New Baby Boy!!

[blueberrypancakes]

I am totally new to snakes, but did lots of research before getting Pete. Just picked him up today. 3 months old. He is normal, but he's beautiful, with little white flakes going up his sides. Very healthy looking, active, flicking tongue. Curled up in his hide after checking out his new home. He is right at the beginning of shed, with his eyes just starting to turn blue. I read some articles about shedding, and understand the process, but I know experiencing is way different from reading, so I am way nervous about keeping him comfortable for his shed! Tips?

[brikwall96]

Let's see some pics!

[Kinra]

It would probably be best to leave him alone if he's about to shed. Just make sure you keep your humidity high enough and he shouldn't have any problems shedding.

Congrats on your first BP!

[blueberrypancakes]

Thanks! It'll be really tough, but I'm trying to leave him alone until I get him fed in his new home. I have him in the tank that I will be feeding him in now, because I don't have his permanent residence set up yet. (Spent $65 on a tank and immediately cracked the bottom when I got it home! Since I'm not putting any water in it, it is salvageable, though. Thanks, duck tape!) How long should I wait before trying to feed him? He was eating live rat fuzzies, and I want to get him on f/t mice.

[brikwall96]

I'd put him on frozen rat pups instead of mice because they wil end up eating rats in the longrun

[blueberrypancakes]

Ah, thanks. I'm not sure where they sell frozen rats around here, but I will certainly start looking. I do have two boxes of frozen mice in my freezer already, though...! Crap...

[Kinra]

You put the duck tape on the outside of the cage right? Reptiles have this crazy ability to get stuck to any tape in their enclosures.

Edit: I would feed the mice if you already have them and then switch him. Some people have trouble changing BPs from mice to rats, but not all snakes will have problems with the switch. I have one that went right from live mice to f/t rats.

[blueberrypancakes]

You put the duck tape on the outside of the cage right? Reptiles have this crazy ability to get stuck to any tape in their enclosures.

Edit: I would feed the mice if you already have them and then switch him. Some people have trouble changing BPs from mice to rats, but not all snakes will have problems with the switch. I have one that went right from live mice to f/t rats.

The tape is on the outside, and if I run my finger along the inside I can't feel the crack (plus it will be covered with paper towel substrate), but I'm still a little worried that he will get under it and get hurt on the glass. I would hate to waste $65... do you think there is anything I could put on the inside?

[RetiredJedi]

Ah, thanks. I'm not sure where they sell frozen rats around here, but I will certainly start looking. I do have two boxes of frozen mice in my freezer already, though...! Crap...

My local PetSmart will let me bring the box of mice back if none are missing. There's a couple sites on line that sell f/t rats but the shipping is pretty high, or you can go to a Repticon and get them. I found a pet store here that will get me some f/t rats but they cost like $2.50 a piece so I am going to a Repticon thats about 1.5 hours away just to save on the price of the rats and shipping.

[spied]

do ballpythons tell the difference between mice and rats? well before they eat them?