Chipmunk?

[SnakeKB]

Anyone try feeding there BP a chipmunk yet? I just killed one today with my barn door by accident and put it on ice just to try. It weighs 90 grams and is about the diameter of a small rat but probably the length of a medium rat.

[OzarkMountainBalls]

I would be carefull. you dont know what diseases the chipmunk may have, not to mention the numerous chemicals it may have encountered. It is safer for your beloved python to stick with rats and mice in my opinion.

[stevepoppers]

I think the biggest reason for not feeding unusual prey items to because ball pythons "imprint" on them and refuse to eat anything else.

[Beardedragon]

I wouldn't... not only because of Chemicals or Diseases...but why would you want to? They could imprint, and then you are screwed. Is it because its a possible free meal? Are you curious?

[SnakeKB]

Good point. It had its burrow right in the barn so i think it mainly ate the horses sweet feed alot. Im gonna put it in some hot water on the stove before giving it to him. Dont know if that makes any difference in killing off any parasites or diseases it may have. Im going to give it a shot though out of curiousity. If something happens then its a lesson learned. I dont think the chipmunks around here are too bad off, my cats get them all the time and they dont have any shots or anything. They all seem to live over 15 years with no internal problems.

[SnakeKB]

Im doing it out of curiousity. I have no problem buying food. Ill have a rat for backup if he doesnt eat it. The snakes over 3 y.o. and been eating nothing but mice before i got it. If it would "imprint" it would have been on them. It switched to rats at the drop of a hat and can go back and forth. Hes not a picky eater.

[stratus_020202]

Yeah, it will be a big lesson learned if your bp decides not to eat anything but chipmunks. Sometimes you have to ask yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze.

I had a friend that wanted to watch his gtp eat a bird. He did, because that's what they eat in the wild. But, it was a long time before he could get him to eat mice/rats again. He lost a lot of weight, and ended up coming down with a respiratory infection later. I wasn't sure he was going to make it. It's thriving now, and informed the guy it wasn't a smart idea.

I'm with everyone else, don't try it. Rats and mice don't have much of a difference as a chipmunk and a mouse/rat. It's a bigger imprint.

[stevepoppers]

I'm sure there are some that will eat mice, rats, asf's but will quit all cold turkey after a gerbil.

[redstormlax12]

Im gonna put it in some hot water on the stove before giving it to him.

Any water hot enough to kill off parasites or any "germs" is going to cook your chipmunk. Snakes cannot digest cooked meat.

Im doing it out of curiousity. I have no problem buying food. Ill have a rat for backup if he doesnt eat it. The snakes over 3 y.o. and been eating nothing but mice before i got it. If it would "imprint" it would have been on them. It switched to rats at the drop of a hat and can go back and forth. Hes not a picky eater.

Honestly, If your just doing it out of curiosity I dont see any reason you should do it. It could risk the life and health of your BP. Just because your cats get the chipmunks and aren't harmed doesn't mean your BP wont either. There could be some other chemical that will have ill effects on your BP that doesnt do anything to your cats.

And imprinting is a huge deal. You may not think your BP is a picky eater, but wait until he finds something he really likes. Then you'll never be able to feed him. Chipmunks are not readily available and trapping and killing them may be against the law and is not a sustainable food source.

I just dont see why anyone would feed something that could risk the health of the animal when there are other food sources readily available are extremely reasonable prices.

[snakesRkewl]

It's a pet, not a toy