What do Ball Pythons Eat?
77
Feeding Ball Pythins - the Art!
There is not a lot of mystery in what ball pythons eat. Like all constrictors they are carnivores, and like most small constrictors, they eat rodents or other small animals. The most popular food choices for ball pythons are mice and rats (depending on the size of the snake.) Larger snakes will eat medium to large rats or even small chickens.
Ok so, now that the mystery (not) of what they eat is out, there are actually a few things to know about the actual feeding techniques and habits of ball pythons.
Frozen Mice and rats for Snakes
You have a choice between feeding live or frozen. If you choose frozen, which is highly recommend for safety and convince reasons, be sure to buy them from a reputable source. Frozen mice should be allowed to thaw (not heated) before they are offered. Since the mice or rats are obviously not going to move to attract the snake, many people use feeding tongs to hold or wave the mouse in front of the snake to entice it to strike.
Feeding live Rats to Your Python
You can feed live prey to your snake, however you need to be very careful doing this. If you decide to feed live prey, never leave the prey in with your snake unsupervised. A mouse or rat can easily bite and eat through your snake if the snake does not kill it. It is not uncommon for the prey to attack the predator.
If your pet snake does not eat within 5-10 minutes, remove the live prey and try again later. Also note that once you start a snake on live food, sometimes it is difficult to go back to frozen so keep that in mind.
If you have comments or questions on this, feel free to ask below in the comments box.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Can you feed a ball python an egg at room tempature? a small to med size. MY boy is about 3 1/2 ft long and eats up to two mice a week.
can ball pythons eat chicken or fish? I am thinking in getting one but I dont want to feed it mice or rats.
any suggestions?????
do you think that you should take your snake out of his home to eat or just leave him in there to it i really dont know but i feed my snake in his home will that be ok
no because it will attack you by mistake
ya what should i do if i dont have any money to feed my snake and how long can they go with out eating and other then mamals do they eat any insects
dorks
what if my snake was eating a mouse but some of her shed got attached to the mouses foot and she ate it as well?
How Often Should You feed Your Snake
How often you feed your snake varies with its age, the environmental temperature, reproductive state, the size of the prey, and the activity level of the snake.
Younger snakes are fed more often - once or twice a week; large snakes may be fed once every 1-2 weeks. Generally you do not want to feed a mouse or rat that is larger than the snakes girth.
In the winter, or if the environmental temperature is low, the snake will eat less or maybe not at all for several weeks.
Females incubating a clutch of eggs will normally not eat until the eggs hatch.
Snakes who are in the process of ecdysis (shedding) will generally not eat. In fact, if you feed live, feeding during shed is very dangerous as the snake is not able to see as well and generally not hungry, so live prey can attack and injure your snake.
Ball Pythons can be prone to obesity, so do not overfeed. Feed your Ball Python during the evening or at dusk.
Picture of Ball Python
Extra Tips on Feeding Ball Pythons
- Vary the feeding schedule - Don't always feed on the exact same schedule. IF you generally feed every 10 days, feed it every 13 days once in a while. This simulates nature as snakes don't eat on an exact schedule in the wild.
- Take your snake out of its normal enclosure for feeding. Plastic tubs or a feeding tank are good for this.
- Do not feed live unless you know what you are doing and are prepared to stick with it. Ball Pythons can be very picky eaters and tough to transition back to frozen.
- Do not feed the female if she is pregnant.
- Do not feed while in shed.
- Never leave live prey with your snake without supervision.
jimcrowthers says:
2 years ago
Great hub, snake care!
I've "owned" a snake as a child, and made the mistake of leaving a live rodent in the cage. I made many mistakes with this poor snake, and it subsequently died. Children should not try to care for these creatures unless they've been given a good education in how to raise them (because I honestly wanted the thing to be healthy, happy, and, foremost, to live!) Unfortunately, too many mothers don't want to have anything to do with the snake their child brings home, but they tolerate its existence (since they know boys will be boys, and they choose their battles). Fathers are usually apathetic to the whole thing, and don't care as long as the mother doesn't raise a stink. Children are also restricted by their budget, and will always try to take the cheap way out.
Thanks for the advice!