BP ate 3 pinkies today :)

[Jay]

I bought frozen pinkies they look to be a day old, and my bp ate three of them! and my cornsnake ate one Im happy.

[Cody]

Congrats! I'd just suggest upping the prey size for next feeding. Pinkies are way small for a bp. Even hatchlings need bigger prey. Just feed your bp one rodent that's the same thickness as the girthiest part of him. Maybe a weanling or adult mouse would do.

Also, since you haven't answered it yet, and I've been wondering..what are you using at the bottom of the tank? That wood splinter stuff..never seen it before. lol

[mr.paintball26]

is that a good thing to do feed them 3 in one day

[Cody]

When it's such a small prey item, yeah. Hell, it's probably still hungry, lol. That's why I mentioned upping the prey size next time.

[Jay]

Yeah it looks hungry, But no more pinkies

[Jay]

Oh, the stuff on the bottom is called Keepers Choice I bought it at the store I bought the ball python

[gen]

It is generally better to feed one appropriate sized prey item, as opposed to multiple small ones.

I've never heard of Keeper's Choice, what's it made of? It does look very splintery, that makes me nervous.

[Jay]

It is woodchips that are shredded I guess, and moist so they cant give you splinters really, raises the humidity in the tank also. The guy in the petshop said if it does accidently eat the bedding it is alright.

[Cody]

Something so sharp looking...I wouldn't trust it to be okay to digest...seems it'd poke something inside or something like that. And what type of wood is it made out of? Pine and woods that have high phenol levels are toxic, so thats why I was wondering what it is.

[Marla]

Welcome, Jay! The others are right about pinkies not being big enough prey for your ball python, but more importantly, they're mostly just fat and so not very nutritious. No harm done, though, as long as you don't continue with them.

Also, I wouldn't believe someone who told you any substrate was safe for a snake to ingest, unless the substrate was paper or fur. Too small (such as corn cobs or walnut chips) and it can become lodged in the intestines and create a blockage, too big or too pointy and it can cause abcesses and ruptures. However, as long as the snake isn't actually eating on the loose substrate and it's not made of a high-phenol wood (pine, cedar, redwood, etc.), it should be fine.