Question for you about dinner time.

I have a couple of big pythons, some BHP's in the 8' range and some olives that are between 8 and 10' now. I have several more that will be in that range within the next year or two.

I have been feeding them med rats (several at a time usually). I know BHP's are a bit more susceptible to issues from excessive fat in mammels then many species, so I have tried to be concious of that and feed higher # of smaller rodents.

Anyway - to the point. I picked up an adult pair of bhps. The female was having some liver and kidney issues. Urates contained bile. Anyway, I suspect that this was due to years of getting retired breeders and/or big fat rodents for meals. The fat took a toll on the organs.

Fortunately it was not to late and there appears to be no long term damage at this point. After a couple hefty vet bills, she is doing better.

So - this brings to mind what to feed her? I am leaning towards sticking w/ medium rats, as the fat content is not to bad at that point. I know rabbits are pretty lean, but none of my big snakes are really big enough to take an adult, so that would mean I would be feeding younger rabbits (good fat and protein levels, but a low dense mass %% on younger rabbits). Foul is not really an option due to the fat levels..

So - what do you feed your adults, how many and how often is the question I am trying to get at? Just a maintenance/off season feeding.

and a pic.. just cause every thread is better with a bhp pic
(obviously not the female referenced above)

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