First successful Feed!

Ok, so Atlas is my first ball python, and has had a rough first week of being in my care. ( I had trouble with old roommates and had to leave him in the care of someone who doesn't know how to appropriately handle him the way I would like.)


Despite all this, I offered him a fresh-killed Mouse today and he struck it like a champ and is now happily digesting it.


On that note, I know the benefit of F/T compared to Live, but is there any reason to not use Fresh killed or stunned? I figured that it would avoid the main problem of live prey (that being harm to the snake), was wondering if there were any reasons not to use fresh killed if it's easy to get.

Grats on a successful feeding for starters! It's always nice when they eat.
As for fresh killed or stunned, fresh killed is just as good a f/t however you never want to put a stunned mouse/rat in with any reptile. You never know when it will come out of that state and it will panic. It will cause it to be much more aggressive and bitey than if you just put a happy, healthy live mouse/rat in there.

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Originally Posted by Dracoluna

Grats on a successful feeding for starters! It's always nice when they eat.
As for fresh killed or stunned, fresh killed is just as good a f/t however you never want to put a stunned mouse/rat in with any reptile. You never know when it will come out of that state and it will panic. It will cause it to be much more aggressive and bitey than if you just put a happy, healthy live mouse/rat in there.

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Thanks for the pointer! I was actually holding the mouse by the tail with some tongs to make sure it didn't hurt him. seen too many hurt BP's from people leaving prey in there.

Though I don't feed live and was one of the people who used to think feeding live was a horrible thing to do, I've learned from talking with people and reading that it's not that bad provided you do it right. The prey needs to be well fed, watered, and calm. It doesn't know it's being fed to something and the injuries you see in pics are where people have left a hungry rodent in a tub with a not so hungry snake. The only thing for that rodent to eat is the snake. If it worries you and you have one who will only eat live, you can watch to make sure that the snake eats but several breeders just toss the prey in and check about 10-30 minutes later. You have to remember snakes are hardwired to deal with live prey and even when I feed mine f/t, they go for the head and constrict so quickly that it would be hard for a live prey item to survive.

Dracoluna:

That's what Atlas did, and honestly I don't mind killing them myself and then dangling them for him. I am just a little leery about feeding him frozen, if only cause I'm afraid I wont thaw it out properly. (and don' have alot of freezer space)

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Originally Posted by DiscoJaguar

Dracoluna:

That's what Atlas did, and honestly I don't mind killing them myself and then dangling them for him. I am just a little leery about feeding him frozen, if only cause I'm afraid I wont thaw it out properly. (and don' have alot of freezer space)

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they wont strike it if it isnt thawed properly as it will appear cold(dead) to them. let it sit at room temp for a while then a few seconds before feeding dip it in some hot water and then dangle it for them and they should take it. though i don't see how fresh killed/stunned would hurt but why take any chances

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Originally Posted by DiscoJaguar

Dracoluna:

That's what Atlas did, and honestly I don't mind killing them myself and then dangling them for him. I am just a little leery about feeding him frozen, if only cause I'm afraid I wont thaw it out properly. (and don' have alot of freezer space)

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Fresh killed is just as good as f/t and you don't have to worry about the heating part. Granted, if you ever need to us f/t, set it out til it's room temp and then I actually put my under my beardie's heat lamp for about 10-15 minutes. It heats it up all the way through and then my girls eat without a problem.