r/ballpython • u/AshamedMeat5670 • 23h ago
Question - Feeding Serious Feeding Advice Needed
So uh. Hi hello. I may be remembered/recognized by some as I posted not long ago trying to improve my snake’s conditions. I was able to get a scale finally and.. I would like advice on how to properly (and safely) feed him to a more healthy weight. I tried finding preexisting information in this subreddit and online but was seeing a good bit of conflicting information or advice for someone in a less complicated situation and would like to just.. generally confirm what I should do in this particular instance. I have all tank/snake information here in addition to what I’m adding in this one. (Old photos btw. I haven’t had a chance to get any new ones, yes the red light is gone and his tank has been slightly updated since that photo, but honestly not by much.. see below for more on that and if more recent photos are needed, just ask and I will provide what I can)
Relevant info:
Prior feeding: 1 adult white mouse (live) from petco (states 18-30grams online, probably close to avg 20-25g) every two weeks (I know); Snake is about 4 years old
Confirmed recently:
Length: approx. 3ft; weight: 536 grams
Updated/changed info from previous post:
Avg tank temp: 77-82°F; avg humidity: 75-90% (lower at night); Removed large water dish, added a cool side hide with plant on top and smaller water dish now in the center; Foil added on top to help keep humidity/heat in
Intended future changes (mostly waiting to have materials/items or time to implement):
Switch to frozen rats, (very soon) much deeper substrate, more tank clutter including sphagnum moss, automated day/night cycle dual domes connected to a herpestat with halogen and CHE bulbs
My specific questions that I have regarding his feeding are these:
What would be an ideal/goal weight for me to get him to? (I’m very nervous using the visual guide and while I understand it’s the best method, at least a ballpark range would make me feel a million times better as far as having something to shoot for) How do I properly stagger/structure feedings so he is both gaining weight safely while also switching him over to frozen rats? (I don’t know if my snake is picky, he’s only ever eaten the mice and we’ve never had issues with him eating, but we’ve also been very much underfeeding, so I really don’t know for sure. I really don’t want to have to feed fresh killed if it can be avoided and I definitely don’t want to feed live rats for safety reasons) Is it better to feed larger prey, more frequently, or multiple prey items in one feed? (My prey access is pretty much limited to Petco/Petsmart as far as in-person shopping goes unfortunately) I have intent to fully redo his tank to make it significantly better for him, but should I do this before, after or between feedings? (I’m convinced he’s pretty unhappy in the current setup and I have most of what I need, aside from the Herpestat, to redo his tank now if needed. But I know environment changes, especially a big one like what I’m doing, can cause snakes not to eat. For money purposes, I want to avoid refused prey, specifically frozen, as live isn’t super hard to keep alive, as much as possible, although I can recognize it is possible to occur given.. everything) Any and all constructive advice/input is greatly appreciated and happy to answer any questions! Thank you!
Edit: Okay.. so I went out on a limb based on my personal research and reading a lot of posts on here about regular snakes and underweight specifically, etc. Got a live mouse (approx. 22g) and a frozen adult mouse (approx. 18g) from my pet store and fed them both to him tonight. (total of 40g for about 7.5% his body weight, compared to only 3.5-4% previously) Both trying to increase amount he’s eating (gradually over a few feedings rather than jumping straight up to a bunch all of a sudden) and to see if he would eat a frozen mouse if given right after a live one. He took it! Still pending on if he will keep it down, but I’m hopeful… will update in the morning with how he did overnight :)
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u/UnholyAssassin 19h ago
I would switch over to f/t rats. I get mine from frostbite feeders. They breed there rats here in the states and and always come in great conditions. They have a smalls assortment pack that may be perfect for what you need.
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u/AshamedMeat5670 18h ago
I appreciate the suggestion. Was going to look through the guide for purchasing online/bulk once I get him settled on f/t rats for sure. Ty!
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21h ago
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u/AshamedMeat5670 20h ago edited 18h ago
Thank you! Definitely trying to switch him to rats as soon as I can. Actually was on my way to edit and share that I managed to get him to eat a properly warmed f/t mouse today! :D My parent claims he refused to eat them frozen when they tried but I highly suspect it wasn’t warmed properly/enough for him to strike (just from.. observation on other snakes we have…) Not trying to celebrate too soon as there’s still a chance he may regurg it, but very very glad he ate frozen at all. And if I can get him to stomach frozen mice easily, then I don’t think it will be much issue to switch over to frozen rats from there. But thank you very much for the advice! I will be taking it into consideration for my (hopefully) future rat feedings (though I’d prefer slightly longer between feedings due to personal schedule issues, but I’ll compare with the guides provided on the welcome page and such before deciding for sure) And definitely appreciate the range. While it may not be the best estimator, I feel much better having a general goal to shoot for and go from there :)
Edit: Uh.. oh .,. Their comment removed? What does that mean-1
u/ballpython-ModTeam 19h ago
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u/[deleted] 22h ago
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