How to Feed Pythons

In the wild, pythons eat live prey by striking at it and immobilizing it with their fangs and body until they can ingest the animal whole. Captive pythons must have this scenario simulated. You can either use live rodents, birds or other small animals, or buy frozen food, thawing and warming it to the proper degree before offering it to the snake as though it were alive.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Cage or container for prey
• Prey, such as mice, rats, gerbils, rabbits or chickens
• Water for your snake
• Food and water for prey

Select and Procure Prey

1. Use a reliable resource, such as the forums at Herper.com, to learn which size and type of prey is appropriate for your species of python (see Resources below). Consider the snake's age and native diet. For instance, gerbils are a staple in the wild ball python diet.
2. Purchase live prey from a pet shop or feed store. You can also buy a pair of rodents and raise your own.
3. Purchase frozen prey, such as rodents, online from ExoticPetVet.net or from pet shops that specialize in reptile care (see Resources below).

Feed Your Pet Python

4. Pre-kill live prey that you have purchased. For example, pin a mouse's head down with a pencil and pull quickly upward on its tail. This will break its spinal cord painlessly.
5. Offer pre-killed or thawed frozen prey (room temperature or slightly higher) by dangling it in front of your snake from a safe distance, using tongs or hemostats. Movement will be necessary to pique the snake's interest.
6. Feed live prey, such as rodents, by picking them up by the tail and quickly dropping them into the snake's shelter, securely closing the lid.

Tips & Warnings

• Feed mature pythons every 3 to 4 weeks.
• Always keep a shallow, non-tippable bowl of fresh water in your snake's shelter.
• Ball pythons are known for being finicky eaters.
• Never feed your snake wild prey, which may harbor parasites or diseases.
• Live prey can occasionally harm your snake. If your snake doesn't eat it right away, remove the prey. Consider feeding frozen or pre-killed food.
• Your snake's vision is poor. It can mistake your hand for prey, so stay out of striking distance when feeding or cleaning the cage.