Pinkie for a 2.5 footer

[Tarentola]

When I got my CBB sub-adult ball python they gave me pinkies to feed it and said it was being force fed.After a week I got it I tryed the to wiggle the pinkie infront of it and nothing happened, and I was not going to force feed it when it had a very good body weight.So I fed the pinkie to one of my tokays. And next week I tryed again and while it was thawing I thought maybe if my ball python got stimulated from me putting a live mouse in the cage(it was a 50g so lots of room too). I watched for about 5 minutes and wack...................my first time to see a snake grab amouse and it was a very happy and interesting experience.

So always do reasearch, rather then petstores "care".................though it can be accurate

[marisa]

It's rarely accurate.

A 2.5 foot Ball Python could easily be eating bigger than adult mice.

Glad he ate something for you though! Now switch him to FT rats.

Marisa

[mykee]

Glad to hear your snake wasn't injured. Don't do that again, if you're going to feed live, restrain the rat. Notice I said rat. MICE SUCK. Get him on rats ASAP.

[BoidKeeper]

Balls should eat rats not mice. A good rule of thumb is that you feed your snake a food item that is equal to or 1.5 times the snakes largest girth. If the pet store told you a ball that big was being force fed pinkies I would recomend you never ever go back there and get yourself a copy of the ball python manual.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Tarentola]

I have the Ball Python Manual................its a great book and I will start to get mice again...............I have also fed it big gerbils and a small rat

[BoidKeeper]

I would avoid mice at all cost. You don't want that snake hooked on mice. It will take for ever to grow and you will need to feed it upwards of 10 at a time to constitute a proper meal when it's an adult instead of one rat.
Cheers,
Trevor

[mykee]

I hope you mean rats. Again, MICE SUCK.

[Tarentola]

I meant rats actually.......................I am used to saying mice so I got confused,I have actually had this guy for a few years now and he is now at adult size..........3.5 feet.

I will get rats when I am done with my 2 leftover frozen mice.

[sapphire_moon]

he? I don't really think thats about adult size. My 3 yr old male is close to 5ft if not a bit over. But maybe my male is just abnormaly large.

Try not to feed gerbils either, cause if you think it's hell to try to get him off mice, you will never get him off gerbils, and those are like 6 bucks a pop.

edit: Also, there is no "set" adult size. alot of them vary.

I have a 3ft yearling female.
when my male was a yearling, he was barely over 2ft.

[Tarentola]

I only used gerbils before becuase we were breeding them......................so why not use free rodents?

And for a male being over 5 feet is large for a male, most are only 3-4 feet

[mykee]

I noticed you said, 'were breeding them'. Do you no longer breed them, because if that's the case, you gots' yourself some worries.

[Tarentola]

i don't breed them anymore but he ate like 20 in a row and then he ate f/t mice the next week.

[NewLineReptile]

20 in a row.........I would avoid Over feeding it as well

Brandon

[Tarentola]

well I mean 1 every week..............but only eating gerbils