Royal Python Feeding Suggestions

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

INDEA:

I gotta agree with people here, even my 4 Ball Pythons just under 2 months old eat now full adult size mice, and will be on rats as soon as they gain some weight and size.

Not saying power feeding but a 4 foot Ball feels nothing in the tummy with a adult mouse, its like a diet there.

Get some bigger food it should show some girth after a feed that is a good size food, don' t go crazy and stuff it with a rabbit....lol.

Cya...

Tony

[TheRedDragon]

Originally posted by MontyPython
Do rats come in the same size as mice, ie. fuzzy, hoppers?
Thanks

Yes, you can get rats as pinkies, fuzzies, etc. They're just quite a big bigger than the mice.

[snakehunter]

yes, you can get them from rodentpro.com

[Pia]

I would definitely feed more. A full sized rat every week would be no problem for him.

[BurmBaroness]

What you want to watch is, the larger the prey item, the less often it needs to eat. My adults BP's eat a MED rat every 7 days, no sooner, so that they have time to properly digest a meal that size. Feeding too often can cause health problems down the raod, as the snake's digestive system will not have time to replenish the natural gut flora that aid in digestion if fed too often. My neonates get an adult mouse every 5-7 days, depending on the size of the baby, and they are all nice and healthy.

[lilyskip]

the key is to make sure you've got the heat high enough to facilitate digestion of big prey items. 90-95.

[Kappa]

Proper heating is a must, and Invictus is right there should definately be a lump. Most top BP breeders start thier hatchlings on rat pups.

[indea]

Thats what I have started my hatcling on. He was a pain at first and wouldnt take then I took him to a shop and they force fed him and touch wood since then he has taken to his rat pups.

[Jo060]

MY BP is about 24 inches long right now maybe a little longer. and I'm feeding him 2 pinkie rats every 5 days. Should I feed him a medium rat every 5 days?

[mango]

I'm amateur still so I could be wrong but I would think that since hatchlings can eat adult mice you're could handle a rat pup and maybe, maybe a medium mouse. Wait for expert advice before you make a move on that though lol.

[indea]

Hi all

I have been away on holiday for two weeks, and I have come home to find that my adult ball pythons is eating well and he even managed a huge hamster (that was comical), but sadly the pet shop that was looking after my baby royal called to let me know that he dies whilst I was away.

[annoying_alien]

I only have one snake right now, which is
about 2 1/2 months old.

I feed it an adolescent mouse every 6-7
days.

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by annoying_alien
I only have one snake right now, which is
about 2 1/2 months old.

I feed it an adolescent mouse every 6-7
days.

Like everyone here said before, you should be feeding at least an adult mouse every 5-7 days. possibly even a rat pup or fuzzy.

i know breeders that give ball pythons an adult mouse for their first meals.

you should try to step him up to adults man.

[mykee]

a hatchling Bp can easily eat an item propotional in size to an adult mouse (25-30g). If you can, and I suggest it, feed your BP's rats from day one. A fuzzy rat (20-25g) every 4-5 days should work well. I have 6 hatchling BP's right now, and they range in weight from 101-170g, and they all eat rat fuzzies ranging in wieght from 25-35g. It is unfortunate that outdated falacies such as "no wider than the widest part" and "once every 5 days for a juvi and once every 7-10 days for an adult" are still believed to be common practice. I personally believe that a new BP Manual should be written, including all of the new information regarding husbandry. Herp knowledge moves ahead by leaps and bounds, and unfortunately, a book written in 1998 is, for the most part, outdated.