eating too much?

[HMT]

I seem to have the opposite problem of most people. My BP loves to eat.

My male BP is about 2.5 years old, and has reliably eaten whatever I offer him every week of his life. (lucky me, I know!) Lately he has been ravenous though, and is "hunting" every few days. I switched him up to the next size prey (from adult mice to f/t small rats) and he still "hunts" every 3-4 days. He also will attempt to strike at me if I reach into his tank, unless he's asleep or recently fed. The striking is a new and undesired behavior.

I don't believe he will be able to eat larger rats-the rats he is eating now are about the same size as his widest part. My questions are this:

Is it ok for me to feed him whenever he seems hungry, or should I stick to the once-a-week schedule? Is this a growth spurt/ phase?(and if so, how long do you think it will last?) How can I reduce the striking behavior? I know snakes are not cuddly pets, but I don't want to end up with a snake that cannot be handled.

Thanks for the help,
Heidi

[bads15]

how often does he shed?

[beardiefan]

If the meals you are providing are appropriately sized, I would keep him on his schedule. At 2.5 years he my be gearing up for the breeding season. All of mine are voracious right now, as well. I would also invest in a snake hook. Use it to get him out of his enclosure. This seams to snap mine out of feed mode. Once out, and they realize they are not being fed, they revert back to there old selves again. BTW after 2.5 years of weekly feedings, small rats sound, small. Do you have any pictures of him and his prey?

[mykee]

Heidi; the reason your ball python is eating every opportunity it gets, is because you are underfeeding him when he eats. ANY size mouse for an adult ball python is far too little food, unless you're feeding 6 or 7 per feeding. Get that animal on medium rats and he'll finally be full.

[HMT]

He hasn't been eating rats for 2 years. He only recently started eating rats when I noticed that the mice weren't filling him up any longer. I'm pretty sure the "small rats" are the correct size, but I'll bump him up to medium and see if he can swallow it. He's shed twice in 4 months btw.

Thanks guys!

[Aaron_S]

I have to agree with Mykee. If you were feeding this snake a single adult mouse per week, then you've really held this snake back.

I've got some snakes here that seem to shed all the time.