Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This week I switched my BP from fuzzy mice to full hoppers. He took the mouse right away and proceeded with the normal strangle and swallow. I then put him back in his tank and he just moved right over the heatpad. I checked on him the next morning and he was still in the same place, he didnt move all day (besides moving his head and neck to look around at me). Now he has been in his hide for the past 48 hours.

My question is... did I traumatize him with the larger prey? He ate it fine, but Im just a little concerned.

Your BP is now acting normally. How was it acting before when you fed it? fuzzy mice are too small a food item. Adult mice (25 grams or so) are appropriate for young hatchlings, with a switch to rat pups/weanlings coming for those in my care in fairly short order. The belly heat speeds up digestion, and bp's are shy by nature, preferring to hide rather than be out in the open. Which leads to next point - you do have a hide in the warm area of your enclosure AND one in the cool area, correct?

Regards,

Neil

I was feeding him on fuzzy mice for a month, and have now switched to hoppers. I have been basing the prey size on the girth of his midsection (which is now as large as a hopper mouse). Glad to hear he is acting normally... and yes, one hide on cold, one hide on hot.

Because ANY Ball I've ever hatched since 1995 has eaten adult mice right out of the egg.
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i've had my ball for 4 months now, and i've always been feeding him hoppers ! should i switch to adults ???

I would say that you should switch to a size of food item that you would think a PYTHON of that size would eat.

1st meal is a F/T adult mouse 95% of the time. Check it out. They can even eat bigger sometimes. Feed them like a Python, not a cornsnake.

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i've had my ball for 4 months now, and i've always been feeding him hoppers ! should i switch to adults ???

By girth at his midsection, i hope you mean at it's widest point - this would be about 2/3 the way down from the head, which also, not coincidentally, is where his food will sit. I have never seen a hatchling ball python with a girth as small as you describe. I am not saying you are mistaken, only that I haven't seen it. Adult mice are a starting point for your python, not an ending point - These guys are meant to be 4.5-6.5 feet long, and thick as a softball through the midsection- if you feed them mice all the way, they'll be consuming 5 or more a week - that's a lot to spend, and a lot of time..... one medium rat weighs the same as 10 adult mice (smallish adult mice, what you normally get when you buy bulk frozen). The ratio of weight to volume gets better (or worse, if you feed mice) as you increase to a large rat. Adult bp's are more than capable of eating large rats. fuzzy mice are an appetizer, and a scant one at that (think one piece of popcorn chicken!).

Anyway, best of luck to you. All of the above are simply a reflection of my opinions and experiences. As all the mutual funds are quick to say, individual results may vary.

Regards,

Neil