All snakes feed on the flesh of other animals. Their diet varies according to the species, and some eat warm-blooded prey, including rodents, birds, and rabbits. Other snakes eat amphibians, insects, eggs, fish, earthworms, slugs, and other reptiles. Snakes eat their food as a whole. The most common food pet snakes eat is hamsters, gerbils, rats and mice.
Since the snakes eat the entire prey as a whole, it is important to feed them complete diets that prevent nutritionally related diseases. Whole preys like rats and mice offer a complete balanced diet for the snake. The snake should not be fed live prey as it will inflict psychological stress, and can expose itself to harm by being bitten by a live prey. However small a mouse is, it can injure a snake and transmit infections through the bite.
How Do You Know What Size Prey To Feed To The Snake?
Snakes usually consume prey that is as wide as the widest section of their body. If the center of the body is two inches wide, the snake should consume a large mouse that is equally two inches wide. Some snakes have preference to smaller prey, so you need to find out which prey size the snake prefers. Feeding the snake with enormous prey can lead to regurgitation or the food being stuck on the mouth or esophagus. If you are doubting, you rather feed the snake a smaller prey than a larger prey.
What Size Mouse to Feed Ball Python?
Ball pythons need to eat. Nutrition is essential for the growth and general health status of the snake. It is important to establish a feeding routine for the ball python. If the snake is a hatchling, it will not show any food interest until it has shed the skin for the first time. This takes a week to 10 days maximum.
Feeder sizes include:
Pinky mice-a pinky mice is a newborn mouse and range from one to three grams. They have no fur and are considered fairly fatty but high in protein. The pinky mouse has the benefit of having a belly full of their mother’s milk, making them rich in calcium. The milk is seen as a white blob through the pinky skin around the stomach area.
Fuzzy mouse– a fuzzy mouse is a baby mouse that has fur. They are bigger in size and weigh three to five grams.
Hoppers– the next stage is the hoppers. They are around 5 to 9 grams in weight and are fully formed but not fully grown.
Fully developed mice– you then move to feed the ball python with a fully developed mouse. They vary in size and weight.
Mouse Sizes
Here is a complete size chart for frozen mice.
| Mouse name | Age | Size |
| Pinky | Day old | 0.5 to 1 inch |
| Fuzzy | One to two weeks | 1.25 to 1.5 inches |
| Hopper | Two to three weeks | 1.5 to 3 inches |
| Weanlings | Three weeks to a month | 3 to 4 inches |
| Adult | Over thirty days | 4 to 6 inches |
Feeding Hatchlings
Very small hatchling ball pythons can be started on pinky newborn mice before graduating to larger sizes. The chain goes from feeder mice, fuzzies, hoppers, weaned mice, then large and extra-large adult mice.
How Often Should I Feed My Ball Python?
Feeding depends on the snake’s age, size, and activity level. Smaller and younger snakes usually eat twice a week, while larger mature snakes eat once a week or two. Female snakes who are almost breeding can be fed more frequently. Vets offer advice on feeding patterns depending on snake individual requirements.
Size matters when feeding a ball python and not age. Weigh the ball python regularly as snake development does not follow hard and fast rules according to age. The below table offers guidance on what to feed and when to feed a ball python, depending on the growth circle.
| Snake weight | Feeding frequency |
| First 3-5 meals | Once every 5 days |
| Below 200g | Once every 7 days |
| 201g to 350g | Once every 7-10 days |
| 350g to 500g | Once every 10-14 days |
| 500g to 1500g | Once every 2 to 3 weeks |
Getting the ball python in an appropriate feeding schedule is beneficial. Feeding increases cell proliferation in the python’s brain, helping it to develop at an appropriate rate. However, it would help if you kept in mind that the ball python decides how often you successfully feed it. The snakes can be picky when it comes to eating. They tend to fast during cold months but irregularly.
How to Feed A Ball Python Mouse?
Ball pythons are a common first snake and are exotic pets. However, they are notorious for refusing food, whether dead or alive. Getting picky pythons to eat frozen prey takes a lot of guesswork and experimentation. Here are some ways to feed a ball python.
Check the python’s enclosure
If the snake has a lack of appetite, first check that the husbandry standards are at par. It is simple to set up an environment for a ball python, but care deficits can make the snake refuse to eat. As with most reptiles, humidity, cage temperatures, and lighting should be of the appropriate range.
The cage size is equally important, and for small adults, a 20-gallon tank is required, and a 30-gallon tank for standard size adults. The room should have an ambient temperature of about 80 degrees with a 90-95 degrees basking spot. There should be coconut-based bedding and orchid bark. It would be best if you daily misted enclosures that dry easily.
Heat the food
Ball pythons hunt by sensing heat and can be very sensitive to the prey’s heat. The snake’s food should not be of room temperature as the snake will refuse to eat. It would be best if you properly thawed the prey. Below is a step by step procedure for defrosting frozen mice.
24 hours before feeding, remove the mice from the freezer and thaw them in the fridge.
