Feeding Question

[First_time_herp]

When I first get my snake how long should I wait before feeding him/her?

[JLC]

The general rule-of-thumb is to give them one to two weeks to acclimate to their new surroundings, before trying to feed them. Some people end up with a very laid back snake that doesn't mind eating right away...some snakes take several weeks before they are comfortable enough to eat.

I would say, wait a week...with NO interaction with your snake at all except to provide fresh water. Then observe the animal to see how it is settling in. If it continues to show signs of nervousness or constantly balling up whenever you're near...give it another week of isolation. If it seems comfortable with you, then go ahead and try to feed it.

[First_time_herp]

Ok, thanks for the advice. Are there any other signs of nervousness?

[JLC]

Hard to say with snakes. They're not real expressive creatures. LOL Balling up is one easy way to tell with bp's. Another might be if it jerks away from any attempts to touch it...although many will do that anyhow if you get too close to their heads. Aggressive posturing and striking might be another sign of nervousness, but is uncommon with bp's.

[First_time_herp]

I hope I get a docile snake, I wouldn't want to get a bite.

[Smynx]

Out of the 7 BPs we have, only one is aggressive, and she's just a baby. I got her 2 weeks ago at the reptile expo in VA. She actually bit my 11 year old son (just a warning strike, she didn't hold on or anything), and all he said was, "ouch." She didn't even leave a mark. Generally snakes calm down as they get older, so even if you get a nippy baby, that doesn't necessarily mean it will stay that way.

[JLC]

Well, with bp's you're definitely more likely than not to get a docile one. But if you get a baby, it could very well be a bit "nippy" at first because in the wild they are so vulnerable at that age. However, getting bitten by a baby snake is a LOT easier than getting bitten by say...a puppy. (Well, so long as said baby snake is non-venomous! LOL) It would startle you much more than it would hurt.

[First_time_herp]

Yeah, i'm hoping to order my bp from alexhuereptiles.com.

[gozetec02]

Baby balls tend to be a little more defensive because they think everything is out to get them. When i got my baby BP i gave him a fuzzy about 2 days after. My thinking was if he is going to refuse meals i might as well see what i have to deal with but i had no problems he ate right away. Most of the time a baby will most likely just bump you with its head as supposed to bite. It takes the snake a little while to figure out that you are not a threat.

[First_time_herp]

Should I try to feed him a few day after a get him? Just to see if he/she will eat?