Live feeding prep and caution?

[VereMyth]

So I called a breeder today to make sure I was mimicking what my snake received from them when it ate...Found out it ate live(Oh boy)

So after not eating for two weeks, I am going to bo get a live mouse for the bugger and slowly switch(He has refused two offerings of F/T)

This will be the first time I have to feed live.

So far I have gotten that
1. DO NOT leave the animal in the enclosure with the live rodent.
2. watch for a bit 10-15min if the BP does not take then remove the rodent and put into a temporary storage until next feeding?

I think that's the two main points I have gotten.

[Lord Sorril]

Give the snake 5 minutes to decide (that is sufficient time), and then pull the mouse out and try again in a week. If you get a refusal: check your temps and try again next week closer to sunset.

If you feed a live rat you must watch it carefully and make sure it doesn't decide to attack your snake-even a small rat (with open eyes) can do a lot of damage really fast.

[Bogertophis]

Do you have tongs? -by which to grab the rodent away from the snake if you have to...if it bites the snake, you don't want to get bit also, trying to remove it.
Most mice will avoid the snake, but don't rely on that...& because your hand is warm & wiggling, be careful where you reach, the snake may also tag you.

You say it ate "live"- was it definitely mice? Because a rat fuzzy (live with eyes closed) would be safe, and you'll probably want to switch to rats anyway. It
wouldn't hurt to try a live fuzzy rat anyway...and you could ask the store for a bit of dirty mouse shavings from a cage to help scent the rat to pass as a mouse.

(how big or old is your BP? a youngster?)

[Stewart_Reptiles]

You want to pre-scent the room which is achieved by leaving the container with the feeder near the enclosure for an hour

If you buy your feeder you want to use that pre-scenting time to give food and water to the feeder

When ready to feed you want to hold the feeder by the base of the tail and drop it in the enclosure (I do not recommend tong as they hurt and stress the feeder)

Remove if not eaten after 10 min (usually the majority of snakes will immediately grab and coil, if they do not do it in the first 5 min they will likely not do it at all)

The key is to have a well fed, well hydrated, stress free feeder and to feed an appropriately size prey.

[VereMyth]

Thank you all for the help! I dropped the small mouse(The noodle has missed 2 meals and only weighs 72g so I wanted to mimic exact conditions before trying to switch to rats)

The feeding was a


SUCCESS!!!


Now that he has eaten I will probably give him a meal more, before starting to focus on the switch to rats and then to F/T.

Once again thank you for your input I will probably be referring to this post again in the coming week to feed.

[Armiyana]

Glad he ate for you!

For next time:
As a warning, even mice will attack a BP. I've had more trouble with mice attacking than with rats over the years.
Apparently all the fussy eater ball pythons just make it to my place.

So as someone with picky live feeders, here's my rules for dinner time:
- Always be there to watch. If you will be distracted, do not feed
- Don't leave rodents in more than 10 minutes.
- If the rodent shows aggression, remove it immediately. do not give it a second chance to attack, ask to exchange it at the feed store. A good store will understand.
- Even when the snake does strike and coil, get a good look. Make sure the snake didn't get tagged. If the snake did get nipped during the kill, make a note of where and check it later. If it looks like it was nipped, you may need to carefully soak your noodle the next day to clean the wound and give a little dab of antibiotic ointment.

I've gotten lucky with my last noodle where she switched to frozen no problem after 3 live meals with me. Hope you get the same luck with your little boy!
She was the same fussy eater when she first showed up

[Helonwheelz383]

I watch start to finish as well and get a good visual when she coils up to make sure the rats mouth isn't in a position to bite. I also keep a pen or something at the ready to intervene if needed.

[Armiyana]

I also keep a pen or something at the ready to intervene if needed.

I am so glad I'm not the only one who does that. Plastic chopstick works well too.