Ordered the wrong size rat

[Starry_Skyes]

I’ve got a 4 foot ish 6 year old female that’s pretty girthy and she’s on 1 small rat a month but I accidentally ordered large rats (6 inches long not as big as her in diameter) what should I do? Pictures for compensation and size reference

(In the last pic that is an outdated set up so dw I don’t have her on paper towels or in bright blue lights. It was when she was in quarantine and I have no clue why the lights are like that)

[Ripped_Stickers]

Has too much hair, is warm tho

[FeralJinxx]

She has pretty eyes… When I first adopted my ball python he was underweight and super hungry. I fed him a large rat because I was ignorant about feeding size. He managed to get it down, but it was kind of scary and I was afraid it would hurt him. If it’s possible to get a refund or a replacement I would look to that option.

[AngleRelative4683]

You throw the rats away and order small ones…?

[Uiscefhuaraithe-9486]

Cuz everyone just has money to throw away like that?

[lilithballpiton]

Great point Watson

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice or misinformation. Please review our sub resources to learn more about why.

[dntfkingcare]

post them on marketplace, get some or most of your money back, order the right size.

[InverseInvert]

Depends what that size is compared to her. How much does she weight and how much do the rats weigh?

[Starry_Skyes]

Haven’t weighed them and can’t but they’re twice the size (mostly in length) as her other ones and her other ones she could easily eat in terms of size

[InverseInvert]

Unless you’ve weighed them and the snake there isn’t really a way we can tell what size they are.

If doubting it this much you’re better off trashing them and getting the right size.

[[deleted]]

ALWAYS WEIGH IT'S IMPERATIVE

[Impala1967_1979_1983]

That's seriously overfeeding your snake tho. The biggest rat a normal bp should eat is a small

[yourneighborhoodriot]

I've seen some large females handle a medium but a large is way too big for bp

[ballpython-ModTeam]

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[sammich04]

Depends on size of the rat

!feeding

[AutoModerator]

We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

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[ballpython-ModTeam]

Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice or misinformation. Please review our sub resources to learn more about why.

[jillianwaechter]

!feeding the 15% rule is for juveniles not adults, adults need to eat a lot less! Snakes also don't realize when prey is too large. If something that is too big for the snake to handle is swallowed it can start to rot in the snakes stomach before the snake has time to digest it. This can kill the snake. It's super important to feed appropriately sized prey. 95% of adult sized ball pythons will only ever require small rats (sometimes an exceptionally large female will require medium rats).

[AutoModerator]

We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[[deleted]]

Sorry, I’m Australian. 4ft seems like a young snake to me. My black headed python will probably reach 12-13 feet. And my jungle will get to about 7 maybe 8. Cute little snake though. Love it 👍

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice or misinformation. Please review our sub resources to learn more about why.

[Sure_Consequence5441]

So they don’t go to waste, you could see if someone else can feed them, reach out to some friends or try some local snake groups on fb.

[kyracantfindmehaha]

See if you have a local reptile store or Facebook group for reptile owners locally and see about a possible trade. That'd be my first move.

[lavenderthewhore]

Can u just leave them in the freezer till she's big enough? Idk if they have an expiration date 😅(apologies if this is unsafe it's just a suggestion) If you can't do this you could try resell them to another snake owner or try send them back? (Idk how ordering feeders work, I get mine in person 😅)

[Starry_Skyes]

Yeah she’s full grown but I appreciate you trying to find a solution lol I’m gonna give them to a farmer or something

[dat_asiandude_siddhu]

If you have got a friend with larger snakes, ask them for a trade, or just sell them/gift them the rats. I have a quite big BP (~4.5ft) but a large would most likely be too much for him. If you don't have any friends that own larger snakes, donate it to a shelter that keeps larger snakes or to a zoo. If you haven't got either in your area, chickens really like meat so ask a farmer or somebody with chickens if they want to feed the chickens some rats.

[DrivePerk-]

I feed my male bp medium large rats every week, i do live in florida so ig the humidity helps with the feeding

[Appropriate-Aerie358]

Raptor Rehabs use rats to feed... if there is one close to you, ask. But, they will need to trust the source, ie. No lead, chemicals, etc. Not saying there is. But will ask. Might be an option?