Can my 6yr old Ball Python eat baby rats?

Question

-i took my class pet home from school for the summer

-hes 6 and about 3ft long... but dosnt look it wen hes all curled up.

-i know exsactly wat temps to keep his tank and i am a good snake owner

-i feed him every tuesday but at school the mice we fed him (frozen) were bigger then the ones we got at the pet store... so wen i sent my mom to get me bigger mice she came home with these huge frozen baby rats.

- carlos's (my snake) body is thicker then the rats but his head is really tiny... should i be concerned?

-what should i do?

- can i feed him these rats?

- also i told my mom to get bigger mice because it seemed like he was really hungry by the next tuesday wen i put the tiny white mouse in his cage...

alittle help would be great i just wanna make sure its ok to feed him such a bigger meal.

Answer 1

Yes, the rats will be fine, and the snake may even like it better.  Typically a snake can eat prey that is 3x the girth of its body, but it's not healthy to give them such a big meal all at once.  Don't worry about his head, it is amazing the size critter they can swallow!  I have a 4 foot python and it's eating rats.  More meat for your money!  Just feed him fewer rats than you usually would mice. (2 med. mice = 1 small rat).

Answer 2

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules.php?...

here is some good reading for you on ball pythons.

Answer 3

well by now he should be eating ADULT rats but just to be sure the general rule is only SLIGHTLY larger than the space between his eyes.

Answer 4

If you're giving your snake live prey, go with large mice, as you don't want your snake to be injured. If using pre-killed prey, small rats should be fine. Our Ball is about 3 1/2 feet, and does well on small rats. You may be supprised at what your snake can fit down. try one, and see if the snake goes for it, if not, you can stick with what you're feeding it now, as it's obviously working out just fine.

Answer 5

Its probabaly fine. Snakes detatch their jaws when swallowing food. They can swallow prey up to three times the size of their head. Its most likely okay if you feed them to him. If he were in the wild, he would be eating them by already by now.

Hope i answered your question!

=D

Answer 6

Absolutely, your snake will appreciate the larger meal. All of my ball pythons 2 and a half feet or longer eat small rats once a week. You have nothing to worry about, you're doing everything right. Good Luck!

Answer 7

You should be feeding mice that are about the same width as the largest part of your snake.  I have a ball python who is a year and a half and about three feet long also.  She eats small/medium sized rats. Snakes can open their jaws pretty widely to fit in larger food.  I'm sure you're ball python can handle it.  Also, a little extra food won't hurt.  They grow more and faster with more food.  My ball python seems to like rats more than mice anyway. It might be a nice treat for Carlos. Good luck!