How Many Mice Should Be Fed to a Ball Python?

[bigsnakegirl785]

Ok, so I was just told by someone that a full grown ball python should be fed one or two mice. This seems like underfeeding to me, as it takes about 8 mice for my 3.5ft ball python to get a bulge. I don't feed him mice now, but I used mice to try to get his appetite going before when he would give me trouble eating. Usually he would get 1-2 mice before I tried a rat again, and if he didn't take it within 3 days I would give him another 3-4 mice to make 6 total. The largest amount I gave him was 8 and he seemed content with that. The largest mice I've found around here are just a little bit bigger than his head full grown. This person claims they feed two mice to their 4ft ball python weekly. Am I right in thinking that this is underfeeding and that they're just pulling my leg, or am I wrong and was I feeding him too many mice? Could they be getting larger mice than me and we just didn't take that into account? Keep in mind my ball no longer gets mice and never will again if I can help it.

[dbank999]

I just fed my 2 and a half year old male Ball Python a jumbo rat (I meant to buy a large rat but someone switched them in the freezer at the store and I neglected to check packaging). But none the less, I was concerned with size once I took it out, but he handled it. I think one large meal is better than a couple smaller items.

But as to underfeeding, I would say that one to two mice weekly COULD be underfeeding for an adult Ball Python. Although, two large mice would be about one medium rat. Rats are a much better nutritional food source in any aspect.

Really all that matters is to monitor the weight of your snake, and to look for signs of starvation(weight loss, visible spine, triangular shape) or overfeeding(skin folds, puffy cheeks).

[KORBIN5895]

Originally Posted by dbank999

I just fed my 2 and a half year old male Ball Python a jumbo rat (I meant to buy a large rat but someone switched them in the freezer at the store and I neglected to check packaging). But none the less, I was concerned with size once I took it out, but he handled it. I think one large meal is better than a couple smaller items.

But as to underfeeding, I would say that one to two mice weekly COULD be underfeeding for an adult Ball Python. Although, two large mice would be about one medium rat. Rats are a much better nutritional food source in any aspect.

Really all that matters is to monitor the weight of your snake, and to look for signs of starvation(weight loss, visible spine, triangular shape) or overfeeding(skin folds, puffy cheeks).

A medium rat is 75g-175g while an adult mouse is about 21g-30g so two adult mice fall way short of a medium.

[dbank999]

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

A medium rat is 75g-175g while an adult mouse is about 21g-30g so two adult mice fall way short of a medium.

Layne Labs lists the following:

Jumbo (adult?) Mouse...........30g-50g x 2 .....60g-100g

Medium Rat.........................100g-130g


I wouldn't say falls way short as you could technically end up with the same weight.

Rodent Pro lists their largest adult mice 25g-45g and medium rats at 85g-175g as a comparison.

Either way, I would agree and rephrase my previous statement to "that two adult/jumbo mice would be about the same as a small rat"

But I don't see why anyone would want to feed multiple meals over one solid good meal anyway. More work, more money, more problems.


http://www.laynelabs.com/frozen-mice
http://www.laynelabs.com/frozen-rats
**included the links to Layne Labs as they have a great chart system for comparing feeder sizes (from their facility of course).

[KORBIN5895]

Originally Posted by dbank999

Layne Labs lists the following:

Jumbo (adult?) Mouse...........30g-50g x 2 .....60g-100g

Medium Rat.........................100g-130g


I wouldn't say falls way short as you could technically end up with the same weight.

Rodent Pro lists their largest adult mice 25g-45g and medium rats at 85g-175g as a comparison.

Either way, I would agree and rephrase my previous statement to "that two adult/jumbo mice would be about the same as a small rat"

But I don't see why anyone would want to feed multiple meals over one solid good meal anyway. More work, more money, more problems.


http://www.laynelabs.com/frozen-mice
http://www.laynelabs.com/frozen-rats
**included the links to Layne Labs as they have a great chart system for comparing feeder sizes (from their facility of course).

Have you ever seen a 50g mouse? Neither have I and I have been selling rodents for over two years. An adult mouse is 21g-30g according to rp. That's your average size mouse. The biggest I have ever seen was 42g and it was huge.

