Switching from live to f/t

Hi,

I'm wondering if you could help me not be that nervous about this topic. Next month I"m getting my first bp and now I'm researching everything there is possibly to know :D . I live in Czech Republic and we have reptile expos in here with a lot of ball pythons, but not many of them are on f/t. Almost every animal is being raised on live and my preference is really f/t, so I want to hear from someone who has been in this switching process with more snakes, like what is your opinion. I will be giving him a smaller tub in quiet place, not bothering him for first week, but still curious... How easy/hard it normally is to switch for young bp.

Thank you for any respond :)

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Originally Posted by Michelle-07

Hi,

I'm wondering if you could help me not be that nervous about this topic. Next month I"m getting my first bp and now I'm researching everything there is possibly to know :D . I live in Czech Republic and we have reptile expos in here with a lot of ball pythons, but not many of them are on f/t. Almost every animal is being raised on live and my preference is really f/t, so I want to hear from someone who has been in this switching process with more snakes, like what is your opinion. I will be giving him a smaller tub in quiet place, not bothering him for first week, but still curious... How easy/hard it normally is to switch for young bp.

Thank you for any respond :)

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If he wil be a young ball python, from what I've gathered, it's quite simple. With the help and advice of other users on here, I've also gotten some help on this situation, and here's what I learned;
It's better to not use a separate feeding tub when you're feeding him. This could cause him to get stressed enough where he might not even eat. If you're worried about substrate getting in his mouth, just put a piece of printless paper or a paper plate on the floor and make sure he eats on top of it. As for f/t, I found that if you let it thaw for 20-30 minutes and then dry it with a hairdryer for a few minutes afterwards, it'll be a lot faster for the process- since they rely on heat in their prey. Just dangle it a little, just not too much. Also, when you first get him, just make sure you let him settle down for the first week. Don't feed him during this time.

Hope everything goes well!

It varies a bit animal to animal. But starting them in F/T young is your best bet. You may offer and get lucky and your new BP will take it first try. Others are a bit trickier, but I wouldn't stress over that yet.
My two cents: be ready for whatever, but hope for the best. Don't stress yourself out over something that isn't even happening yet.
If you try and get refusals, we'll be happy to help you out.

Thank you very much for these tips! I'm not nervous anymore, I'll post some thread when I get him and we'll see :)

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Originally Posted by Michelle-07

Thank you very much for these tips! I'm not nervous anymore, I'll post some thread when I get him and we'll see :)

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Yay!! Make sure to post some pics when you get your new pet. But after that it's important to refrain from handling while the snake acclimates to his/her new home.
I suggest (especially for new keepers) keeping handling to a bare minimum until the snake has eaten three consecutive meals without refusal.
I know it's tempting to want to spend time with your new pet, but you'll have 20+ years for that, and their health should be top priority.

Good luck!! Keep us posted. And feel free to ask any questions you may have. We're happy to help.

Also, read read read and read some more. The more we know about our pets, the better we can care for them

Everything as mentioned in the above posts ...

Make sure you only try feeding at night ideally in dim/low light . Ensure he's settled UNDER a hide then heat the mouse /rat up well with a hairdryer then INSTANTLY dangle it in front of the hide entrance- don't blink :)


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I have to say that this post gave me a lot of comfort when I'd first bought my ball a few weeks ago.

The method I ended up doing was as follows.

Leave the rat in the plastic bag near his tank with it open for 30 minutes to let the smell kinda get around. I don't know if this helps much actually. Then I warm the rat for a minute or two in kurig heated water and a mug. Then I open his tank and pick it up with tongs. Lastly I blast it with a low heat hair dryer on the lowest setting to really get the rat smell in there. A minute of wiggling near him and he's on it.