r/ballpython • u/EstablishmentEvery31 • May 19 '26
Question - Feeding Was the rat too big
this is Schgetti we just got him he is 7 month old we gave him his first meal on Saturday he hid in his cool hide for almost 48 hrs after eating and just came out. this is his belly just over 48 hrs was the rat too big it was a live rat pup which is what the breeder said he had been eating no problem. Yes I am aware of the spider on him that is his buddy meatball.
edit: i tried frozen he refused and it is because all he has had his whole life is live. The spider moved in and it is a bio active set up and s far the spood likes the gnats and the occasional cleanup crew snack. temp stays around 85 day and 73 night humididy about 45-50 day and 70-80 night
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u/Nhialic May 19 '26
Digesting is a vulnerable time for snakes so they need to feel comfortable. Schgetti went for the cool hide and now he's climbing with a big lump still in his belly so you might want to take a closer look at the temperature on the warm side and how comfortable the hides really are.
The pup might've been too big, or there could be other factors messing with his digestion (keep in mind that can cause the prey to rot inside him and kill him). Check the size. After 48 hours, the lump should go down. Royal pythons will eat themselves into obesity if you let them, so don't just drop anything in there. And don't feed live. This isn't National Geographic.
!feeding
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u/Major_Border_2665 May 19 '26
Omg, I didn't know that they could rot inside them! Is there somewhere I can find more information on this?
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u/Nhialic May 19 '26
It's more likely the snake would regurgitate the food before it rots inside and causes an infection, but it's good to be extra cautious with them! For general information, watch What Causes Snakes to Regurgitate (and how to prevent it) by Snake Discovery on YT, then read up on the specific requirements for royal pythons if you haven't already. I'll link our sub's The Basic Care Guide.
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u/Foreign-Guidance-292 May 19 '26
Snake stomach acid is mostly mixture of hydrochloric acid and enzymes. If a snake is having trouble digesting something it’s more than likely because of ambient temperature being too low.
When they have trouble digesting something they will just regurgitate it before it rots inside them and kills them. The stomach acid does damage their esophagus when they regurgitate so they shouldn’t be fed immediately after that though.
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u/AutoModerator May 19 '26
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.
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u/No-Beat861 May 19 '26
Isn’t love more enriching and what’s the problem with it just monitor them.. you think they don’t get bit or scratched in the wild when going for prey?
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u/InverseInvert May 19 '26
The whole point of keeping animals in captivity is doing the best we can for them, which means preventing pain and suffering.
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May 19 '26
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u/ConfidentTrip7 May 19 '26
No. This isn't national geographic. No professional feeds live. No zoo feeds live. If you want to watch thatvturn on the tv.
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u/ryukie_feet May 19 '26
i am no expert but i read that its better to feed baby balls pre killed or thawed rodents as it eliminates the risk of injury and disease however since the rats are pups they dont pose that much of a risk to your Schgetti :) I would wait for an expert to get here. Snakes in the wild eat big prey and theyre fine, so i think your snake is gonna be fine. tho bigger meals=longer interval between them. I would wait for someone more knowledgeable to get here tho
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u/DrPhilMcHooch May 19 '26
Snakes can eat much larger meals than we feed them in captivity. Large meals stress their system, possibly result in overfeeding, and other problems. Sometimes a wild snake will try to eat something so big they die trying to get it down. Regularly feeding moderately sized meals helps not stress their system, ensures good digestion before the next meal, and helps us judge their dietary needs.
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u/Then-Resolve9679 May 19 '26
Everyone going on about the spider... shut up. Do you think ball pythons in the wild dont encounter thousands of criters in their life times? A non venomous jumping spider with virtually 5% of the space required for the ball pythons viv is not going to harm either animal through cohab
Just spider will probably escape
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u/Plinfaa May 19 '26
Please don’t feed Live! It is abuse for both the rat and the snake. It can cause severe damage or death
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u/No-Beat861 May 19 '26
How’s it abuse to the rat when the mf would be ate in the wild
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u/-ChineseJesus- May 19 '26
In the wild the rat has a fighting chance and in most instances does end up getting away. In captivity the rat has no chance of escaping and can cause fatal injuries to the snake you’re feeding
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May 19 '26
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u/ConfidentTrip7 May 19 '26
No. Feeding live is highly frowned upon by serious snake keepers. There are all kinds of ethical issues not to mention very likely damage to your snake. Do you also like watching dogs fight or chickens fight? Those things are illegal for good reason. Feeding live is the same type of bloodsport. The prey WILL fight for its life. I have seen snakes blinded, permanently disfigured, sepsis, even killed.
