How Often Should You Feed Your Ball Python? (a Complete Guide 2024)

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The feeding frequency for your ball python depends on its age and reproductive status.

Juveniles should eat every 5-10 days.

Sub-adults and non-breeding adults can go 10-14 days between meals.

Mature adults can survive on a meal every 2-3 weeks.

During breeding seasons, increase the male’s meals but space out the female’s feedings.

Proper feeding is critical – overfeeding poses risks of obesity, while underfeeding hampers growth.

To maintain your ball python’s excellent health, you’ll need to evaluate factors like body condition and growth rate.

More insights into customizing the ideal feeding plan await.

How Often Do Ball Pythons Eat?

Ball pythons typically eat every 7-14 days, with younger snakes eating more frequently than adults. The exact feeding schedule can vary based on the snake’s age, size, and activity level, so it’s important to monitor your ball python’s individual needs.

Ball Python Diet

As a carnivore, the Ball Python‘s diet consists of small birds or mammals. Suitable prey includes black rats, grass mice, African rats, gerbils, young guinea pigs, and chicks.

Males typically prefer birds, while females prefer mammals. Feeding is nocturnal, with juveniles requiring food every 5-10 days, sub-adults and adults every 10-14 days, and mature adults every 2-3 weeks or up to 50 days for larger meals.

Prey size shouldn’t exceed the snake’s stomach capacity, aiming for 1 to 1.25 times the diameter of the snake’s midsection, and some experts suggest up to 1.5 times the snake’s middle area. Avoid oversized prey to prevent digestive damage.

Best Time to Feed a Ball Python

Ball pythons are nocturnal animals, which indicates they’re most active during the night. Consequently, the ideal time to provide them with food is during the night, dusk, or sunset hours. This is when they’re most likely to be attentive and responsive to food. Here are some guidelines on the most suitable time to feed your ball python:

• Night Feeding: Provide food to your ball python at night when they’re most active. This usually occurs between 10 PM and 2 AM.
• Dusk Feeding: If you’re unable to feed your ball python at night, you can also provide food to them during dusk hours. This is when they’re shifting from day to night.
• Sunset Feeding: An alternative option is to provide food to your ball python just before sunset. This can assist them in associating feeding with the alteration of light.

Correct Ball Python Food Size

Regarding nourishment for your ball python, prey size is pivotal for well-being and adequate nutrition. Ball pythons consume tiny rodents like mice and rats, typically comprising 10% of the snake’s mass and not exceeding 1.5 times its midsection’s width. Avoiding excessive prey is paramount to prevent digestive difficulties and possible harm to the reptile.

In captivity, ball pythons are usually given frozen-thawed or pre-killed prey, in contrast to live prey, to mitigate injury risk from aggressive rodents and disease transmission. Feeding frequency varies with age: juveniles weekly, sub-adults and adults every 10-14 days, and mature adults every 2-3 weeks or up to 50 days for larger portions.

To guarantee a well-rounded and nutritious diet for your ball python, it’s essential to provide a diverse prey selection and adjust feeding frequency based on size and age. Additionally, avoid providing wild-caught rats or mice, as they may harbor parasites and diseases.

Foods to Avoid for Ball Pythons

When tending to a ball python, it’s paramount to be aware of foods to steer clear of to safeguard the snake’s longevity and contentment. Here are three points to heed:

1. Untamed rodents: Refrain from offering your ball python untamed rodents, as they could harbor parasites and ticks that pose a threat to the snake.
2. Amphibians and eggs: Ball pythons shouldn’t be given amphibians or eggs, as these aren’t adequate sources of nourishment for them.
3. Insects and fish: Insects and fish aren’t suitable food options for ball pythons.

Ball Python Supplements

Shifting gears from the no-nos in your ball python’s diet, let’s explore the realm of supplements—a sprinkle of enchantment for your serpentine friend’s meals. Brands like Arcadia and Repashy provide customized blends, ensuring your python receives its calcium and multivitamin requirements.

While your python’s prey is the main course, think of supplements as the seasoning that enhances their nutritional profile. Remember, moderation is key: a light dusting every fourth meal is sufficient.

Store these elixirs in a cool, dry place, and monitor expiration dates to preserve their enchanting potency.

Ball Python Feeding Chart

The feeding schedule for a ball python depends on its age and size. For hatchlings, they should be fed every 5 days, while juveniles weighing between 120 and 220 grams should be fed every 7 days. During the second year, until the snake’s weight plateaus, it should be fed up to 7% of its weight every 14 days. In the third year and beyond, it should be fed up to 5% of its weight every 15-20 days or slightly larger meals every 21-30 days.

Variety in diet is important for a ball python’s health. While they primarily eat rodents, they can also be given a variety of prey items like quail, gerbils, and chicks. Frozen, thawed prey is recommended over live prey to avoid bite and infection risks.

To encourage eating, you can feed the same food as before, thaw and warm frozen food, cut pre-killed prey open, adjust the enclosure temperature, and clean the habitat. If the snake still won’t eat, it may be due to habitat temperature, size, unrecognizable food, shedding, breeding season, stress, or illness. In such cases, schedule a veterinary appointment to examine for parasites or health problems.

Ball python care includes feeding schedules, variety in diet, frozen, thawed prey, over-supplementing, weighing snakes, and ball python feeding and husbandry.

Feeding a Breeding Male

As a breeding male, your snake’s feeding frequency will change during the breeding season. During this period, males may stop feeding for a few months while they’re actively breeding or if they can detect breedable females. This is a normal part of the breeding process and is influenced by male courtship and female receptivity. However, it’s important to make sure that the male is still getting proper nutrition during this time.

If your snake still refuses to eat after trying these methods, it’s advisable to consult a veterinarian. They can examine the snake for any potential health issues that may be affecting its appetite.

Feeding a Breeding Female

When breeding your female ball python, her nutritional support is paramount. During the gestational period, she’ll need increased meals rich in calcium to prepare for egg laying. Post-laying care is essential, as she won’t eat while incubating. Here’s a quick guide:

Stage	Meal Frequency	Nutritional Focus
Pre-Laying	Increase as needed	High-calcium prey items
Gestational Period	Monitor closely	Sustain with hearty meals
Post-Laying	Resume regular feeding	Replenish with nutritious support

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)