a question about feeding that ya'll probably hear alot

[tuffy110]

What is the difference between pinkies and fuzzies, etc. What is the best to feed a baby python. I will be feeding him in another week and not sure what the difference is. How do you wamr up the frozen ones etc. Do you have to dust them with anything like you do frogs and lizzard food? I was planning on asking the pet store this stuff but wanted to get ya'lls oppinion first.

[The_Godfather]

Pinkies are new-born mice. Fuzzies are like a week old and have fuzzy hair. And baby pythons can take adult mice from birth.

Mice have enough nutrition, adding suplements in not needed. To warm them place the food inside a plastic bag, and let it warm in hot water.

Baby Ball pythons are born too large to eat pinkies or fuzzies (mice at least).....I would start them out on rats ASAP.

Snakes get all their nutrional requirements from their prey and supplementation in unecessary.

[Marla]

Pinky, fuzzy, etc. refers to the stages the mouse goes through and gives a general idea of the critter's size. RodentPro.com has a really good list of all the various sizes for your reference: http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp?prod=3 and hatchling ball pythons can nearly always eat standard adult mice right out of the gate and should never be given anything smaller than a weanling. Pinkies and fuzzies are lacking in calcium and protein and heavy on fat, which will grow a bp faster but not provide all the nutrients it needs.

How to warm up the frozen ones: there are a few different methods, but the most popular is to warm them up gradually with hot tap water. If you do it inside a freezer bag or similar thick poly bag, the mice will retain the smell that is part of what makes them appear to be prey. Normal body temp for a mouse is 98.6F, so that is the temp you want to get them to. For me, that generally means hot (~120F) tap water in a bowl until it's nearly room temp, then dumped out and replaced once for another 15 minutes or so for one or two mice.

There is no need to dust the mice with anything, though it is a good idea to make sure you are buying mice that have been fed a nutritious diet. If you want to make extra sure, raise the mice yourself and kill them humanely, but apologize in advance to anyone who has to come into your house because of the smell. I bred mice for a ball python I had years ago and won't do it for the current crop because the mice are just too stinky.

You can ask pet stores this kind of question if you want, but you are better off asking your local reptile or herp club, your vet (member of ARAV.org), or members of a reputable forum such as this one who have real experience with such things. So often pet stores give really bad advice, sometimes even reptile specialty shops.

[tuffy110]

Thanks for the advice, I know the petshopt I go to raises their own...it smells and they have too many snakes not to.

[rex322]

godfather this question is for you. you said: " And baby pythons can take adult mice from birth." since a weaned rat is the same size as and adult mouse, is this an ok size? im sure rex wont have problems with the weaned, but im just a worry wart. i looked on rodentpro.com, this is where i got my size comparison. thx

[Ginevive]

since a weaned rat is the same size as and adult mouse, is this an ok size?

I am feeding just-weaned rats to my bci and smaller BP now. They really did not seem to notice that they were being fed a rat, not a mouse; I had no prob switching them over.

[rex322]

well mines on rats..only difference is these are larger.

[elevatethis]

You know I wonder, because my bp just started taking large adult mice (retired breeders) a couple weeks ago. Had no problem getting them down, but it seemed like it was MUCH more work than the smaller adult mice.

I still think the best rule of thumb when pondering any feeding question, is, look at your snake's girth at its greatest point. If the rodent is less than or equal to that, then you can offer it w/o any problems.