small frequent feeds VS large infrequent feeds

[kazoopython]

Thankfully my ball is now eating like mad. Any thoughts on whether it's best to have small frequent feeds versus large infrequent feeds. Currently, he has been eating 1-2 mice twice a week.

Thanks
Eric

[mykee]

First off, small meals doesn't mean mice. Mice just suck in my opinion. Now, to get to your question, a few years ago, I decided to take the advice of a well-known and respected ball breeder here in Ontario and feed smaller meals. The logic behind this is that the snake will take less time to digest the meal, in turn cleaning out the system sooner and ready to accept food quicker than a large meal that takes longer to be digested. I gave this a shot and noticed exactly that was true. I now feed my balls a 10:1 weight ratio snake to food once a week, rather than a 5:1 and I notice my balls eat more often, and grow quicker.

[Spirit]

On my other snake, I make small insisions in the skin of the mouse which allow the stomach acids to seep inside and digest the mouse faster, basically giving the snake a bit higher nutrients as the mouse is not "rotting" in the stomach waiting for the skin to digest first.

When I first started doing this I noticed that not only did my snake go through a pretty crazy growth spurt, but he just looks healthier. He's always looked healthy, but even his scales appear to look shinier, almost like a fresh shed.

At any rate, I haven't tried this with my python yet (rats), but I do agree that faster digestion is beneficial over a larger meal. Just remember that small meals means a hungrier snake, so of course that means feeding a bit more frequently.

[Retileyman]

yes i tried that mouse stabbing thing but all mouse wouldnt stop biting me so whats your suggestion about taming the mouse?

[Bristen]

Originally posted by Retileyman
yes i tried that mouse stabbing thing but all mouse wouldnt stop biting me so whats your suggestion about taming the mouse?

uh... I doubt he was splitting the belly of live mice?? Frozen/thawed or prekilled??

This has to be a joke and I was stupid enough to comment on it heh...

Bristen.

[kazoopython]

First off, small meals doesn't mean mice. Mice just suck in my opinion.

Mykee,
I'm curious, why do you say "mice suck."

Eric

[Nicky]

Originally posted by kazoopython
Mykee,
I'm curious, why do you say "mice suck."

Eric

because mice don't have as much neutrition ( sorry bad spelling) as a rat, I'd switch as soon as possible. Also I would switch to dead because too much can happen with live. Also I hope you were kidding about stabbing a live mouse and slitting it open before feeding that would be incredably cruel. Do your ball and its prey a favor and switch to dead.
Kayla

[mykee]

Eric; they stink, they bite, they eat their offspring MUCH more often than rats, they stink, they bite, they don't get big enough to be a food source for very long, they stink, they bite, their nutrition just isn't comparable to a rat at any size, they stink, they bite. Think that's about it, I'll add to this list if I can think of anything else.

[honduranfreekk]

mykee brother I think you left out that they stink and bite bro LMFAOOOOO.

Kelvin@Brigitte

[HumphreyBoagart]

Can anyone tell me if mice stink or bite?
Thanks
LOL

[mykee]

Kelvin, Hump: Mice STINK and BITE, if you didn't catch it in my original post. I hate them SO much!!! Popcorn and pi$$ smellin' little bitey bastages....

[Jeff_Favelle]

LOL!!!

[nita]

Too funny, rats are a better option but some snakes just don't like them! I have a few mouse eaters and they are a pain. You have to feed how many mice to equate to a proper sized rat!! Takes a lot of mice to make up a 300g rat!!

[wizbit13]

Originally posted by Retileyman
yes i tried that mouse stabbing thing but all mouse wouldnt stop biting me so whats your suggestion about taming the mouse?

If you just stroke the mouse under the chin for 2 minutes, he wont mind at all if you poke holes in him, and cut him up a bit. He will be rather tame by then, and it wont hurt him a bit. This has got to be a joke right? You really did not think that a mouse would not bite you if you tried to stab it??

Adam

[greenman1867]

LOL Funny thread, here's my $0.02 on why mice suck (adding a bit to one of mykee's points).

If you start on mice, they will only feed your Ball for a short time before they are too small. Then you need get the snake onto Rats. I can't imagine anyone wanting to feed 4-5 mice to = 1 rat.

Shawn