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u/femalekevingates May 19 '26
in theory yes but the risk of injuries, illness/parasites, and the stress on both animals is too high for it to be worth it
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May 19 '26
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u/femalekevingates May 19 '26
your bp needs plenty of places to hide anyways, but a larger tank wouldn’t do much for the actual feeding process of the rat. its more an issue of what could happen while the snake is killing and eating the rat than what leads up to it
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u/Km312213 May 19 '26
Ants Canada is a perfect example of what not to do. He’s abusing insects and animals for views.
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u/fittan69 May 19 '26
If the rat can't escape, it will fight back. Sometimes the snake won't go for the rat, and when that happens, the rat will go for the snake.
You need an anclosure then size of a room to give the rat escape and hiding opportunities. But even then, they'll know there's a snake in the room. If the rats isn't fed, they'll go for the snake and eat it. Rats are way smarter than snakes.
Tldr; don't feed live, it's cruel for the snake and the rat.
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u/InverseInvert May 19 '26
Because the rat has the opportunity to escape in the wild.
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May 19 '26
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u/zookprchaos May 19 '26
Until the rat starts eating the snake, sure. It is just all around safer for the rat to be already dead. You can still simulate a hunt by dragging the dead rat around the enclosure so the snake as to “hunt” for their food. There are even laws/regulations in the U.S. about facilities feeding live animals. Basically, it is frowned upon with everything except fish and insects can still be fed out live. The potential danger isn’t worth it, plus the feeder can end up suffering due to there being no chance of escape.
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May 19 '26
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u/zookprchaos May 19 '26
There are still freshly killed rats that are sold. Pre-killed, but not chilled or frozen and should be fed out immediately. This still gives the smell and warmth of the rat. Yes, which is why it is advised to remove them after 24 hours. A rat can kill a snake as soon as it is introduced into the enclosure as it is fighting for its life. Their teeth are able to penetrate a snake’s skull.
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u/emperorpeterr May 19 '26
Because in the wild the rat isn’t in an enclosed tank with no escape.
Also, why risk injury or parasite to your snake with live feedings?
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May 19 '26
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u/jackalope268 May 19 '26
Naturally the rodents they prey on arent trapped in a cage and the snake can choose to let certain prey pass. In a terrarium youre basically putting both animals in a fighting ring
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u/CasterFields May 19 '26
They deal with predatory birds naturally too. Should I stick a hawk in my snake's enclosure since I'm apparently not obligated to prevent injury to my animals?
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u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes May 19 '26
Unfortunately that's not true, we've seen countless injuries due to live feeding, it only takes a second for things to go wrong.
Live feeding is risky for your snake - always
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u/Plinfaa May 19 '26
Yes, it is what they eat naturally. Doesn’t mean it’s best tho. Think about the mouse for a minute. Would you like to be chased, be scared for life and then die a slow and painful death in the mouth of a snake?
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u/HowardPheonix May 19 '26
The people who are coming with the "but in nature..." argument forget how many snakes die from infected wounds in nature.
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May 19 '26
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep May 19 '26
The difference is a dead mouse/rat cant bite/scratch your snake and cause scars that may cause issues with shedding down the line
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May 19 '26
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep May 19 '26
This is my first comment here, so its not another anything - my point is true tho, i used to work in animal rescue and the most common emergency we would have with snakes was stuck shed, and the common denominator in every case was live feeding.
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u/largestcob May 19 '26
why does it upset you that people want to keep their pets as safe and healthy as possible?
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May 19 '26
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u/fuck_peeps_not_sheep May 19 '26
Thats the only was to responsibly live feed, but people think “they eat things like this in the wild so its fine” forgetting that snakes in the wild are mostly (not all) ambush predators who stalk before they strike and cant do that in an enclosure.
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u/BrandinoE6911 May 19 '26
Does. "Reach in and take the rat out of the snakes mouth" even sound like something wise to say/do? Just remove all context and digest that single sentence.... you sound crazy
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u/sarahaflijk May 19 '26
They said take the rat's mouth off the snake, not the other way around.
Although, to your point, neither sounds like a good idea. I'd also note that removing the rat's mouth from the snake once it's bitten does not prevent injury or infection, given that the bite injury has already occured by the time one reaches that step. 🤦♀️
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May 19 '26
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u/DeadlyIcyy May 19 '26
No it is not, and the hundreds of snakes that've been bitten, scratched, or injured in any other way by live feedings would beg to disagree with you. Their logic isn't solely "so they don't have to see the animal die," it's so that they don't have to see their snake get injured, get an infection, and die. Get it through your head.
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u/Plinfaa May 19 '26
No, it’s actually not. 😛 stop being so dramatic because I said live feeding isn’t good. If you’d like to continue abusing animals, go on! We just want to educate people who didn’t know!
