Geno progression thread!

It’s about time I made a thread for him!
Geno is my 2yr old pastel ball from BHB reptiles. I got him about 10 months ago. He eats a jumbo mouse every Thursday, and just got off of a month fast. As of 4.26 he weighs 549g! He just shed this morning, and looks beautiful :) It wasn’t a great shed, but nothing a quick bath couldn’t fix! Geno’s never had the best she’d anyway. But here’s my baby!


Fun fact: Geno’s Birthday is 2.14.16-Valentines day!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fd0f591b4e.jpg


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Awe, he's super cute! Pastel ball pythons are really pretty. Thanks for sharing!! :)

Looking nice.

You plan on switching him to rats at all, or have you tried?

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Originally Posted by AnnieHeart

Awe, he's super cute! Pastel ball pythons are really pretty. Thanks for sharing!! :)

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Thank you so much! I feel like pastels are such a common morph, they get overlooked sometimes. But they’re so pretty! I’ll have to get a better pic, he’s lightened up a bit after his shed :) Thanks!


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Originally Posted by Neal

Looking nice.

You plan on switching him to rats at all, or have you tried?

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Thank you!
I am wanting to switch him to rats eventually, but my PetSmart starts at smalls. I could order weaned, but he’s taking mice so good rn I think I’ll just wait until he’s big enough to take smalls:)


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Ok... So Geno was eating small rats pretty good (he ate them for 3 weeks straight w/o any hesitation) but the last two weeks -including today- he hasn't eaten them! He acts hungry during the week but when it comes to eating he just seems interested for a minute but then turns back in his hide. I leave it in there overnight and he still doesn't eat. Do you think its a fast, or does he not like the rats? His husbandry is fine, he's not close to shed, and I thaw by setting the mouse out a couple hours in advance and then heating it in hot water for like 40secs and drying and feeding. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by GpBp

Ok... So Geno was eating small rats pretty good (he ate them for 3 weeks straight w/o any hesitation) but the last two weeks -including today- he hasn't eaten them! He acts hungry during the week but when it comes to eating he just seems interested for a minute but then turns back in his hide. I leave it in there overnight and he still doesn't eat. Do you think its a fast, or does he not like the rats? His husbandry is fine, he's not close to shed, and I thaw by setting the mouse out a couple hours in advance and then heating it in hot water for like 40secs and drying and feeding. Thanks!

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keep in mind that BP's are picky eaters and we all get frustrated w/ them at some point or another. they will fast, go back and forth between prey or have favs. but it's up to u whatchu wanna feed him and your plans for him. he could live on mice fine and i think most BP's prefer this, but rats are just more wholesome and helps them grow larger faster.

also post more pix of Geno!

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Originally Posted by Ax01

keep in mind that BP's are picky eaters and we all get frustrated w/ them at some point or another. they will fast, go back and forth between prey or have favs. but it's up to u whatchu wanna feed him and your plans for him. he could live on mice fine and i think most BP's prefer this, but rats are just more wholesome and helps them grow larger faster.

also post more pix of Geno!

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Thank you! I think I'll skip next week just in case he's fasting (I don't really want to waste another rat in case), then I'll try the last rat I have and then I might try mice again? Anyways, he's been growing real good:) Here's some pics! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...260f811b55.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...eb741b43ce.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f8d26b0968.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9e98c1298a.jpg

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Originally Posted by GpBp

Thank you! I think I'll skip next week just in case he's fasting (I don't really want to waste another rat in case), then I'll try the last rat I have and then I might try mice again? Anyways, he's been growing real good:) Here's some pics! https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...260f811b55.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...eb741b43ce.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...f8d26b0968.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...9e98c1298a.jpg

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Hey GpBp, long time no talk. Glad to here Geno is doing well.

I am of the opinion you want him on rats sooner than later, especially if that's what you want him to eat as adult, which I assume you do.

They can imprint on food, be picky, fast, etc. He is a BP.

However, the sooner you can get him to associate RAT = FOOD and that nothing else is coming, the better.

I've seen mixed packaging at pet stores and frankly, don't really trust them. I get all my frozen rodents from either a local reptile specific store where I know the owner and he breeds, or from Big Cheese or Perfect Prey. Much more from the latter. The reptile store is more for emergencies or small quantities. For example, I needed about ten small pinkies to get Solana (baby corn) going and then can switch to normal pinkies. Not worth ordering a bag of 50 small pinkies to waste 40, so I got them from the local reptile store.

However, what I really like about the good online retailers of frozen prey is that they package them really well.

Therefore, you can store them for 6-9 months pretty easily before opening and still have fresh rodents.

If the rodents sit in your freezer after being taken out of vacuum seal, or were never vacuum sealed to begin with, this can affect their smell, taste, and nutritional value.

Make sure your frozen rodents, pardon the expression, are fresh. Makes a big difference, especially with picky eaters like BP's.

My corns would probably try to eat a frozen mouse if I tried, but not a good idea.

Keep us in the loop.

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Originally Posted by dakski

Hey GpBp, long time no talk. Glad to here Geno is doing well.

I am of the opinion you want him on rats sooner than later, especially if that's what you want him to eat as adult, which I assume you do.

They can imprint on food, be picky, fast, etc. He is a BP.

However, the sooner you can get him to associate RAT = FOOD and that nothing else is coming, the better.

I've seen mixed packaging at pet stores and frankly, don't really trust them. I get all my frozen rodents from either a local reptile specific store where I know the owner and he breeds, or from Big Cheese or Perfect Prey. Much more from the latter. The reptile store is more for emergencies or small quantities. For example, I needed about ten small pinkies to get Solana (baby corn) going and then can switch to normal pinkies. Not worth ordering a bag of 50 small pinkies to waste 40, so I got them from the local reptile store.

However, what I really like about the good online retailers of frozen prey is that they package them really well.

Therefore, you can store them for 6-9 months pretty easily before opening and still have fresh rodents.

If the rodents sit in your freezer after being taken out of vacuum seal, or were never vacuum sealed to begin with, this can affect their smell, taste, and nutritional value.

Make sure your frozen rodents, pardon the expression, are fresh. Makes a big difference, especially with picky eaters like BP's.

My corns would probably try to eat a frozen mouse if I tried, but not a good idea.

Keep us in the loop.

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To be honest, I don't really care if he ends up eating mice or rats. I would prefer rats, but it's not too big a deal to me as long as he's eating. When he got big enough to eat small rats, I got them at Petsmart just to kinda see if he'd eat them (I didn't wanna buy a twenty pack from feedersource if they were all gonna go to waste;)). After he ate the first 3 or so fine, I thought it was all good until he refused these last two weeks! I just don't know if I should try to stick with changing him to rats (little more expensive if they keep going to waste :rat: ), or I could go back to mice since I know he likes those. O R maybe he's just fasting and he likes the rats idk lol.
Nice talkin to you again Dakski!