Can I Feed My Snake 2 Mice In One Day? [Answered!]

Snakes love to feed on mice, but how many are enough? As a snake owner, you might wonder whether you can feed your snake 2 mice in one day, or is it too much?

As your pet snake grows, it can get difficult to understand its meal requirements as you have multiple options. You can either increase the size of the mouse to feed the snake or feed them more than one smaller size mouse. You will also consider how that compares to feeding them a larger mouse and its impact on their health.

Can I Feed My Snake 2 Mice In One Day? 

Generally, the number of mice your snake can eat daily depends on its age and size. Snakes that weigh more than 500 grams can eat two mice a day. However, the size of the mice depends on the snake’s size. A 500-gram snake can eat two small to medium-sized mice in a day.

If you have asked the same question from other snake owners or animal experts with insufficient knowledge, you might have heard it’s not healthy to feed your snake two mice a day. They claim that snakes’ digestive systems are vulnerable, and two mice might choke them. 

According to our research and experience, there is no evidence backing these claims.

We are a bunch of snake experts, and having owned several snake breeds over the years, we have well understood how many mice you can feed a snake a day and how to manage it to keep your pet healthy.

How Many Mice Should My Snake Eat a Day?

First things first, are you feeding your snakes wild mice? Unlike rats raised in labs, wild mice might seem a good meal for your snake as they are natural. 

However, wild mice can contain bacteria and might harm your snake in other ways. So give up on feeding your snake wild mice and instead opt for lab mice or healthier alternatives.

Like other creatures, every snake has a different appetite and eating habits. Therefore, you should take time to learn more about your pet snake before offering them larger meals. 

Common pet snakes like ball pythons eat smaller meals but are more frequent when younger. As they grow older, their meals become larger with wider intervals.

Below, we discuss a Python’s meal intake depending on its age and weight.

A baby python should only eat pinky mice. A pinky mouse weighing eight to twelve grams is sufficient for a baby python for five days.

As your snake is three to four months old, it will weigh around 200 grams. You can feed it a small mouse weighing 13 to 19 grams.

As your pet snake grows five to six months old, it will weigh around 300-360 grams. By now, it will start spacing its meals and should be able to eat an adult mouse of 30 grams or two mice equally weighing 14-16-grams.

A python aged seven months will weigh over 400 grams and can easily eat two small to medium-sized mice weighing under 20 grams. After this point, a python will become an adult and weigh over 500 grams. 

These beautiful crawling creatures should feed on a giant rat or two to three adult mice weighing 20-25 grams each by this time.

Things to Consider

You should consider these important factors when figuring out how much you should feed your snake.

How and When to Feed Two Mice?

When snakes are on a wild hunt for a rodent, squirrels, or any other furry animal, they might hunt two or more since there can be more of them in one area, and snakes do not like to pass the opportunity to hunt since they don’t know when and where their next meal would be. However, they might throw up if they try to swallow two mice or rats together.

You must feed the second mouse at the right time. You don’t want to do it too early. If your snake is still swallowing down the first one, it will probably have trouble getting down the second one. But the problem is that it will still tempt it since the snake does not want to miss the opportunity. 

However, you should keep the mice away and hidden from the snake until it swallows the first one completely.

On the other hand, it is also crucial not to hold off the second mouse for too long because your snake might go out of the hunting mode. Snakes going out of their hunting mode is not something to worry about, but they will refuse to eat if their mood changes. 

Who thought snakes could be moody? Depending on the size and age of the snake, it can take 10 to 15 minutes for the snake to completely swallow one average-sized rodent.

Why Your Snake Won’t Eat Two Mice

Some snakes might refuse to eat two mice. This is normal as they might take some time to adjust.

They might also not eat if you increase the size of the mouse to which they are not accustomed. Some snakes also refuse to eat mice of different colors – either they’ll only feast on white or on black mice.

How Often Should You Feed Your Snake Two Mice?

This is another question snake owners have in common. Generally, small and young snakes feed twice each week. Their meals will become larger as they grow, increasing the gap. You will find them eating once a week or once every two weeks. 

The frequency for feeding two mice is no different as your snake will eat according to its appetite. However, a good and healthier trick is to follow a routine.  

For example, if you are feeding your snake twice a week, ensure it is the same two days every week. The same goes for once a week. Doing so will keep your snake’s digestive system healthy so it doesn’t get weak or obese and stays in optimal health.