Need advice on first feeding

[kitty000]

I'am a week away from getting my bp. I've checked out the pet store twice to see how there cared for and asked them lot's of questions. I need help I'am not sure what the right way is to feed my bp? Do I take them out of the cage or leave them in? I heard both. Should I use tongs to dangle the mouse?What is the best way to feed? :?

[rex322]

best way to feed is f/t. do use tongs. to feed, just dangle the mouse in front of his head or lay it on the floor and move it. make it look alive. if he dont take it then, leave the mouse in there for 4-6 hrs and keep people out of the room. rather you feed in tank or out is up to you. i feed in the tank. no problem with it. good luck, let us know how it goes!

[Smynx]

Kitty, you definitely want to feed either frozen thawed mice or fresh killed mice. Live mice are too risky. There are a number of posts on here about injuries to ball pythons from feeding live prey. Of course, some BPs can be downright picky, so if you HAVE to feed live prey (which should always be a last resort), make sure you stay and observe until the mouse is dead.

Most pet stores that sell reptiles carry frozen mice and rats. To thaw them, place them in a plastic zip lock bag and float the bag in warm water until the rodent is thawed and warm. Using tongs, dangle the rodent in your snake's enclosure and twitch or dance it around until the snake snags it. Once the snake is used to dead prey, most will just eat the rodent without you have to dance it around.

If fresh-killed is your prey of choice, buy a live mouse from the pet store, place it in a plastic bag, and whack it hard against a wall or countertop. Immediately offer it to the snake on tongs, as above. Again, once the snake is used to it, you can probably just drop the dead mouse in the tank and watch the BP go to work.

If the snake won't take the prey, no matter how much you dance it around, leave the snake alone in a quiet room as Jason has suggested above.

Feeding in or out of the tank is a personal preferance. Your BP is never going to get so large that he is going to mistake you for food, so the only other consideration is substrate. If you use loose substrate like bark or aspen, you may want to feed in a different container to avoid having your snake swallow substrate with the rodent, although I've never had a problem with feeding on loose substrate. If you use newspaper or astroturf or carpet or some similar substance as substrate, you should have no problem at all with feeding in the tank.