Reptile & Amphibian Forums

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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1.0.0 Mexican Kingsnake, Vincent
1.0.0 277 Graybanded Kingsnake, Boris
1.0.0 Crockett Graybanded Kingsnake, Julien
1.1.0 Ball Pythons, Pete and Kali
1.0.0 Pastel Ball Python (Unnamed as yet)
2.2.0 Bearded Dragons, Bela, Spook, Sid Vicious & Ember
1.0.0 Pet Rat, Punkin
1.0.0 Pushy Lovebird Baxter
1.0.0 Goth-Punk Teenager

It more than likely stopped feeding for a month because a full grown rat is way too large of a meal for a ball python. Just because they can get it down does not mean that's what they should be fed. If you stick to small/medium rats it will eats on a much more consistant basis.
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John Vandegrift

Okay, the one I just fed her this week was quite a bit smaller than the first (and she downed it quicker - I'd call it a small-medium sized adult rat). Perhaps she'll be hungry again sooner on this one. When you say smaller rat, do you mean small adult rat, or should I be asking for weanlings? Or some other size?
Sorry about all the questions, but my other snakes have all eaten mice so I don't know the size range in rats.
Thanks so much for your help.
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1.0.0 Mexican Kingsnake, Vincent
1.0.0 277 Graybanded Kingsnake, Boris
1.0.0 Crockett Graybanded Kingsnake, Julien
1.1.0 Ball Pythons, Pete and Kali
1.0.0 Pastel Ball Python (Unnamed as yet)
2.2.0 Bearded Dragons, Bela, Spook, Sid Vicious & Ember
1.0.0 Pet Rat, Punkin
1.0.0 Pushy Lovebird Baxter
1.0.0 Goth-Punk Teenager

I personally don't feed anything bigger than 150 grams no matter how large the snake is. For a size reference check out the small and medium rats on rodent pros web site.
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John Vandegrift

Huh. My big female takes large rats and then looks at me for another. I fed her a week ago and she's already out and about looking for more. Small/medium rats just don't cut it for her, even at two a sitting.

I think it depends on the snake. I wouldn't feed large rats to my male (although the previous owners swore he could eat them no problem), but my female is about 5 feet and thick, and can take them.

In answer to the original post - it was probably a combination of two things that caused the snake to not want to eat for a month: It's been well fed for several months and its meal size just got upped. It just didn't feel the need to eat again. Try offering food only every 10-14 days, especially now that you're feeding rats.
My timetable for my big girl when she gets large rats is I wait either 5-7 days after she poops or when she starts prowling the cage after a poo.
I remember someone (maybe Tosha?) saying a few months ago that feeding your snake every 5-7 days, or feeding it again immediately after it poops, is kinda like you have thanksgiving dinner every day of the year. Not too healthy

~jenny
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
1.25 chickens (Ugly the rooster and his harem)

Thanks for your response - that really helped clear things up for me. I was feeding her as much as she wanted because she'd been so hungry and had such a desperate feeding response. Now that she's been with me awhile she's slowing down a bit, especially with the higher bone mass of the rats. I'll be curious how long it will take her to be hungry again after the smaller rat this week - with this girl I can really tell. She doesn't budge out of her hide when I'm working in the reptile room when she's full and happy. Then when she's feeling more peckish the head will peek out and watch me when she hears me, and within a day or two she'll start coming out and cruising.
Because of the great advice I've gotten here, I'll probably still drop her rat size to a size smaller, and offer her two. Now I know my goal is to feed her the size and amount that will leave her hungry again in 10 -14 days. Thanks!
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1.0.0 Mexican Kingsnake, Vincent
1.0.0 277 Graybanded Kingsnake, Boris
1.0.0 Crockett Graybanded Kingsnake, Julien
1.1.0 Ball Pythons, Pete and Kali
1.0.0 Pastel Ball Python (Unnamed as yet)
2.2.0 Bearded Dragons, Bela, Spook, Sid Vicious & Ember
1.0.0 Pet Rat, Punkin
1.0.0 Pushy Lovebird Baxter
1.0.0 Goth-Punk Teenager

Sure your snakes can take large rats but there is no reason to give them large rats. Males and females will do fine and gain weight on 1 small/medium rat rat a week. The original poster said a full size rat. To me that means over 500 grams. There is no reason to feed a ball python a meal that large.
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John Vandegrift

500 grams IS pretty darn big.
My definition of a large rat is about 300 grams - twice the size of your 150 gram meals. I prefer to feed a somewhat larger meal every 2 weeks instead of weekly - I just have more success that way.

Either way, the poster has a solution now.

~jenny
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 neurotic mouse (Cute Girl Mousey)
1.0 escape artist mouse (Jesusmouse)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
1.25 chickens (Ugly the rooster and his harem)

The Saddest Mouse