Feeding For First Time... Advice?

[Meech]

I plan on my first attempt at feeding my girl on Sunday, does anyone have any advice about feeding time that they can share, or experiences? Thanks Everyone.

[Ax01]

i like to feed at dusk or after dark, the time of day when they are naturally awake.

how do u plan to feed BTW? are u feeding live, fresh killed or frozen-thawed prey? if feeding frozen-thawed, make sure the rodent is fully thawed. there's a couple method used to heat them up - hot water, hair dryer, heat lamp, etc. heat up in the same room with your BP to scent the air and get your BP ready for dinner.

good luck.

[LittleTreeGuy]

Ax01 has got you covered.

Feed in the enclosure that your snake lives in. Don't remove it to feed. If feeding pre-killed for Frozen-Thawed (FT), I suggest using some tongs or hemostats if you have them. The first time you feed, if this is your first snake, it's going to startle you a little bit when the snake strikes. They are very surprisingly fast and will bite and coil that prey in the blink of an eye. Once you see it, you'll want to see it again. lol.

Just make sure the prey is thawed (it will feel soft/squishy) and is warm to the touch. IF feeding frozen/thawed, you can put the prey in a Ziploc bag and set in in the room for 6 hours or so and it will thaw out, or you can put it in a sandwich baggie and submerge it in luke warm water for a half hour or so. You may have to dump the water and add more warm after 10 minutes. The sides/belly of the prey should be soft and squishy. After it's thawed, I put mine in a sandwich baggie and submerge the baggie in a bowl of the hottest water I can get from the kitchen sink. I leave it in there for about 2 minutes and then remove it from the water, take the rat out of the bag and give it to the snake. If using tongs, hold the mouse/rat by its back, and just put it about 6"-8" out in front of your snake and hold it there. It will take it a second to catch the scent and heat signature, then it will likely strike. Once it does, remove the tongs and let it do it's thing. I try to slowly remove myself from the enclosure so I don't startle it or anything.

DO NOT heat in a microwave, and don't try to heat/thaw too fast. If you do, the belly of the prey will likely rupture and make a mess. It's gross. lol.

[Willowy]

If your snake isn't a piggy, lol, it can take some time to find her favorite eating routine. One of my guys only eats in his hide. . .I put the rat's head in the entrance of his hide, if I flop it around sometimes he'll strike, other times I just leave it there and he eats it later. No watching, no movement, and if I pick up his hide he definitely won't eat. He's a shy eater .

My other guy likes it when I make the mouse "run around" the tank (I bought 10-in tongs; the others I had weren't long enough), then poke its nose inside his hide, then retreat. He always strikes just when I pull the mouse back. And, yeah, he strikes fast and it always startles me, haha. Then I tug on its tail and wiggle it around for about 10 seconds to keep his instincts sharp .

Anyway, make sure the rodent is good and warm, and just go by what she seems to want.

[Pug50]

If she's very keen then you might find that she will strike at anything warm when the smell of food is in the air so make sure she sees the rodent before your hands! Don't grip it too tight (or she might end up coiling around the tongs rather than taking it).

Oh but don't grip too loosely - I've accidentally dropped the rat on the floor outside of the enclosure and my girl literally dived out and down about 2ft to get it!