verry energetic

hello all i am new to this site, and i just got my first ball about a month ago. here is the story. lol. i baught him from a reptile show in hamburgh pa, he is a spider morph, and i have him in a 10 gal tank. i let him get used to the tank for a week, than i fed him a small mouse. he ate fine, and acted well. about 5 days later he started acting verry hyper. moving all around the tank, and didnt really stay in his hide. last week i fed him it took about an hour for him to take the mouse. i am feeding frozen thaughed by the way. that week did the same thing, but more. i fed him monday, and he took it right away. the thing i am worrided about is that he never really goes in his hide, and i was told that they like to be in small places. can anyone help.

thanks in advance, rob

there is a pic of the tank in my profile, i cant figure out how to post pics on threads yet. i dont know if the hide is too big, or what??

Prey size is probably too small so every 5 days he is getting hungry and on the hunt for food. Try switching to rats as well as if your doing f/t make sure it's heated up nicely or switch completely to live.

Also I'm guessing he is 6 months old?

I can't really tell from your avatar, but is the half-log the only hide in the tank? If so, he may not feel secure in it. They are open on both sides and is probably too big for him to feel comfortable. Try something like this...http://www.reptilebasics.com/small-hide-box.html

One on the warm side and one on the cool side of the tank. They don't look pretty, but BP's LOVE them.

Also, I disagree slightly with Mike....I feel that if he is taking the frozen/thawed then keep him on them. They are easier, safer, and have no chance of transferring mites to your snake.

He is right on in saying to make sure they are heated up nicely...try blasting it with a hair dryer for 30 seconds before offering it to your BP. That usually makes the mouse/rat irresistable to your BP.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lmartelli77

Also, I disagree slightly with Mike....I feel that if he is taking the frozen/thawed then keep him on them. They are easier, safer, and have no chance of transferring mites to your snake.

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Define easier. If you have a live supplier then what is "easier" than grabbing a rat and putting it in the tank? Seems pretty "easy" to me and actually much "easier" than f/t. Now if you don't have a supplier than I would agree with f/t being easier seeing they will ship to you or you can pick them up at a local show.
F/t does have a 100% chance of no bite issues but for picky eaters alot of snakes tend to break a feeding strike with live. I believe the OP said it took an hour to feed f/t, so I would assume he wants a faster solution, then live is the way to go.
As for the last comment.......:weirdface: I guess if the colony of rats is infested with mites they could infest the household where the owner lives but seeing as snake mites really only effect snakes then I don't see how a rat can give mites to a snake. But on that note if my rat breeder's colony was infested with mites I wouldn't be buying from him. THOUGH there have been cases as cited by VPI:

"Snake mites usually do not infest mammal species, yet they have been known occasionally to parasitize rodents and humans, taking a blood meal and then moving on (Mader, 1996). Snakes are not known to be parasitized by any of the mite species that commonly parasitize rodents.
Rodents that have been treated with insecticides for mite infestations can be highly toxic to snakes. Over the years we have seen snakes that were poisoned by eating rodents from colonies that were being treated for mites."

But it is very rare for this to happen. If your annoyed with your snake not taking f/t like he used to or showing a lessened feeding response switch over to live and try it out.

The "easier" part was simply implying that you can keep a bunch in your freezer and feed as needed. Not everyone lives near a rodent supplier or raises their own. For example, I have to drive 45 min to get live rodents....not worth it for me if my snakes will take f/t.

As far as the mites go...I am simply speaking from experience. I fed 1 live mouse to a new BP I picked up on his first feeding because he wasn't converted to f/t yet, as he was still young. Two days later, I had a mite outbreak of epic proportions. They can be transferred by rodents, and that is a chance I hope not to take again. I never said that it would definitely happen if you feed live...but I can guarantee you won't transfer mites from rodent to snake if you feed f/t.

It all comes down to a person's individual circumstance. If the guy lives next to a reputable, clean pet store, then go ahead and try live rodents. But up here in Jersey, there aren't very many of those. I still believe that the OP's snake's lessened feeding response sounds more like stress from a lack of secure hides than a rodent issue.

Good luck to the OP.

ok so you think it is a feeding problem?? i will try to heat them up better, and feed him more often also try a smaller hide, i dont really have enough room for a second hide i only have a 10 gal, because i dont want him to feel too open in the 29 i have, i think he is too small for that tank right now. he is still active after i feed him, like i fed him on monday night, and he is beeing verry energetic now even.

and yes he is about 6 months old give or take a month

If you get 2 of those hides from that link I attached a few posts ago they both will definitely fit in a 10 gallon tank. They are nice and small. BP's like to be touchung all sides and the top of the hide when they are inside of it. You can even get small butter tubs and cut out a door if you want. If the hide almost looks to small to you, then it is perfect for your BP.

oh ok. is my waterboal too big. it takes up a lot of space thats why i am worried about the sizes of the hides.


the pics areup finally.

It would be better to get a smaller one just so you can get two hides in there. BP's don't need huge water bowls as they aren't big fans of soaking. Get one that is just big enough for your BP to get into if he wants to. I know you are going for a naturalistic look, but unfortunately with BP's the functionality of cage furnishings has to come first. They can get stressed out very easily if their environment is not comfortable to them.