Getting another BP need advice.

I got my first bp Jimmy in October and my husband said no more. Well I am getting another one tonight. She is a coming from a family who can no longer afford her. I am excited and scared at the same time. They said she is about 8 year sold. 4 feet long. They say that she has only eaten F/T so that is going to be new for me, as I fed jimmy love. Any tips on how to feed F/T and switching her to live would be greatly appreciated. Is there any thing different that I need to do for an older bp versus my 8 month old ? Any tips, suggestions, or general info on caring properly for an snake of that age and size is more than welcomed.

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Originally Posted by jimmysmom

They say that she has only eaten F/T so that is going to be new for me, as I fed jimmy love.

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Ive never heard of anyone substituting love for rats but if it works :gj:

As for switching to live, why do you want to? Its easier to feed f/t because you can have weeks worth of food and simply have to thaw it instead of sourcing live rats every week or taking care of rats to be fed off. Also there is no risk of injury from a dead rat, to feed you thaw and then use warm water or a hair dryer to heat up before presenting on tongs.

If you want to switch to live you can place the prey in with your snake and they will know what to do. But make sure you are there with a pair of tongs or something to intervene with if needed.

No reason for switching to live other than its what I am comfortable doing and have never fed F/T. Obtaining live rats would not be an issue. I have never fed with tongs before and that sorta scares me. Do I just dangle it in front of her? How often should a bp that size eat and shed? lol guess I should start feeding Jimmy something other than love lmao . But, I like him more than I like most people and treat him better than I do most people.

Make sure you quarantine the new snake in a different part of the house! I've heard around 3 months is good. Use all different supplies and tools with the new snake to avoid contamination.

Hi there!:)
Since she is an older snake, I do not recommend switching to live because she most likely won't constrict it as well since she has been on frozen and the rodent could harm her. This is how I prepare the frozen rodent for one of my ball pythons. I let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so and then put it in warm water so it can finish thawing. After it's thawed, I dry it with paper towel. Then, I shake it around in a box that has had a live rodent in it to get the live scent on it. Finally, I warm it up by using a hair dryer. Then I feed it to the snake.
I hope I helped and I hope you enjoy your new ball python:)

I intend to keep them in separate rooms. I will have her vetted the first appointment my vet has open, but I do want to wait a couple of weeks so that she is settled. Do I dangle the mouse iin front of her or can I lay it on a paper towel in her house? Thank so much for the tips and advice.

that sounds like a good idea:)
And it depends on the snake. One of my ball pythons won't take a frozen mouse if i'm dangling it. I just put it in her tank and she eats it. So, you could try both ways. My guess is since she has been on frozen, she'll take it if you set it in her tank. But that's just a guess.:)

This is how mine takes f/t. Just grabbing the tail by the tongs is the way I do it.

https://vimeo.com/155263021

The only reason I was jiggling the feeder is because I figure it makes it more exciting to hunt, but she's taken prey held still and also laid on the tub floor before. She's a good eater.

Also, I don't even thaw in the fridge- I just put it straight into hot water to defrost and warm it. The whole thing is less than 10 min waiting time for a small rat.

Cool video. I love to watch evolution in action !!I guess what my fear is, is her missing her target. Is there much difference in handling a juvenile bp and an adult? How often do adults go into shed? Are adults much stronger than juveniles?

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Originally Posted by jimmysmom

Cool video. I love to watch evolution in action !!I guess what my fear is, is her missing her target. Is there much difference in handling a juvenile bp and an adult? How often do adults go into shed? Are adults much stronger than juveniles?

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I wouldn't know about adults since I only have a juvenile, and she's my first.

As for her missing and biting you? Not likely to happen with tongs/forceps.

http://www.amazon.com/RecoAquaRep-Qu...+feeding+tongs

The ones I have are actually shorter than this (and I only just realized looking back at my video that I juuust had the tongs out of frame) but this shows you how far your hand will be from the actual rat. I do read on here occasionally about people who dangle the feeder with their hand and end up getting tagged when the snake misses. But I doubt it's possible for the snake to miss that badly with all that distance between the feeder and your hand.