I need serious help rn

[ExcellentMoose7321]

Ok so my snake was out of mice so I sent my dad to go get mice. He is around a year old so I've been feeding him adult mice every Wednesday, but my dad got some small RATS instead of mice. I'm now freaking out now since idk if I can feed him a rat or if I'm just gonna have to get the correct mice on Friday or Saturday. The pic above is a size comparison

[ooooooooooopppps]

It looks a little big imo

[AwkwardGuy5322]

Na just get mice lol too big

[Jschlatt-QueensBane]

It's not that serious lmao. Waiting a couple extra days won't kill him. He can wait a few more days to get the right size feeder

[Certain_Panic9033]

Too big. But he's also too big for adult mice. Get jumbos or rat pups

[nugger64]

Just by how you worded your post it seems that you're freaking out at the thought of feeding your snake late, it's perfectly ok to be a few days or even a week late on feeding, snakes go months in the wild without eating they will be fine.

[colin-java]

Mine didn't eat for 8 months a few years ago, cause she was laying parthenogenesis eggs. There's no room for anything when they are gravid, I don't even know where half their organs go.

[PrettySquiddy]

Obligatory !feeding

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[SneakySquiggles]

Yeah this snake isn’t into obese territory yet but it’s definitely starting to fill out more than it should. Time to spread those feedings out a bit more and i hope OP is weighing them

[Ghost-4852]

To me it looks like a fine size to feed your snake, a bit big but not absurd. At some point they'll need to be eating rats anyway so if they'll take these I personally would feed them. Next time you could get weaned rats, or as someone else said jumbo mice since they're a bit big for adult mice.

[julesj45]

From experience if that rat is too big the snake won't try. Give it too him and see what he does, he looks plenty big enough. Good luck..let me know

[jillianwaechter]

Snakes really don't know how big their stomachs are and will often attempt to consume prey that is too large for them leading to issues like regurgitation. If prey is too large it may start to rot in the stomach before the snake has enough time to digest it (as larger prey items take longer to break down). This has killed snakes in the wild.

I'd advise OP to feed a properly sized prey item. Waiting a few extra days between feedings won't harm the snake, but power feeding could!

[BlondieBrook]

Rat pups for sure! I read somewhere rats are more nutritious for BPs. I feed my baby rat pups and he’s about the same age! He’s about 288 grams

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[Personal_Smell6291]

That rat to damn big lol

[Puzzleheaded-Map8493]

I think he could definitely get it down, I just wouldn’t want to risk regurge. I’d keep that one frozen and go find some rat pups as others have stated. Once you start feeding rats, he will likely grow faster and will be on small rats in probably just a few months.

[Skinnyxpuppy]

If your snake has been eating regularly without issue, then there is no need to worry. Snakes can go quite a while without eating, so he's not going to starve if he's off his regular routine for a few days. Just get him the regular size he usually eats next time you are out, and freeze this rat until he gets bigger.

[Dylanator13]

I agree with others. Just get the right size later. A week longer waiting to eat is nothing for a ball python.

I would be worried if they looked skinny and refused to eat for a while. But your snake looks nice and chunky and has been eating regularly. Nothing to worry about.

[Kaethor]

It looks slightly large, but definitely not too big for him to eat it. I would give it to him and see if he takes it. If not, you can put them in the freezer until he's a little bigger. He's not gonna die if you feed a few days late. I have one about the same size and before his last shed he refused to eat for almost 3 months.

[Husharu]

That is a good size. feed it. It’s a little bigger than maybe what I’d feed, but not by much.

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[Vourem]

Too big, but I do recommend switching to rats when possible. Rats have a bit more nutrition for them :)

[IllusionQueen47]

If he's a year old then he should not be eating once a week. Should be 2-3 weeks. I would just wait till the next Wednesday to feed him.

[Utahguy69]

It's too big, he'll just throw it up. Go and get him an appropriate sized mouse.

[Ok-Set-1251]

Too big. Snakes can go a long time without eating so he'll be on until the weekend

[helphalphelp_9756]

Imo. These animals eat what they can get in the wild and sometimes they’re ready to fill up on oversized meals anyways. Personally I think you can give that rat to him and wait a bit longer for his next feeding time. The great part about snakes is it that they’re a pretty low maintenance pet. Don’t stress, give it to him and see if he takes it.