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Feeding your ball python does not need to be a difficult task, and the availability of mice, live or frozen, makes their dinner easily accessible for you. When they are hatchlings and still young, you are better off feeding them pinkies or fuzzies to accommodate the snakes smaller size. Pinkies are the youngest and smallest of the feeder mice, getting their name because they have no fur and appear pink. Feeder mice called fuzzies are a little bit older and larger than pinkies, aged anywhere from five days old to two weeks.
As your snake ages, you will be able to move up on the feeder mice ladder, but always keep in mind the size of the snake before feeding. Introducing prey any larger than the diameter of the body can cause problems for your snake and you. The snake might not even attempt to eat the large mouse, but if it does, it can result in regurgitation, which is painful for the snake. You might also have issues with choking if the too large rodent gets stuck in the mouth or esophagus.
Keep in mind, if the feeder is too small, the snake might not get the proper nutrition and might need to be fed more often. Then, take the string with you to the pet shop to measure it against some of the feeders they have on hand. Smaller, young rats are usually about the equivalent in size to older, larger mice, so once your snake is large enough to eat those, introduce rats.
Adult ball pythons, however, should be fed between two to five adult feeder mice at a time. Many average-sized adult ball pythons do well with three mice at a time. Unusually large snakes will need more. Hatchlings and small juvenile ball pythons should be fed at least once a week. Adult ball pythons can, on average, be fed every two weeks. If you suspect three adult mice may not be enough every two weeks, try feeding every week or every 10 days.
Increase the number of mice fed per feeding session if this still leaves your ball python looking hungry. The mice, especially adult ones, might bite or scratch the snake when it constricts or strikes it.
This could cause dangerous infections that are easily avoided by feeding either freshly killed or frozen mice. If the mice are frozen, make sure they are completely thawed at room temperature before placing them in the enclosure.
Some will still eat during the early stages of shedding, though, and it is recommended you offer it a mouse on its usual schedule in case it is hungry. Most ball pythons will stop eating entirely once the shedding begins and may refuse to eat until they lose their eye caps. Ball pythons are nocturnal snakes, meaning they are active at night and sleep through most of the day.
In the wild, this is when ball pythons would begin their hunt for food. Many ball python owners have noticed their snakes have a much better feeding response when presented with prey at night. This may not be true for all ball pythons, but it can be determined with a little trial and error.
Depending on the size and number of mice fed to a ball python, it could take anywhere between 24 — 72 hours for their meal to be digested at optimum temperatures. Variation from the optimum temperature range in the enclosure could result in this time being extended to up to five days.
It is also largely snake-dependent. This is not the case with ball pythons. Some may take over a week after being fed to decide to poop. You do not need to wait for your ball python to poop to feed it again. Feeding should be done on a consistent schedule as long as the ball python appears healthy.
In the wild, many adult ball pythons can survive for over 6 months without food. Some hardy individuals have even been recorded to go without a meal for more than a year! They do this by lowering their metabolic rate immensely, thereby reducing their need for energy from food.
Young ball pythons, especially, should not go more than two weeks without food. Adult ball pythons can be left without food for up to a month, maybe two, in captivity.
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