Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to finally get my ball python in 2 weeks! Yay! What do they eat when they are about 15 inches long? And how long will they be eating that size of rat/mouse?

the snake from give you? If they are not providing you with basic info you should turn to another breeder. Prior research as you are doing is important, and finding a breeder that will be open to helping you keep the animal in optimal condition is who you should be looking for.

When there that size they will eat punky micerats.

"they will eat punky micerats."

Or you could try rat pups (around 6-8 days old).

Did you ask the seller about the animals prior feeding habits?

i am going to get it at the Maryland reptile show, which is in one month. So i am probably gonna look around and pick the best one, i was just wondering so i would know what size feeder to buy and how much so i would seem smarter.

If you want to seem smart you may want to buy a book and read it a few times, or read a bunch of care sheets on the internet. There are plenty of them out there. Some good and some bad so read as many as you can find. As for eating the rule of thumb is feed the snake a prey item that is at the maximum just slightly larger around than the snake itself. So buy the snake, then buy rodents that are as thick around as the snake. As for frequency you can feed the snake every 5-10 days. A lot of people do it every 7 days. I feed my snakes every sunday. It is routine. Also a few other things to ask the breeder is if the snake is CB CH or WC? Inquire about eating patterns (how often he feeds the animal)? And also what the snake eats (live, FK, or FT but also mice, rats, or gerbils that can be bad news). Nothing can be more frustrating than buying a snake and trying to feed it and it not eating. It may not be eating because you are offering it the wrong type of food. Some snakes only like mice, others only rats, some like FK others live others still only FT. Then you try to feed the snake the wrong prey or the wrong style prey. The snake doesn't eat it you get stressed out and keep trying. You are now stressing the snake out so it won't eat. I personally would prefer a snake that eats FT readily and also eats rats. The rate at which a snake will outgrow its prey depends on the animal (sex somewhat) and also its feeding schedule, along with general husbandry. Some snakes can reach 1800 grams or more in 18 months, not all will. But there is that possibility. So when he will outgrow a certain prey size is very variable. Hope this helps, The ball python manual by DeVosjoli and the Barkers is a good book. Also you can check out www.proexotics.com for info there FAQ section rocks and I am sure they have a ball python care sheet. Learn all you can before you buy the snake, that way you will know what to ask when questioning the seller.
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com