[dbank999]

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Have you ever seen a 50g mouse? Neither have I and I have been selling rodents for over two years. An adult mouse is 21g-30g according to rp. That's your average size mouse. The biggest I have ever seen was 42g and it was huge.

Nope never seen one.

Buy Feeder Mice - Newborn, Pinkies, Adult Mice Sale Online

Here is the link to RP's website with the weights for large adult and extra large adult mice. Please source your "21g-30g" claim.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I didn't feed him the mice regularly, but I did feed mice to him 3 or 4 feedings in a row the last time he got mice before he accepted a rat. I'm not sure if that would be enough for him to put on a significant amount of weight or not, but I didn't notice any. He was about the same weight then as he is now ~1200 grams (1275 if I remember correctly, I'll need to get him on a scale again. I've been trying to leave him alone, but he is overdue for a weighing.) I believe he has gained weight since then, now that I think about it, but he's never been obese. Other than what I told you, I'm not sure about their ball. They didn't offer any info other than its size and "Her weight has always been healthy and sustained, perfect stool, perfect sheds, etc." Which doesn't tell me much. How big is your ball python? It must be quite a bit bigger than mine to be able to take a jumbo.

[dbank999]

Here is a picture of my second to last feeding (not the jumbo, but a large rat)

He got this one quite good LOL




For length he is right around 3.5', never actually measured him.

[kwhitlock]

That's one "killed" rat..lol

[drumcrush]

My dad feeds his medium rats

[lady_bug87]

My ball python used to get 1 350g rat every 4 weeks then I switched her to a 150g rat every 2 weeks. She's breeding this year and weighs (last I weighed her) 2380g

[LadyWraith]

My 1.5 year old, 1200 gram male is eating medium rats... I can't imagine trying fill him up on mice O.o I don't know about other people's BPs, but mine is pretty der-de-der when it comes to eating. He has to search a long time to find the head... I'd be up all night feeding him if I were doing multiple prey items.

[Chris72]

SnakeGirl...

Consider feeding according to rodent weight rather than category.

I think your animal is nearly 1300g right? Everyone is a little different..I would feed that animal nothing less than a 120g rodent every week. More if it was a female, and especially this time of year. (Yours is a male I believe)

Size categories vary by supplier, and even from bag to bag. My guy tried to keep mediums at 145(ish) to 175. I have picked up 200 mediums in an order with rodents as low as 130g and the biggest was almost 200g.

That said - I know if I go anywhere else the range will be different unless discussed.

....Just sayin'....know what you are offering.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Originally Posted by Chris72

SnakeGirl...

Consider feeding according to rodent weight rather than category.

I think your animal is nearly 1300g right? Everyone is a little different..I would feed that animal nothing less than a 120g rodent every week. More if it was a female, and especially this time of year. (Yours is a male I believe)

Size categories vary by supplier, and even from bag to bag. My guy tried to keep mediums at 145(ish) to 175. I have picked up 200 mediums in an order with rodents as low as 130g and the biggest was almost 200g.

That said - I know if I go anywhere else the range will be different unless discussed.

....Just sayin'....know what you are offering.

That's how I feed my boa, and next time I get some rats I was going to start my ball on it, too. Last I measured Bud he was 1275 grams I believe (2lb 13oz). He's due to be weighed again, though. I have weighed his rats, but I'll weigh the ones I got since then and see how their weight compares. He's offered a rat weekly, but he only takes a rat every 2 weeks or once a month and he's been eating like that for awhile. He's starting to get better now, and he's eating every 2 weeks more often than he is every month instead. He ate a little over a week ago, but refused his meal this time so I'll try again next week. He hasn't lost any weight over this time, so I'm not worried yet, but I've already discussed it with my vet and he's ready for me to bring him in if he does start losing weight.

Bud's gender is completely unknown to me, I am only assuming he is a male.

Either way, my question was only asking if it was possible that they could be underfeeding their 4ft ball python by feeding only 2 mice weekly, or if I was overfeeding by feeding 6+ mice to a 3.5ft ball python.

[robertjnovak59]

I usually feed my ball a medium rat, when Im short rats I'll feed him mice. He usually stops around 6 or 7 mice. I don't think you're overfeeding.