Can pythons choke if their food is too big?

[Jungletrans]

Sometimes it looks like a sock being pulled over a watermelon but dont worry . They are not stupid , when they coil around a prey item they are checking to see if they can handle it . lf its too big they will leave it , well except for my male Olive who would eat a couch if there was a rat in it .

 

[AMY22]

I used to panic whenever I had to upgrade Monty’s food, it just doesn’t seem physically possible to us to be able to eat something so huge.
And all those photos people are putting up of snakes eating huge meals, I was thinking of those EXACT pictures when I first read this thread! haha

 

[-Matt-]

If the food is too big they wont eat it...simple as that.

 

[cosmicwolf4]

Sometimes it looks like a sock being pulled over a watermelon but dont worry . They are not stupid , when they coil around a prey item they are checking to see if they can handle it . lf its too big they will leave it , well except for my male Olive who would eat a couch if there was a rat in it .

:lol::lol:
PMSL Your olive sounds like my Woma I've watched Dizy size up our cat who weighs almost 8 kg.

 

[eamonn]

My snakes have always refused food that has seemed to big. Your snake should be fine.

 

[Jungletrans]

Just watching life in cold blood on 9 . An African Rock Python eating an Antelope so big that the snakes skin was splitting the outer layer . Apparently this heals quickly and is worth it as it wont have to eat again for a year .

 

[fritzi2009]

Your snake will be fine, people seriously underestimate what size food snakes will eat.

View attachment 111017

nom nom nom hahah.

 

[reptileKev81]

Thanks for all the assurance guys! Puts my mind at ease knowing that every single poster had the same opinion
And I love those pics, lol
Reminds me of documentaries where you see retics and anacondas feeding
Cheers guys

This was the second time I fed him and I never saw his throat stretch like that the first time.
God I can't wait to get off my L plates and stop worrying about all these silly little things, lol

 

[Aiigaru]

Don't assume that all snakes refuse food that is too large for them. There have been incidents in which the snake has died after successfully swallowing a meal which was far too large for it. I believe there is a thread or two about it specifically on this site.

 

[JasonL]

Don't assume that all snakes refuse food that is too large for them. There have been incidents in which the snake has died after successfully swallowing a meal which was far too large for it. I believe there is a thread or two about it specifically on this site.

Yes, a mate of mine split his stimmy as the food size was too big, it popped out the middle of the snake, thus killing it....

 

[Chris1]

dont know about choke, but i have seen 2 seperate threads on this forum where snakes have died from ridiculously big feeds, i think with both it was the next day as they tried to regurgitate it,...
so no, they wont refuse a feed thats too big.

id skip a feed before i fed a bigger rat than im comfortable with,....

 

[ozianimals]

You are better to drop a size and feed 2 serves. Smaller feed size than what the snake can actually take is better as they digest quicker thus giving your snake more energy at a quicker rate and allowing it to defend itself/hide etc at a quicker rate, and I have been told that a snake can stretch up to 10 times the width of its head and this is not too uncomfortable for them. the best way to decide on rat size is 1.5 times the thickest part of your snake is a good size for the animal.

 

[Slytherin]

I agree with the Chris1 (two posts up), that's what I would do or give two or three smaller ones if that was available, but having said that, yes they can stretch. When I'm preparing to upsize Snakey's meals, I will give her two one week then the following week, before trying her on one in the next weight/size category the week after that. I will always watch to make sure she can handle that size and doesn't take too long to down it.