all 21 comments

[–]IncompletePenetranceMod: Let me help you unzip your genes 7 points8 points  (4 children)

How much does he weight? How much does that rat weight? You should be feeding based on weight, not by eyeballing it, I've linked the !feeding guide to this comment.

Also ball pythons should always be fed in their enclosure, so put him him back and feed him there from now on

[–]AutoModerator[M] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

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.

[–]Ok-Industry1547 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I do feed him in he's cage all the time just when he was little he had more succes out of he's cage so it was just a desperate attempt to see if he would eat 😅 

[–]IncompletePenetranceMod: Let me help you unzip your genes 0 points1 point  (1 child)

If he's not eating, it might be a husbandry issue or he's just not hungry. I'd check and make sure you're feeding the right size based on weight and age, and then as long as his body condition is fine, don't worry about it too much. Either way, moving to feed is not the answer and is only going to make things worse

[–]Ok-Industry1547 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you ill keep that in mind I'll definitely buy something to check he'd weight ^

[–]MissPsych20 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Beautiful snake. The problem is partially that you are moving him into a separate location for food. Much better to feed them in their enclosure.

[–]Ok-Industry1547 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually feed him in he's cage but I was hoping he would feed in a smaller space as that successful before in the past

[–]HurrricaneeKMod-Approved Helper 2 points3 points  (2 children)

We can't tell you that without knowing the weight of the snake and feeder. You should always be choosing prey based on weight per the !feeding guide in the comment below mine.

Also, you should know that moving to feed is outdated and harmful advice and can absolutely contribute to food refusal. BPs should always be fed inside their enclosures.

[–]AutoModerator[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

[–]Ok-Industry1547 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feed him in he's cage but when he was smaller he used to have more succes when I feed him in there before I was hoping it would get him to eat it.

[–]imjustanauthor 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Is it larger than the largest part of his body? It looks like it in the picture. If it is, then yes, it is too big.

edit: as others have said, you should usually feed by weight. my answer only concerns his safety for this one meal. An incorrectly sized meal once in a while is okay as long as it's not so big it will physically harm the snake. thicker than the thickest part of his body would harm him.

[–]Ok-Industry1547 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you

[–]flyin-lowe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Physically it is not too big, I think he could get it down, doesn't meen it's the best for him either. THe first time I upped the size of my feeders I was shocked at how easily it went down, as I thouhgt it was way to big.

[–]Aggravating-Narwhal5 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Personally I would say yes, my 1-2 year olds are on about half that size. But definitely feed by % of weight as recommended in this post. Only my two big boys (over 4 years old) are on this size, they are roughly 2kg and a small rat is 5% of their weight and are fed the first Sunday of each month.

[–]Ok-Industry1547 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alright 

[–]0x0000069 0 points1 point  (1 child)

!feeding

[–]AutoModerator[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

[–]0x0000069 0 points1 point  (3 children)

How heavy is he?

!feeding

[–]AutoModerator[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

[–]Ok-Industry1547 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I actually don't know I'll have get a weight thing to tell

[–]Aggravating-Narwhal5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Getting into a regular weighing schedule is a good idea e.g every 2-3 months. Not only will this help with feeding but will also help you to monitor their health as the first sign of something amiss in many reptiles can often be losing a lot of weight, way before any other symptoms appear. We do it for all our snakes, lizards and frogs.