]

Mykee, what are the precautions you take?

[mykee]

Auskan; for fear of ressurecting an over-discussed topic, go to Python Regius Forum, back to 09.30.03, thread titled; "New snake will only eat live I'm told".

[Jeff_Favelle]

You'd be surprised at how many Ball breeders feed live. VERY surprised.

[elevation24]

A few of mine feed live. I would prefer frozen, but some of them just won't take it and quite frankly I am not going to kill myself over getting them switched. I've never had an attack and I take precautions. I use a similar method as mykee in the thread he posted about, holding them down and away from the snake with hemostats.

I think it must be very difficult and time consuming to feed frozen rodents when you have a huge collection and many neonates. Wow, imagine the stench of all those rats or mice thawing out at once!! Ewww.

As far as what this thread as initially concerned with - how much to feed - I just feed what they will take. I only have 2 mice feeders, rats make it so much easier.

[mykee]

Jeff, as I've mentioned before, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

[BoidKeeper]

Neither would I. In the Sutherland video Colette is shown placing live rat after live rat in cage after cage and walking away to the next cage. You even hear the rats as they get nailed.
Cheers,
Trevor

[mykee]

It seems that once something is written or regurged enough times or godforbid ONE picture is circulated online 5,963,827 times, then it's "The Word". Personally, the bad husbandry related injuries that I hear about outnumber the live feeding injuries 1000:1. JMO.