what went wrong??? (feeding incident)

[python baller]

i've had my adult bp for about 4 days now and decided to feed her. so many weird things happened that i don't know where to begin.

i bought a medium sized rat that looked a bit too big, but i figured she could eat it. as soon as i had the box the rat was in close to the tank, the snake was going freakin' crazy! she was blowing spit bubbles, drooling, and was acting like she couldn't find the rat in the tank.

she hit and wrapped him the 1st time only to let go to a still live rat 5 minutes later. the rat was biting her on the side but i luckily had a plastic hanger, used to coax the rat to move, that i used to get the rat from biting. only minor marks from that but she got a gash on her head from the damn aspen bedding stabbing her. i knew i should have hed her in a tub or something but i was told not to worry about it.

the 2nd time, she finally killed and ate it but my snake now has a head wound and i feel horrible. what can i give her?

was i supposed to hold the rat by the tail and let her get it? this sux major butt!

[lillyorchid]

First off new BP's should be left alone for a minimal for a week to settle in to their new environment, no touching~taking it out~handling, no trying to feed it, etc. It will only stress the snake out more.

Second off adult BP's don't need to eat a rat any larger then a small. A snake really shouldn't eat anything larger then it's widest girth size.

Third off please take your new snake to a herp vet, blowing bubbles and it spitting up are both major signs of a respiratory infection. If you do not know of a herp vet near you please state your location and we will try to find a herp vet near you.

As for the head wound, a triple antibiotic cream with out pain killer in it will do to help heal and fight off any infection. The vet can check it out when you take her in to get her checked out for a RI.

Last NEVER EVER feed a life rat to your snake by dangling it by it's tail. That's just going to piss it off and it's either going to fail around, bite you, or bite your snake.

[RobbinRN]

I second all of the above!

Robbin

[Eric Sandoval]

First off new BP's should be left alone for a minimal for a week to settle in to their new environment, no touching~taking it out~handling, no trying to feed it, etc. It will only stress the snake out more.

Considering most people only guarantee their animals for 48hr-7 days, I would never wait a week to try and feed it. When I get new snakes in they eat the same day they arrive. When I ship snakes out they are typically not fed for 10 days prior so I tell the buyer they're ready for a meal as soon as you get them.

If your snake only had bubbles and excess mucus that one time, I'd guess it had just finished drinking water. When bothered after having a drink they will spit it all back up. If it still has the problem you should take it to a vet to check for RI.



Eric

[RoyalGuardian]

Considering most people only guarantee their animals for 48hr-7 days, I would never wait a week to try and feed it. When I get new snakes in they eat the same day they arrive. When I ship snakes out they are typically not fed for 10 days prior so I tell the buyer they're ready for a meal as soon as you get them.

If your snake only had bubbles and excess mucus that one time, I'd guess it had just finished drinking water. When bothered after having a drink they will spit it all back up. If it still has the problem you should take it to a vet to check for RI.



Eric

Not even for the good of the snake? Feeding them right when you get them is VERY stressful. It is a problem that most places only guarantee their animals for only a short while but that is a problem that doesn't need to be made worse by stressing out your animal, resulting in a failure to take a second meal. I would take it to a vet for a check up just to be sure its not RI (respiratory infection) and to get the head wound taken care of!!!!!!!. I do agree with Eric that it could just be water, but it never hurts to be cautious. Good luck with your new snake!! I hope this helps.

[littleindiangirl]

Bubbles and mucous; when we were not there to observe the snake, it should not be shrugged off so immediately.

A vet is not a terrible thing, they are for the good of the animal, and it never hurts to be on the safe side when the drooling and spitting can very easily be signs of an advanced respiratory infection that can easily kill a snake.

Don't feed such large meals next time. Depending on the size of the animal, a just weaned rat is ample food for most ball pythons and there isn't such a large risk of injury, although it is not entirely depleted, it is minimized a bit.

[HaleBug]

Uh oh, you guys are making me second-guess my decision to feed adult rats. Although my boy is pretty darn big, still bigger around than the rat is.
Hmm... I might go for it anyway.

[Eric Sandoval]

Not even for the good of the snake? Feeding them right when you get them is VERY stressful.

Wouldn't you think if they were so stressed they wouldn't eat? I sell a few hundred snakes a year and have never had a problem doing it this way. I've also bought hundreds of snakes and again no problems. The ball python of today is a lot different then the ones mentioned in a lot of books that were written back in the 80's-90's. Back then most were imported so yes they were stressed and needed time to settle in and many would never eat and die.

Just keep the head wound clean and watch for signs of infection. I'd switch to newspaper or paper towels until it is healed. Otherwise you run the risk of aspen sticking to it.

[lillyorchid]

A adult BP who gets an adult rat will:

1. Go off feed over a period of time
2. Get fat
3. Become a poor breeder~if you plan to breed (fat breeders get lazy)
4. Not be able to consume all the rats nutrients and will end up just pooping whatever it can not handle aka a loss of money and a loss of a good rat.

[tigerlily]

What was the snake fed prior to you receiving it?

First off your biggest mistake was feeding a prey item that was too big. Always err on the smaller side, especially when you are not familiar with the snake and it's normal behavior.

I've never heard of a snake being stabbed in the head by the aspen. Are you sure the rat didn't bite the snakes head as well? That doesn't sound right to me.

Now I do offer food to ALL of my snakes on the same day, even if they are new. I'm usually offering f/t so it's not an issue, and if the snake looks interested I feed. If not I just wait until the following week. I try and base my judgement on the individual snake.