feeding questions

I am getting my first BP this weekend and want some input on feeding. It is a 1ft long 90 gram pastel male. How often do you think he should be fed? I hear alot of every 7 days, but I am thinking every 5 days til he is a year old. Please tell me how your feeding schedule works and why.

I dont want to feed live and F/T is out of the picture, I can't keep em in the freezer because the wife will flip out. I dont want to do live for several reasons. I dont want him getting bit and I want to get him use to tongs. The reason for the tongs is to try to make him non aggressive when i put my hand inside.

What are some good humane ways to kill a live mouse?? I want to start him on pre killed immediately. The sooner the better, i am not afraid of being bit but i dont want a mean snake. If he gets use to the tongs then hopefully we wont be cage aggressive.

I am gonna start him off in a 10 gallon tank. He is a little guy so I want him to feel safe.
I dont want to use paper towels or newspaper as substrate. What are good substrates that are fine with feeding? Say he gets some in his mouth I dont want him to get sick..

I am gonna buy everything tomorrow so I have his tank all set up, this way temps and humidity will be perfect for when he comes home.

The pet store is expensive for hides and water dishes. What can I use that is cheap but will still help with him shedding? Sorry for so many questions but i am making my list so i can buy all at one time.

I heard about using a humid hide for shedding. Is this just putting spagnum moss in the tank and getting it wet? With using a tank i will probably need to use a humid hide on the hot side of the tank so i can keep the humidity up. Thanks so much guys i appreciate all the answers you really are making this easier for me

I have a cage aggressive ball python. She is a very tame and handable snake when out but once i do anything in the cage with her in it she gets aggressive. So when I pick her up I just move her head with a back scrather lol and pick her up in the middle and she is fine.

Sorry bout the rambling but to answer one of your questions. To humanely kill a feeder is a) a co2 chamber that rat breeder use or b) you take a pen(thats what I use to use) or similar object and place behind the rats head and pull up on the rats tail to dislocate the spine from the brain. Its fairly easy to do.

i will try the mouse thing on my first feeding. I dont like live feeding at all, too much of a risk. I need to find something small to use as a hide. he is a little guy and with being in a 10 gallon tank he will need small hides. Need some input on substrates

bman123,
Aspen or cyprus are good ones NO PINE OR CEDER!!! They have toxic phenols. Aspen is a light coloured sub and is reasonably good with humidity Cyprus holds a higher humidity, it is a dark colour. So the either or where I live the RH is quite low 20s inside and so I use Cyprus Mulch. I mist every few days and keep the enclosure between 55-70 Rh depending if it is a mist day or not. When a shed looks likely I mist more frequently and keep it at 60-75 rh until it is over and then go back to the regular method.

F/T well I got around the girlfriend issue by using a opaque quick lock tub inside a second tub buried at the back of the freezer clearly marked. It worked out for us.

Hides there is a great DIY for flour dough 'clay' here um I don't recall where diy hides might find it. It is cheap easy and fun too build ones that fit correctly. I bought clay flower pots and cut the bottom off with a dremmel tool (OUTSIDE!) and used the top half with a flower pot drip saucer on the top. (water bowl double function) if you choose to do this cut a bit of plastic for under the water bowl so it isn't so disruptive when you change the water. there is a 'privacy screen' under the bowl.

I hope this Helps!
Alex

Found it...
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=77863
:D
A

Hey Bman,
I am by no means an expert.. But over the past two years I have gone through a series of " what should I be feeding questions " to myself. This is what has been working for me from what I have learned from speaking to breeders and reading things that are on here.

I had a couple of little snakes and started them off on mice fuzzies, after the got the hang of eating them on a regular basis.. My pet store had them available.. I fed once every 4 or 5th day.. LIVE.. a snake that small may need the movement for stimulation. NOW, My suggestion is as soon as she is feeding regular basis, try to feed a rat pup. If you can make the switch to rats when they are young you wont have to worry about switching them down the line when that small snake gets bigger and then you are struggling to feed about 3-4 Mice in one sitting.

For the most part I would not worry about your snake getting a bite.. There are very few cases of it happening when you are feeding and looking after your snake.. I NEVER leave a live rodent in a cage for to long if it doesnt get eatten.. In my collection currently, I have BIG mommas close to 3000 grams and a small girl about 200grams now.

Good luck. Hope its clear, do what works for you and what you feel comfortable with.

Scuba