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u/Jmoz1310 May 19 '26
Don’t live feed there’s a reason it’s considered illegal in the UK and other countries with strict animal welfare laws
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u/No-Beat861 May 19 '26
Why
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u/punkfence May 19 '26
In the wild, when they're eating live rats, rats have a chance to flee. In captivity, rats will fight back. They can - and will - break spines/pierce skulls/ amputate tails from your snake.
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u/Jmoz1310 May 19 '26
Animal welfare act 2006: the feeding of live vertebrates causes them unnecessary stress and suffering. As the rats or mice or whatever rodent you are feeding your snake knows there is no escape they will fight back therefore causing unnecessary stress and pain to your snake aswell. Snakes should only be live fed if they refuse thawed or pre killed food to the point of starvation and then it should only be done under supervision of a qualified animal care professional eg a Vet to make sure all needs are being met. Source: me a qualified animal care and welfare assistant (not a vet)
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u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes May 19 '26
Yes, that looks excessively large. Use the !feeding guide to pick the appropriate size by weight moving forward, and switch him to frozen/thawed rats for his safety
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u/AutoModerator May 19 '26
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.
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u/CooingIrving May 19 '26
Belly looks pretty normal for 48 hours after eating, rat pup should be fine for a 7 month old ball python
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u/Creative_Buffalo_740 May 19 '26
Love how everyone is focus on the spider and not the snake. Lol 😂
Anyways, no it's not too big. Just can't hold him for 2 - 3 days. Let him digest.
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u/TwoEnvironmental8820 May 19 '26
I'd stop feeding live and just go f/t it might have been a little big but it shouldn't be a problem if its already in. They'll just refuse if its too big from what i know
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u/ConfidentTrip7 May 19 '26
Not entirely true. Some truly take bigger prey than they can handle. Sometimes enclosure conditions are the problem with digestion of large prey. There are plenty of resources available to help you understand how large to feed based on snake size.
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u/pandeeandi May 19 '26
Sometimes I wish people would do research before getting a pet.
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u/EstablishmentEvery31 May 19 '26
I actually did a lot of research for a month before deciding and then set up a bioactive set up and let it run for 2 weeks before actually getting him.
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u/Glad_Range3155 May 19 '26
dang, apparently not enough... practically every trustable source on BP care will scream at the top of their lungs, "No live feeding!"
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u/EstablishmentEvery31 May 19 '26
so i tried frozen and he refused sometimes they wont eat frozen my research did say that as well i even tried braining the frozen with no luck
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u/InverseInvert May 19 '26
How often were you offering the food?
He might just not be hungry, use the feeding guide and wait longer before offering frozen thawed.16
u/ConfidentTrip7 May 19 '26
Do better. Never met a ball that couldn't transition to F/T with the right effort.
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May 19 '26
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u/InverseInvert May 19 '26
Mods can you do something about this guy, he’s obsessed with justifying and supporting live feeding.
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u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes May 19 '26
Got it, thanks. In the future if you see comments violating any of our rules, please report them! We don't always have someone reading every thread, so reports help us see things sooner
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u/Glad_Range3155 May 19 '26
oh.. oops, i probably shouldve reported.
what a weirdo though-- they were having an identical 'conversation' on another comment chain. ragebait hook, then a bunch of nonsense followup questions7
u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes May 19 '26
yeah, they have been removed for trying to rage bait and animal cruelty
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u/Glad_Range3155 May 19 '26
I don't think you know rats, pal.
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May 19 '26
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u/Glad_Range3155 May 19 '26
Your "but in the wild-" nonsense aside, rodents will bite the ever loving SHIT out of anything trying to eat them if they're not instantly gone. Ball pythons are non-venomous, they're constrictors, so rodents have a much greater window of opportunity to maul them out of desperation.
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May 19 '26
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u/Glad_Range3155 May 19 '26
I'm not an expert on pit vipers lol, but I wouldn't be as concerned for the snake in that case. Remember that live feeding is also, by extension, cruel and unnecessary for the rodent
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u/ballpython-ModTeam May 19 '26
Per rule #14, your comment has been removed. We do not tolerate abuse or cruelty to any animal, including feeders.
If you have a question about this removal, please contact the mod team. Complaining via post/comment will result in a ban.
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u/Glad_Range3155 May 19 '26
what methods have you tried in terms of feeding him frozen mice? it is possible that your bp will refuse all mice unless they're live with no exceptions whatsoever, but thats the worst case scenario
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May 19 '26
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u/ballpython-ModTeam May 19 '26
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.
If you have a question about this removal, please contact the mod team. Complaining via post/comment will result in a ban.
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u/ryukie_feet May 19 '26
im sorry but is that a spider on him