Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ive had my ball for almost 3 years now. We have a bond, and I know his quirks. His feeding habits have been regular over the years, given some variations for seasons, shedding, ect. My system is, I watch his actions, and feed him when he displays hunting behavior (which I now call begging, because he has learned to "display" for me to get fed).

I have had times where he didnt beg for several weeks, and times where he fed 3 times in a single week. I raise his food, so they are uniform color, scent, and varied sizes. What Im concerned about right now, over the last week, he has begged for food 10 times and propmtly killed/eaten every time. He is still asking for more!

Is it possible there is something going on with him causing him to have a substantially increased appitite? Should I worry about over feeding him? My vet is clueless, and anything Ive found online is just suggestions on getting balls to eat, not on stopping them from overeating. Should I be concerned, or just let him regulate himself, as I have for the last 3 years?

One more thing, he usually sheds after every 3-4 feedings (that usually means 4-6 weeks), he hasnt shed since 3 feedings before this week of gluttony. (about 9 weeks ago) If he was eating less and shedding less Id just figure my baby is all grown up.

Ok I re-read what I posted and I didnt clarify about his shedding. I meant those weeks as times between shedding, as in from the *end* of one shed to the first signs of clouding for the start of the next shed. At this time its been 9 weeks since his last shed *finished* and theres not a hint of clouding on him. His colors are vibrant his breathing clear his eyes are bright and he's just a slight bit bratty (not mean but being a snot ) Nothing to suggest a shed coming any time soon.

I think your ball has you trained .What size prey are you feeding him? But I think 10 days in a row is way to much no matter what size. I would cutback to once a week.

I count a feeding as one adult white mouse. I raise my own mice so they are healthy and large. If he gets 2 juv's I count it as 1 feeding.

Yeah I know Im trained, Im just wondering why the sudden increase in appatite and if I should be concerned. Hes already "cut off" for the time being.

a 3y/o on mice and wanting more,i suggest a rat the the girth of his mid section,but let him get hungry for a week or so, to ensure hes hungry enough to tranfer to rats

Even with mice That is quite a bit for one snake to eat. LOL he sure does have your number thou. I have a female that would eat everyday if I let her. In fact tonight she ate a good size rat and was looking for more. As far as him eating mice if that is what he is used to than I would cont with that. I have a few mice eaters and I will give them several at a time no more than 4 thou.

Well you have to remember that it's your choice to feed him or not. I have a couple females that could eat all day long. If he is really big i don't see anything wrong with a mouse every other day. You should look out for obesity though.

For my bigger mice feeding females i will feed them once a week but 3-4 mice on that day. It's about the equivilant to 1 good size small rat. They are not fat and growing at a good steady pace.

You need to be regulating how much and how often he eats, not letting him decide. He will easily send himself into obesity if you don't monitor his food intake.

The other side to that is that with your feeding schedule, he is in a constant state of digestion with no rest period. It takes a LOT of energy and is not good for them to constantly have a full stomach. Instead of feeding one mouse every day or every other day, try feeding him 2-3 mice every 7 days so that it's done and overwith all at once and he has a week to digest it. Better yet, get him switched to appropriately sized rats -- mice offer little nutrition and that may be one reason why he's constantly looking for food.
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~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

Since we don't know what the nutritional requirements of Ball Pythons are, it doesn't make any sense to say that mice are poor feeders and rats are better. If the snake is 3 years old and on mice, it is HIGHLY unlikely that he will switch to rats at his age. He is fine on 2 medium mice per week, and that is ALL he will ever need.

I have an August 06 male Lemon Pastel who is over 1000g. He only eats 2 mice per week, and sometimes I even skip a week. Fat males don't breed and fat females slug out, give you ugly looking eggs, or they become eggbound. All of my snakes are on mice, from the tiny 07 babies to the 6-7 year old 5ft females. The big girls get from 3-5 mice, about the equivalent of a small-medium rat, the yearlings and males get between 2-3 mice and the younger babies get 1-2 mice.

Weight is all you need to worry about with prey items. 50g of mice is the same thing as 50g of rat.
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-Becky Brown, RVT-
1.0 Lemon Pastel Classic Jungle(NERD)
2.10 Normals
1.1 Yellowbellies(BHB)
1.0 100% Het Pied Classic Jungle
0.1 50% Poss. Het Pied
0.1 Classic Jungle
1.0 66% Poss Het Ax Genetic Granite
18 07 Hatchlings

When it comes to balls, I always say: Make hay while the sun shines!

Instead of "ball python - over eating" this thread should read "ball python owner - overfeeding"
Answer; yes.
Whether your ball python "begs" for food (which in and of itself is a whole other bag of worms) doesn't mean you have to feed him every time. Overfeeding will most definitely lead to your ball going off-feed. 100% of the time in my experiences. Have the respect to feed your animals like you would feed your kids; in moderation.
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www.strictlyballs.ca

TY all for feedback. I had already cut him off after that indulgance. I was just concerned because this isnt usual behavior for him. Ive never before seen him show such appitite. It had me worried. In the past, Ive been able to take que's from him, because he didnt eat more than was healthy.

As for the mice, I raise my own. spoiled little things. Some of them are rather large, about double anything Ive seen in a petstore. My roommates complain about the mice as is, Im not sure they would tolerate me raising rats. (worried about escapees, which has never happened) Many of my adult mice easily fill the palm of my hand, not counting tail. The large mice I give him are barely different size than his largest point.

I think I may have figured out his actions though, I feel stupid for not seeing it. I have a cat who just gave birth on my bed. Its in the same room where the snake is. I bet he's smelling them and reacting. Silly me. Again, ty for all feedback.