Couple Questions...

Krissyw84 · 10-04-12, 03:40 PM

First question pertains to feeding. My ball eats very well... but I feel like I might not be feeding him enough. I've been feeding him fuzzies and I just fed him yesterday, but he acts like he's still hungry today. I don't know if it sounds crazy but I feel like i can tell by his behavior when he's hungry. So I was wondering if I should try to feed him again or maybe try to feed him a bigger mouse? I don't know what size mouse is good for a certain size ball. I've been feeding him once a week. And it takes no time for him to take it.
My second question pertains to shedding. He has most of it off but there is still some left on. I've tried the soaking thing in a mixing bowl and then he started trying to get out and I felt like I was wrestling him so I put him back in his tank. I thought about getting a tupperware bowl with a top and just drilling some holes in the top so he could breath and just put him in there for a lil while. The humidity in the tank was not as high as it should have been and I have fixed that. It was lingering around 40% or so but now it's in the 60's. I know I fixed it too late but at least I fixed it. He's in a 10 gallon tank at the moment and he's longer than the tank. When I took him to the vet back in August, he weighed 150 grams. I'm sure he's more than that now. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Lankyrob · 10-04-12, 03:41 PM

You want to be feeding rats no tmice to a royal python, ifeed rats to my two year old that are slightly bigger than his girth.

Krissyw84 · 10-04-12, 03:46 PM

Not being rude, but I'm curious as to why rats and not mice? Is there a big difference other than adult size? I didn't know not to feed it mice.

Lankyrob · 10-04-12, 03:48 PM

Once the snake is adult you will be feeding multiple mice in order to "fill it up" either that or you will need to feed grossly fat mice, neither is oarticularly healthy for the snake.

By feeding rats you can feed one relatively sized rat at each feeding which is easier for you and bette rfor the snake.

mykee · 10-04-12, 03:48 PM

Are you up for spending $25 a week on feeding when you need to feed your 3000g adult ball python 10-12 mice a week, or $4 a week for a large rat?

Ivalynfyre · 10-04-12, 03:50 PM

Ball pythons can get 'hooked' on mice and with the more mice you feed them, the harder it can be to switch them onto rats.
My male who is a little over 3' eats medium-large rats.. no mice are that big and you'd have to be feeding multiple mice in one feeding so they are equivalent to a medium rat.

derp
should've typed faster, heh

DavethePython · 10-04-12, 03:55 PM

Rats have more nutrition and they are a bigger meal. If your snake is longer than his 10 gallon then pinkies are way too small. He should be eating prey at least 1.5 to 2 times his diameter . If you are feeding mice he should be at least on adult size from the info I have read you gave. I have a year old female who is just shy of 2 ft and is eating rats that are about the size of a jumbo mouse. And for everyone else who has followed my posts, all of my royals are on rats now with no problem switching from mice .

Krissyw84 · 10-04-12, 03:58 PM

Ok. I definitely got the point. This is my second ball ( the first one died due to not eating) but I never got this far with my first one. I'm trying to make sure I do everything right so I dont end up with another sick snake. I appreciate the advice!
So should I just start feeding him rats now? Just do a quick switch? What size would be good to go with?

Krissyw84 · 10-04-12, 04:07 PM

So should I go ahead and feed him again since he acts like he's still hungry and from what y'all said he should be. Sounds like i haven't been feeding him enough. I guess i'll finish off this box of fuzzies and go ahead and start buying rats.

Lankyrob · 10-04-12, 04:51 PM

I would wait five days and then feed him two of the size you have, do this every five days til you ripun out then switch to rats of a similar size, carry on feeding every five days with a slightly larger rat each time until you have him eating rats that are about the same girth/slightly larger girth thanhe is.

Sometimes it can be a pain to swithpch them from mice to rats but some snakes just take them with no problems

if he wont take the rat straight away you may need to wait him out, patience usually works in the end but only try every five days and not more often.

Krissyw84 · 10-04-12, 05:21 PM

How long do you wait til you feed it the next mouse when you feed them two in one day? Do I need to wait an hour or just when he has the other mouse down?

mykee · 10-04-12, 05:37 PM

Quote:

"Rats have more nutrition "

Please please please show us where you found this information. Please.

Snakefood · 10-04-12, 05:40 PM

my 160 g BP was started by the breeder on mice, and when I got her, she was feeding on fully adult mice. I am in the middle of trying to wait her out switching her over to large fuzzy rats (same weight as adult mice) and boy, what a trial I am having!!

why dont they just start them on rat fuzzies to begin with, its not like they are not big enough right out of the egg for it!!!!

Snakefood · 10-04-12, 05:42 PM

hey Mykee, dont the rats have a higher fat content rather than "more nutrition"??

Snakefood · 10-04-12, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krissyw84

How long do you wait til you feed it the next mouse when you feed them two in one day? Do I need to wait an hour or just when he has the other mouse down?

when doubling up on prey, I give them at the same time. Having said that I only do that with juvi corns that are about to "up" a prey size.

if I were you I would just start offering her appropriate sized rats and wait her out, it`ll be better in the end!