My first feeding!!!!

[jack jones]

My little guy is Percy. He's a 5 month old male ball weighing 108 grams. I've had him for 5 days. The breeder had him on a weekly feed and said he ate well. Apparently he ate live there. I figured I'd try starting with f/t and do live if I absolutely had to. After letting him get acclimated a bit I took him out tonight, separate container, and fed him a small f/t mouse. I'd have preferred a rat, but Petsmart didn't have any. Anyway, he took it just fine. I watched him suck it in as he was in his bin next to me while I played online. Then put him back in his warm hide. He's chilling. So first successful feed!!!!

My plan is to feed again on Sunday since we went a week and a half this last time, then weekly after that. I'll try to find a f/t rat this time. Something in between a pink and a pup. However, if I have to go with mice, at least now I know he'll take it.

Don't know why this was so exciting to me but it was.

Anyway, I know to leave him be for a good day or two now. Just curious as to how long it generally takes them to digest and how long after his feed should I look for poo.

[CantHelpIt]

Thats awesome congrats
Feeding in a separate tub is unnecessary and can cause more stress but is practiced by some.
24-48 hours is typically plenty but if you still see a lump I would leave her alone. As for poop, it depends really, continue daily spot checking and it'll turn up eventually, don't get too excited though, they can smell.

[Streller]

Congratulations. Now just give him a 48 hour rest before you make contact with him, and you're all good. I would not bother moving him into another enclosure just to feed him, I'm pretty sure that he would much rather not be moved. Think about if some stranger took you from your home and forced you to eat elsewhere, it would annoy you a lot.

And trust me, you won't need to look for his poop...You'll see it almost immediately. xD

[jack jones]

I don't know Streller....I'm all about a free cheap meal. Depending on where the stranger took me and what they expected afterwards .

I was just worried about all the stories about accidentally ingesting subtrate. He's in aspen shavings now with a layer of moss over half of it. Although I suppose if I'm feeding with tongs, the ingestion of substrate is less likely of an issue isn't it? That probably applies more to food left on the ground floor of the tank.

There's also a selfish aspect of getting to sit at the table and watch him eat.....not that I want to stress him though.

[JoshSloane]

Definitely feed inside the enclosure. That is an industry care standard these days. I doubt the snake will digest much if any substrate. If they do however, they are evolved physiologically to be able to fully break it down with no problems.

[Ilovebugs]

Congratz
He will go when he gotta go. Feeding outside the cage is an unnecessary... Precation? Wouldn't know why because I have not done it before, but overall great job!

[Streller]

I was just worried about all the stories about accidentally ingesting subtrate. He's in aspen shavings now with a layer of moss over half of it. Although I suppose if I'm feeding with tongs, the ingestion of substrate is less likely of an issue isn't it? That probably applies more to food left on the ground floor of the tank.

There are no snake keepers that are in the wild to prevent ball pythons from eating all kinds of non intentional stuff. My ball python used to be on aspen, and he usually ingested quite a bit of substrate because of the fact that the damn stuff just sticks to the rat whenever the rat has water on it's coat. As long as it isn't a huge ball of it, it will not kill him.

The python has to digest bone, fur, claw and tooth material, a little bit of substrate will not harm him.