what should my bp eat - Page 2

ballpythonmorph · 01-19-05, 09:04 PM

i got him 1 medium mouse and a kinda fuzzie rat but i fed him the mouse to get his appetite up then i tried to feed him the rat( these both are live) and then he sniffed it and kept staring at it then he moved away from it so i put the rat in a kritter keeper what should i do?

Mark · 01-19-05, 09:28 PM

keep trying to get him to eat rats. It s easier to switch them when young then older animals. I've always had great luck getting non-feeding balls and mouse feeders to eat rat fuzzies or pups/ As they do not have teeth I leave the live rat fuzzie or pup overnight. Also try using the rat first and then finish with the mouse if the meal was to small or feed it a couple of days later. Also fuzzies rat (usually 10-20g) and pups (20-30g) are about the size of a small and large mouse

ballpythonmorph · 01-19-05, 09:42 PM

well the rat was bigger than the mouse

mykee · 01-19-05, 10:57 PM

To switch over, try to find a rat that is the same size as the mouse you were feeding. He'll be reluctant at first to eat the rat, but rub a live (or dead) mouse on the rat so as to scent the rat so it smells like a mouse. Good luck, don't give up, or start saving up your money, you'll need it to feed your mouse eating adult ball.

ballpythonmorph · 01-20-05, 07:07 AM

well the rat was the size of a jumbo mouse and i still have the rat and hes alive should put it in his cage right now

ballpythonmorph · 01-20-05, 06:47 PM

well this morning i fed him the rat and he killed it right away and ate it backwards so i hope hes on rats now

mykee · 01-20-05, 09:02 PM

Good, next time try a larger rat.

Mark · 01-20-05, 09:11 PM

glad to hear he took a rat. Now just keep them on them and never give him a mouse again. Good luck on the next rat.

ballpythonmorph · 01-20-05, 09:17 PM

why should i go larger next time?

malaysianbloods · 01-20-05, 09:59 PM

Because he can take a larger one by your description of him. But when you give him larger (if you do) make sure to restrain it ore give it to him freshly killed. HTH

ballpythonmorph · 01-20-05, 10:08 PM

well if i go larger it will prolly be to big

zero&stich · 01-20-05, 10:25 PM

You be surprised what any snake can actually swallow. Basic machanics, snakes are capable of unhooking their jaw so they are quite capable of take larger prey. Good rule of thumb, when in doubt, feed according to the thickest part of the snakes body(girth). If the pet store does not know those two concepts, I would find a new supplier to deal with herps. Also, the point of feeding larger prey now is for him to get back on par with 'good' wieght. It will need it, when it begins the fast.

Good luck.

Vengeance · 01-21-05, 07:58 AM

This should give you a better idea of the size of rat a ball python can take. My Ball python ate the rat beside him without a problem. This isn't an indication of what you should be feeding your Ball python but it should give you an idea of just how large a prey item a Ball python can actually get down.

ballpythonmorph · 01-21-05, 08:17 AM

ok the rat that my ball ate was about that size and he didnt have a problem i dont think!!!!!!!!!!!! i really want to no how i should set up his rubbermaid # 2119-87 i want to get flexwatt and everything else that he needs from one site if i could but i will be getting the rubbermaid from walmart what site has all the things i need?

BoidKeeper · 01-21-05, 09:02 AM

Great post guys! Lots of good support and a person asking questions with a williness to learn. Nice to see.
Adam I was going to post exactly what you did, nice job.
I've a female ball here that was born in July and weighs 368g as of an hour ago. She eats 40-50g rats. She slowed down this winter and even too a month off from food. Had she not she'd be over 400g for sure.
Cheers,
Trevor