How do i know if a mouse is too big for my snake?

Question

My ball python is 3 months old and he feeds on 1 small to medium sized mouse per week, But how do i know if they are too big for him? Should i move down to hoppers for a while?

How do i know if it is too big and how do i know if it is too small and how do i know its just right?

THANK YOU!

Answer 1

A small to medium sized mouse is too large for a 3 month old ball python, especially as often as once a week! It won't hurt him to eat them, since snakes are capable of ingesting prey larger than their own heads, but it will make him fat if you continue to do it, and once snakes get fat, it's hard to get it off them. Overweight snakes often have shortened life-spans as the fat gathers around the heart and other organs and prevents them working properly (just as in humans!). My ball python is 16 years old and has one adult mouse a fortnight. Your youngster should probably be on baby mice - not pinkies, but those a little larger that have got their fur. Young snakes should be fed more often than older ones since they are growing faster - one of these mice about every 5 days should be sufficient. Remember that it is better to underfeed than overfeed - snakes can go long periods without eating if necessary, and going hungry for a few days will not harm them in the least. Overfeeding can have much more harmful consequences.

Answer 2

Ball pythons are VERY picky eaters. It is very hard to successfully get a ball python to eat F/T mice or F/T rats. But, not impossible. Many petstores feed live mice and rats to their ball pythons, so when you get them home, it become quite a challenge getting them on frozen foods.