It would be best if you did not thaw by leaving the mice at room temperature to form bacteria. Once the mouse is completely thawed, use a reptile heat lamp with a wattage of 15-25 degrees to warm it. Do not aim the bulb too close to the prey as it can damage the body, which can be a turn off to the ball python.
Allow the prey’s surface to gradually warm up evenly so that the thin walls do not rapture. You should not use a plastic bag or warm water when thawing unless you are certain the prey will not get wet. Ball pythons dislike wet food.
Feed at night
Ball pythons are nocturnal animals, and some of them may be sensitive when fed during the day. It is a good idea to feed it at night to increase the chances of eating. Whether day or night, try to darken the room by leaving the lights dim or keeping the shades down. This allows the snake to eat in peace.
Offer adequate security
Security plays a big role in getting ball pythons to eat. They are usually sensitive to feeling insecure and becoming stressed. There are ways to work with pythons that feel overexposed, and they include;
- If the snake lives in a rack system without a hide, introduce a long PVC pipe that fits the rack.
- Ensure the hide is appropriate for the individual snake. Ball pythons like hiding in places where their bodies touch both sides as opposed to a large space.
- If the snake has hiding places and still refuses to eat, try placing a pillow in the opening of the hiding place an hour before feeding.
- Keep your presence minimum. Stay out of the way and leave after the snake takes the prey.
Change the color or size of the prey
As mentioned, ball pythons are very picky. An anorexic snake can create a fuss over a small versus a big mouse. Ball pythons in the wild can spot various colors of rodents and identify them as food. Try to find spotted or brown mice to offer. Also, alternate the sizes from large to tiny to identify the snake’s preference.
Change the prey type
Sometimes alternative prey can stimulate the ball python. Some snakes prefer only a specific type of mice and if this is the case, try blending the preys to introduce new types. African soft-furred mice are a great option as a natural prey for wild ball pythons and are more desirable. Use this option if there is no other option as the mice are hard to find and are costly.
Scenting
Some ball pythons can be stimulated to eat by certain prey scents as they can be desirable. They are known to prefer gerbils, and you can use gerbil bedding to scent frozen mice. Chicken broth is also a great option.
Braining
Braining involves splitting the prey in the head to expose the brain matter. It might seem disgusting, but to ball pythons, they become more interested. You can first test this method to identify if the snake is fascinated.
Allow plenty of time between feeding
If the ball python appears uninterested with food, give it a few days between feeding. The snake can be stressed or fearful. It would help if you fed a snake that Is interested and is in a relaxed state with its head presented and not tucked away. Forcing the snake to eat will only make matters worse.
Tease feeding
This is the process of getting the snake to grab prey by slightly irritating it. The method can be either very effective or can potentially make the snake more stressed. Tease feeding is accomplished by tapping strategically on the snake’s snout by aggressively wiggling the prey in front of the snake. You then stop wiggling immediately when the snake projects its head up or shows signs of high stress. Sometimes the snake will react defensively and grab the prey, and its feeding instinct will kick in.
Is It Immoral to Feed Snakes Live Mice?
Live feeding is animal cruelty, no matter how happy it makes the feeding animal happy or important for a picky eater. It is inhumane, and cruel to cause death on a prey animal like mice even if they were reared for feeding. Snakes need to be taught to eat dead prey. It shows mercy to the mouse, and is safe for the snake. Snakes can be given frozen, thawed, or freshly killed prey.
Alternatives to Live Mice
Frozen mice are readily available for purchase and home delivery. They are available in various types and sizes depending on the size of the snake. You can get pinkies, day-old mice, fuzzies, which are slightly older and have started developing light fuzz. You will need to thaw the mice before feeding them to the ball python as they cannot be eaten when frozen. Frozen prey hurts the snake and slows down their body functions as they are cold-blooded and require a warm temperature for proper body functioning.
When feeding the ball python frozen mouse, make it appealing by wiggling in front of the snake using a pair of tongs. Cut open the thawed mouse’s head to reveal the brain area to entice the snake to eat. Frozen prey is not a natural option for the snake, but it can get accustomed to pre-killed mice with training and conditioning.
Reasons Why the Python is Eating
Your ball python may not eat for the following reasons;
- Shedding– snakes rarely eat if they have opaque eyes. This means they are almost shedding their skin. There are times when the snake’s eyes are gray before shedding, and during this period, they are uninterested in food.
- Breeding season– ball pythons breed within the winter months and can fail to eat during this period.
- Gravid– female ball pythons who are gravid are less likely to be interested in feeding.
- Importation stress– if the python was recently imported, they might have a difficult time adjusting to the new environment. They can stop eating for months or even a year.
The Bottom Line
Feeding the ball python mice is a good way to ensure they get the nutrients they require. There is a bit of a learning curve with feeding a ball python frozen mouse, and if it is a picky eater, there are few tricks to get it interested. Frozen prey is a great source of nutrition compared to live mice that can cause harm to the snake by biting, chewing, or scratching. If you are still worried about the ball python’s eating habits, contact the vet to get more insights on what works best for ball pythons.