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. Rats also have a similar scale to mice when it comes to different feeders, like pinkies and fuzzies. There are pros and cons to each, but you will need to see what your snake is used to and what it prefers.
If he regurgitates when you handle him after 48 hours, then try giving him another day of rest. Snakes will also regurgitate due to stress. If your snake is stressed by loud noises or people tapping on the glass of their tank, try putting them in a quiet area after feeding and giving them space. Your snake will be ready to play in a couple of days. Regurgitation takes a lot out of snakes, so wait about two weeks before trying to feed them again. When you do feed them, make the meal smaller.
It's important to understand the difference between regurgitation and vomiting in your snake. Regurgitation happens before the food reaches the stomach.
When a snake expels digested food that's been in its stomach, it's called vomiting and is usually a sign of illness. Vomiting is a bigger issue than regurgitation because the snake loses a lot of amino acids that it needs to survive in the process. If your snake is vomiting or repeatedly regurgitating its food, get it to a vet immediately. Vomiting and regurgitation can both be fatal to snakes. Ball Python Care. Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital. Selecting the size is not a precise art, and your snake will probably happily eat rodents which are smaller and bigger than one and a half times their body width.
In the wild they eat what comes along and sometimes this will be bigger, sometimes smaller. The one and a half times rule is a good guideline for safely feeding your snake without underfeeding him. Another way to tell if your snake is ready to move onto a bigger prey item, is to watch him feed.
If the rodent is the right size, it should take him a good few minutes to get it down, and you should be able to see a visible lump in his stomach when he has finished eating. If your snake is eating his food in seconds, or you can't see a lump after feeding, your prey items are too small, and you need to move up a size. Another related issue is: how often do I feed my snake? When it comes to eating, snakes do not have the best judgment.
So I better leave it alone. If it succeeds, it may do just fine with the meal. Other times, the swallowed meal will be so big that it causes the snake to regurgitate. In addition to being stressful for the snake, this is not something you want to clean up! You can easily avoid this by feeding your pet snake rodents of the proper size.
This will depend on the size of the snake. It will be too small to eat feeder rats, at least at first. A baby boa constrictor, on the other hand, can take newborn and fuzzy rats from day one.
They are larger than a baby corn snake. Likewise, an adult boa would need to be fed rats — mice would be too small for a snake of that size.
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