How much is to much when feeding my sons ball python?

Question

How much is to much when feeding my sons ball python?

Answer 1

It all depends on the size of the snake. A good rule to stick to is to feed a prey item between 1 and 1 and a half times the widest part of your snake. I have an '08 ball (It hatched this year) and it is currently taking 1 rat pup every week (a rat pup is a new born rat with no fur) By the time I have finished the amount I have in the freezer he should have grown enough to eat a fuzzy (a rat about a week old with a layer of fur) Then it's just a case of moving up food size as he grows. A fully grown royal/ball at 5' should probably be eating a full grown rat. But as the size of prey goes up, the frequency they need to eat goes down A fuzzy every 8 days or so, a full size no more than 1 every 2 weeks.

As to how much is too much, feeding more than once a week is too much, feeding a prey item larger than 1 and a half times the widest part of your snake is too much.

Answer 2

It depends on it's age and size. Feeding is usually once every 7 to 10 days for a juvenline, and 10 to 14 days for an adult animal - on a rat or mouse of appropriate size.

Please feed pre killed or frozen thawed rodents though, it is alot better in many ways, and a live mouse or rat can seriously harm a snake.

Answer 3

It depends on the size of the snake and the size of the prey you're feeding it. My sons ball python is a year old and she is eating 1 medium sized rat every 2 weeks but when she was a baby and smaller we fed her a small mouse every week. Smaller prey digests faster, and it takes longer to digest larger prey. Usually you know it's about time to feed again after they have had a bowel movement. Not the white bowel that occurs within a few days after eating but the normal colored bowel that will occur when the food is digested. After my snake has the normal bowel movement I wait about 2 to 3 days and feed her again.  

Answer 4

depends on the size and the age.

when the ball python is younger it should be fed once a week.

when they are closer to fully grown they should be fed once every 1.5-2 weeks.

NEVER feed your snake a rat/mouse that is bigger around then the largest part of its belly!

Answer 5

feed it one white mouse and let it digest for a few days.

Answer 6

Feed the snake a mouse (or preferably rats) the same diameter as the thickest part of your sons snake once or twice a week.

Hope this helps.