Bubbles' Arrival!

[butterballpython]

It would be nice if Bubbles would feed. She was offered a f/t rat last Saturday and again this Saturday, but she ignored the both times. The seller said she was feeding fine on f/t rats.

[jennmbarker]

It would be nice if Bubbles would feed. She was offered a f/t rat last Saturday and again this Saturday, but she ignored the both times. The seller said she was feeding fine on f/t rats.

My Champagne will not eat f/t anything. Only live. I hope she starts feeding for you.

[butterballpython]

My Champagne will not eat f/t anything. Only live. I hope she starts feeding for you.

Eeewww, I really hope she doesn't insist on live. I don't like the killing scene or the possibility of harm to her. There's also the possibility of a rat escape. Crickets are bad enough. And what do you do with the awful rodent if she doesn't eat it?

[jennmbarker]

Eeewww, I really hope she doesn't insist on live. I don't like the killing scene or the possibility of harm to her. There's also the possibility of a rat escape. Crickets are bad enough. And what do you do with the awful rodent if she doesn't eat it?

I have 8 ball pythons so I breed my own feeder rats. Some pet stores sell live feeder rats and will pre kill them for you so you have a fresh kill. Has she eaten at all since you had her? If not she may just need time to settle in. My male lesser has gone months without eating during breeding season and has always been just fine. Give her time and she should eat when she's hungry and ready.

[Ax01]

i have a Black Pastel Champagne that was very hissy and snappy when i first got her. but she no longer strikes, but is still very head shy. she tolerates being held, but always seems very tense and flighty. it took awhile to switch her to f/t and she won't eat half the time while in shed. i'm luck that she at least comes out of her hide when she smells rats being warmed up during feed night.

your Champagne will come around. some need more time to settle in than others. you should troubleshoot your husbandry if her behavior continues and u notice her losing weight, etc.

Eeewww, I really hope she doesn't insist on live. I don't like the killing scene or the possibility of harm to her. There's also the possibility of a rat escape. Crickets are bad enough. And what do you do with the awful rodent if she doesn't eat it?

u can raise the rodent and offer it next time or euthanize it/freeze it for later.

[Rikoku]

u can raise the rodent and offer it next time or euthanize it/freeze it for later.

What would be the best way to euthanize a feeder rat that my BP wont take? Do I freeze it right away?

[Ax01]

u can raise the rodent and offer it next time or euthanize it/freeze it for later.

What would be the best way to euthanize a feeder rat that my BP wont take? Do I freeze it right away?

u can gas them with CO2 or dry ice.

if u don't have those means, u have to get hands on and perform cervical dislocation. it is important that u get this method right to make the death as painless as possible to the rodent. (and least traumatizing to u)

this guy does it perfectly. he euthanizes dozens of mice efficiently and painlessly.



unless u are gonna offer up the freeze kill, pack them and freeze them.

[JodanOrNoDan]

Eeewww, I really hope she doesn't insist on live. I don't like the killing scene or the possibility of harm to her. There's also the possibility of a rat escape. Crickets are bad enough. And what do you do with the awful rodent if she doesn't eat it?

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I do not have a single animal that I have not been able to convert to F/T. There are times that feeding live can jump start their appetites, but if you are not breeding you probably won't encounter them. If the animal was eating F/T before it will again. For those instances that people are having problems with this it may be in the presentation or the temperature of the animal. Some of mine will only take F/T dangled by the tail (usually the ones that have only ever had F/T), some will only take it with a full on rat dance (usually the ones that ate live). There are also a few that like it laying lifelessly on the bottom of the tub. Gradually I get them all to take it dangled by the tail. All that said, sometimes they are just not hungry and nothing you do will get them to eat.

[butterballpython]

My killing a rodent is not on the agenda. If any wild mice get into the house, I remove the trap and the dead mouse with a dustpan and don't reuse the trap because I'm not going to deal with removing the dead mouse. That guy did it in the kitchen--if he's not single, he's probably divorced by now. I'm still getting used to dealing with dead rats.

Bubbles doesn't seem to be losing weight, but I haven't weighed her because she is not easygoing like my male. The two times I've had her out, she's either stayed balled up, or un-balled herself long enough to try striking at me and the dog. I kept him far enough away so that she couldn't reach him, and she narrowly missed me several times. Brickle tolerates doggy sniffs and kisses, but she won't let him anywhere near her. The seller said she ate f/t well for him, and is easy to handle. Maybe she just needs more time. I tried all of the above with her. I did the dangly rat dance, but she was balled up in her hide and didn't seem to notice. Then I tried grabbing it with the tongs by its middle and backside, and running it around making squeaky rat noises, and even bumping it into her in case she was asleep and not noticing my award-worthy performance. She moved away from it. As a last resort, I left it sitting at the entrance to her hide so she could see and smell it. No dice. All she did was avoid it.

Both bps are on the same thermostat, and my male doesn't hesitate to grab his f/t rat. I serve the rats at 105 degrees.

[JodanOrNoDan]

It sounds like the problem is her not you. She sounds like she is super wary. I had one that was like this. I learned that she had "security issues" rofl. I had to turn her tub into a junkyard when she was a baby. I could have put her in a smaller tub I guess but it was easier to just clutter her tub. Most of my younger ones get two hides, she had five. It honestly took me awhile to figure her out. She wanted her rat really dead and wet and only after dark. I would leave the dead wet rat outside of her hide and cover her tub with a towel. If she was hungry she would eat within an hour. It took almost a year but she now eats "normally". I never gave in and gave her live.