Can I overfeed my python?

Question

I feed my 3' long Ball Python 2 to 3 full grown mice each week. His body is fat, but his head is almost as small as the ones at the petstore half his size.

He always seems to be on the hunt! Should I feed him until he no longer seems to be in "hunting" mode? Do pythons overeat?

He just wouldn't eat if he were not hungry? Is that correct.

As they don't need very many calories to thermoregulate via the atmosphere (VS humans), then why would they concume excess food?

How do I know how much to feed him?

Answer 1

The question is should you overfeed. No, you shouldn't. But what you're suggesting is not overfeeding.



Firstly, your ball python should definitely be on rats, they have way more nutrients than feeding multiple mice. The hunting behavior may not actually be "hunting," but rather a response to an improper heat gradient. He could be having trouble finding a comfortable temperature, so make sure you've got a functional warm and cool side with hides on each.



They consume so much food at a time as an instinct. In the wild, they don't know when their next meal is going to come along. They are not hunting predators, they ambush. So, in the wild, if they see anything they can fit into their mouth, they will go for it. It's fairly the same in captivity. So yes, they can easily overeat, which can cause a lot of health problems including obesity.

Answer 2

At 3 feet long a ball python should be eating rats. Mice are very lean (low fat) and so your snake, just like a person on an extremely low-fat diet, still feels hungry. Ball pythons should eat one prey item at a time and that prey item should be as thick around as the thickest part of the snake --or slightly larger. For the first year of a python's life, it should eat once a week, then that gets slowed to once every 10 days, then when the snake has reached adult size, once every 2 weeks is enough. Once every 2 weeks is enough because the amount of calories from a medium rat is much higher than what it would get from 3 mice.



Another thing to consider is heat and humidity. What are the temps in the cage? If they're too low, the snake could be expending a lot of energy to digest its food and that could be why he always acts hungry.



Could you post a picture of the snake? Also do you know for sure that it is a male (i.e. was it ever popped or probed)? I have two sisters that I bought at the same time. One was eating frozen/thawed rats, the other was addicted to live mice. The girl who is eating f/t rats is 1900 grams and laid eggs last year. The girl who is addicted to live mice is 800 grams, eats 3-4 mice per week and is so skinny she looks like an underfed young male. She'll take years of work to get her to adult size if she never starts eating rats.



Try one small rat (frozen/thawed preferably because adult rats can really hurt a snake) per week. If he's used to eating 2-3 in a sitting it doesn't surprise me that he's always expecting a second helping, but over time he'll get used to one large meal.





~Hope this helps

Answer 3

I agree 100% with the person above me, I always try to switch to rats as soon as I possibly can since rats are not only more nutritious for your snake, but they actually keep them fuller longer. I'd start with a weaned rat and work your way up, you don't want to make a huge switch to a small rat without an "in between" size first, since he's been on mice his whole life. Also be sure your temps are correct. One appropriate sized meal every 7 days is ideal. Ball pythons are supposed to be "hefty". And they are known for having smaller-than-normal heads compared to their bodies. In my opinion, he may actually be underfed. Good luck with the switch :)

Here is a good care sheet and awesome forum if you are interested :)

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?127203-Ball-Python-(Python-regius)-Caresheet