Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys, About three days ago i fed my 40 inch Cal King a pinky rat. It is a bit bigger then the normal fuzzymice i feed him but the pet store was out of those so i decided to pick up a rat just to see what he would do. He ate it just fine so he didnt have a problem with the scent/appearance of a rat. The next day he started siting in the opposite end of his cage all curled up. I noticed a lump in his mid section and I am pretty sure that that is the rat. It has been three days since I fed him and hes still in the same spot and the rat is in the same spot. I moved the heat light over to where he was siting so that he could use the warmth to digest the food better.A bout how long does it take to digest a meal? Do you think his stomach gets upsets by rats and it cant digest it? Is this normal in snakes or is there a problem with mine? Thanks for the help, Chris

If the temperatures are correct he should digest th rat pup in a couple more days. Rats have more bone structure than the fuzzy mice you have been feeding him. It will take longer to digest than usual. At 40 inches he should be eating adult mice by now anyway.