Hello! I took in a rescue ball python this fall. He/she was a bit smaller than my other rescue ball, so I fed him the same as that one. But the new one seemed starved on that (striking wildly when it smelled mice, etc.) so I upped the amount. He/she was much happier and handlable again, and growing, so I moved it to a 40 gallon (it had been housed in a twenty the previous owner sent along with the snake). He/she's grown fast, completely outstripping in size my older ball python; about a foot and a half to two feet since I got it. I gave up feeding it jumbo mice (3-4 at a time) and gave it a full size rat last month (I feed f/t, by the way). It took him/her a little bit to put it down, but it sure did. But then the new snake wouldn't eat since then. Last night he/she ate another rat. Is it normal for a ball python to go a month between feedings when they eat full size rats? Also, I have a feeling this may be a female due to it's ravenous feeding and growth right now (when my male is completely off feed for the winter months) - is that likely?
Thanks in advance for any comments from you more experienced ball python owners!
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