Ball pythons are non-venomous constrictor snakes that suffocate their prey by wrapping around it and sucking out all life.
In the wild, they hunt a variety of small mammals, birds and rodents. When kept in captivity, they are best fed a consistent diet of mice and rats.
If you want your snake to have a more varied diet, feeding frozen/thawed baby chicks, hamsters or gerbils could be beneficial. These animals tend to be docile and won’t attack the snake like mice or rats may.
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Rats and Mice
Ball pythons are ambush predators that hunt and consume small rodents, birds, shrews and amphibians. They kill their prey by pinching or constraining their movements while restricting breathing capacity. Once dead, the snake consumes it whole.
Ball pythons in the wild typically consume one small prey item every 10-14 days due to their slow metabolisms and need for minimal energy intake.
When feeding your ball python, offer them frozen or thawed rats and mice as food. You may also use frozen baby chicks, hamsters, and gerbils as sources of nutrition.
Feeder rodents should be no wider than your snake’s widest point, ideally no wider than an inch. This will prevent regurgitation or food getting stuck in its throat.
Rats and mice are a go-to feeder for many reptile enthusiasts, as they’re easy to obtain and provide various essential nutrients. However, it’s important to remember that different snake species have distinct preferences when it comes to what type of food should be fed.
Baby Chicks
A ball python’s diet in captivity must consist of both carnivore and plant food sources. They take advantage of many different prey species in their natural environment, including small mammals, birds, amphibians, lizards and other snakes.
Rats and mice are the two most commonly fed rodents, though some keepers prefer hamsters or gerbils instead. Both species of rodent are easy to obtain and come in various sizes.
Most pet owners opt for frozen rodents, though live can also be purchased. Just make sure the size of the animal matches your snake’s widest girth and that it hasn’t been injured or infected with parasites.
If your snake won’t eat frozen rodents, try offering them several times at different feeding times. Dimming lights or warming them may also help. Scenting frozen-thawed rodents with a live feeder animal may increase their likelihood of acceptance by your snake.
Hamsters
Hamsters are small rodents that can be kept as pets. With stubby legs and short tails, these rodents have the potential to live for two years or more.
Polygynandrous animals refer to those which have multiple mating partners; both males and females can have multiple partners. During mating season, males travel from burrow to burrow in search of a female partner to reproduce with.
Once a hamster has mated, they form a copulatory plug to prevent further insemination. Hamsters typically take 15 to 22 days to gestate and their litter sizes range from one to 13 young.
Hamsters in captivity typically consume a pelleted hamster mix along with fresh vegetables, fruits and grains. Furthermore, they possess pouches on both sides of their cheeks which they can store food in for later.
Hamsters are often kept as pets, such as Syrian hamsters, Campbell’s dwarf hamsters, Roborovski dwarf hamsters and winter white dwarf hamsters. These energetic creatures enjoy spending time with people.
Gerbils
Gerbils are burrowing rodents that have evolved in desert environments throughout Asia, Africa and India. They possess remarkable intelligence levels and rely heavily on olfactory cues such as smell cues and foot drumming for survival; plus they use an assortment of vocalizations for communication.
Omnivorous in nature, they consume both plant and animal material. In the wild, they feed on seeds, nuts, root foods, grasses, fruits and insects.
Female gerbils are polyestrous, or they cycle into estrus throughout the year and can give birth to multiple broods annually. Furthermore, they have been known to give birth to twins.
These furry creatures can live up to 15 years in captivity, but they must be fed regularly and given plenty of mental and physical exercise for their wellbeing. At least 30 minutes each day should be spent outside their cages or enclosures where they can run around freely, benefiting from climbing structures, toys, and exercise wheels.
