ball python
- Thread starter large_cichlids
- Start date
large_cichlids;1039757; said:o ok thanks guys,i was just wondering.thank god for this forum or i would be in trouble.
nothing beats searching, studying...not even this forum
Ball pythons? Rabbits? In the same thread?
Large, if you are looking for a "holy s***" snake that eats large prey that will be entertaining to you and your friends, a ball python is NOT a snake for you.
Ball pythons do very well on multiple smaller prey items. In the wild, ball pythons primarily feed on African Soft-furred rats, a small species of rats where the adults rarely grow larger than a small to medium sized domestic rat, like we have over here. Even my largest females, the largest prey item I feed them is a "weaned" size rat, being 3-4 weeks old. There's something about feeding them smaller prey that keeps them more interested in food and eating steady. A ball python that eats steadily over the course of a year takes in more calories and gains more weight and size than a ball that eats large meals and then takes months off of eating. Ball pythons tend to "fill up" when fed prey items that are too large - for example, the "girth rule" that a lot of people go by in feeding snakes - a prey item that is anywhere near the size of the girth of a ball python is entirely too large, so I think that ball pythons having a rep for fasting and being poor feeders is actually the fault of the keepers who are unknowingly providing too much food for them.
I have females that layed eggs this past season, dropping a 1/3 of their body weight, and are almost completely back up to size less than 3 months later, eating only weaned sized rats once every 7 days.
That's my rant on ball python feeding...thank you come again!
Large, if you are looking for a "holy s***" snake that eats large prey that will be entertaining to you and your friends, a ball python is NOT a snake for you.
Ball pythons do very well on multiple smaller prey items. In the wild, ball pythons primarily feed on African Soft-furred rats, a small species of rats where the adults rarely grow larger than a small to medium sized domestic rat, like we have over here. Even my largest females, the largest prey item I feed them is a "weaned" size rat, being 3-4 weeks old. There's something about feeding them smaller prey that keeps them more interested in food and eating steady. A ball python that eats steadily over the course of a year takes in more calories and gains more weight and size than a ball that eats large meals and then takes months off of eating. Ball pythons tend to "fill up" when fed prey items that are too large - for example, the "girth rule" that a lot of people go by in feeding snakes - a prey item that is anywhere near the size of the girth of a ball python is entirely too large, so I think that ball pythons having a rep for fasting and being poor feeders is actually the fault of the keepers who are unknowingly providing too much food for them.
I have females that layed eggs this past season, dropping a 1/3 of their body weight, and are almost completely back up to size less than 3 months later, eating only weaned sized rats once every 7 days.
That's my rant on ball python feeding...thank you come again!
I do agree. Sounds abit like you want something to show your mates ie - feeding a rabbit to a snake. If I'm wrong forgive me.
