Two questions about feeding

[cutemouse]

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum and I have not properly introduced myself yet. I'm a 23 year old who just moved to Atlanta and I work as a graphic designer - and I love all animals! My boyfriend and I have a kitty and I just bought my first BP, a female pastel. She's a hatchling at about 110-120g.

Onto my questions. My first question is very simple but not really something that people might know the answer to. She just had her first meal with me, a live, small mouse. I know I am supposed to wait at least 48 hours before handling her again, but my question is about how long it takes for them to digest their food (assuming that it is properly sized). Is it about 2 days or is that just giving them time to rest so that they don't get weirded out and give you back your mouse? I just want to know this purely out of curiosity.

My second question is, for a little hatchling like mine who was raised on live mice, how long should it take me to switch her over to F/T? I don't have any qualms with feeding live, other than it is inconvenient for me to drive to the store. I have tried to feed her the F/T mice and she is completely disinterested, but less than 2 minutes after presenting her with the live mouse she devoured it.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to provide as much info as possible to make it easier on those answering. Thanks so much for the help! : )

[reptile3]

Welcome to BP.net! 2 days after eating, would be ok to handle your bp. It won't spit it back out..

as for the feeding, my bp hasn't refused any meal that I have given him. he was fed on f/t, & I gave him live for the first few meals, then now I am on the f/t & he eats them just fine, no presenting at all. I think it's the snake... but I am not sure.

Someone else maybe able to help you. But I wanted to say Hi, & welcome. I live in Georgia as well!! I live in Dawsonville, behind the North Georgia Outlet Mall.

[Noek]

not sure how you are feeding f/t, but there are ways you can try to coerce the feeding process.

I use a pair of wooden tongs and after completely thawing and heating up the mouse, grab it by the tail with the tongs and just kind of wave it in front of his/her head.

[frankykeno]

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum and I have not properly introduced myself yet. I'm a 23 year old who just moved to Atlanta and I work as a graphic designer - and I love all animals! My boyfriend and I have a kitty and I just bought my first BP, a female pastel. She's a hatchling at about 110-120g.

Welcome to BPNet and congrats on the purchase of a lovely first snake. We love pictures around here so feel free to post lots of photo's of your new and I'm sure lovely girl. If you need any help navigating the site, feel free to contact one of the staff members for help (Admins names show in red, Mods show in green).

Onto my questions. My first question is very simple but not really something that people might know the answer to. She just had her first meal with me, a live, small mouse. I know I am supposed to wait at least 48 hours before handling her again, but my question is about how long it takes for them to digest their food (assuming that it is properly sized). Is it about 2 days or is that just giving them time to rest so that they don't get weirded out and give you back your mouse? I just want to know this purely out of curiosity.

Snake's digestion is so specialized and different from mammals that they do in fact need this quiet time after eating. During that 48 hour period their body goes through some pretty major changes involving the volume of blood directed to digestive organs, a temporary enlarging of their heart to accommodate that process, etc. Digestion is a physically challenging time for your snake so it's best to leave them be and let them get on with that process in peace and quiet. Most snakes will instinctively retreat to their hides and rest during this time and it's best to allow them to follow their natural routines as much as possible.

My second question is, for a little hatchling like mine who was raised on live mice, how long should it take me to switch her over to F/T? I don't have any qualms with feeding live, other than it is inconvenient for me to drive to the store. I have tried to feed her the F/T mice and she is completely disinterested, but less than 2 minutes after presenting her with the live mouse she devoured it.

Personally I'd advise you to stick to what she's eating right now (live mice). When you first get a snake there is a time of settling in for them and for snakes like ball pythons, who are naturally shy creatures, any major changes can trigger refusals and overly stress them. For a young snake, still adjusting to a new home, new smells, new humans, etc. I think the comfort of receiving what they identify as dinner is a good thing for them. Also with young hatchlings you want to focus on setting down a good, solid feeding routine more than anything so I'd say stick with what is working for now. Perhaps 4 to 6 weekly feeds at least and then try to introduce an f/t mouse. During that time you can read threads here and ask questions about how to switch the snake over so that you and the snake have a greater chance for success.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to provide as much info as possible to make it easier on those answering. Thanks so much for the help! : )

Please never apologize for giving us all pertinent information. You can't imagine how hard it is to provide help to snake owners who basically tell you nothing about the issues at hand. Your post was wonderful, to the point and providing enough information for our members to be able to give you specific suggestions that suit your situation. Great post! Keep them coming.

[cutemouse]

Thank you all who answered! I will post up some pictures the next time I handle her.

As far as how I am trying to feed F/T, I've done extensive research and I tried a bunch of the tricks, including the whole chicken broth thing (ew). She was completely disinterested. After I placed her back into her tank she started "lurking" around again, making me think that she was hungry but just didn't recognize the F/T mouse as food.

When I got her a live mouse she instantly looked like she was interested and stuck quickly, so I agree with what was posted about keeping her on what she's used to until I establish a routine and then trying the F/T again. Perhaps I will try scenting the F/T mouse with a live one and see if that gets her interested?

Thanks again for everyone's help!