size ratio of food to snake.

[mykee]

Here's another one. Everywhere, since owning my snakes, I hear; "feed your snake an item of food no larger in girth than the widest part of your snake". Now, strictly for experimentation, I played with this quote over the last few months. I purposely looked for rats, approx. the same size, however, two categories; short, but wide (wider than my snake) and long, but thin. All rats were approx. the same weight. I found no difference in the feeding response for either body-type of rat. Which, made me think, like all men, that size is very important. I gradually increased the ratio of food weight-snake weight. Example;
Week 1: 800g snake; 100g rat (8:1 ratio)
Week 4: 850g snake; 125g rat (6.8:1 ratio)
Week 7: 900g snake; 160g rat (5.6:1 ratio)
Week 10: 1000g snake; 200g rat (5:1 ratio)
Week 13: 1200g snake; 280g rat (4.2:1 ratio)
My question is this; there was a point when the bp in question would not take the food item if it was a 5:1 ratio or lower (1000g snake; 200 g rat). I would like to stress that the bp in question is not obese, is very healthy, and is VERY well taken care of. Curious to know if this is the case with any of you. Have you fed your bp a food item that was wider than your snake and if so, what was the response?

[Edwin]

Well, the guideline you mentioned is so that people have a rough idea of an appropriate sized item to feed their herp, it is by no means sacrosanct. I have fed my ball much larger prey before, and he would eat it no problem.