Question about feeding

I recently acquired a month old BP. He's been with me going on 3 weeks now. The breeder told me he was feeding on small fuzzy mice, so I ordered 10 from Layne Labs...turns out these small fuzzies are very small so on the 3rd time feeding him I decided I'd give him 2 (3.5 - 4.99 grams each).

This was on Monday night. Every since, he's been hiding out. Which I suspect is normal, but I was going to offer him another 2 this Saturday. My question is, if my BP is not out and actively looking for food (which is how he acted 36-48 hours after the first 2 feedings), should I offer food after 5 days or wait another day or two???

Only reason I ask is because I have 6 of these little fuzzies left and I'd hate to thaw them out and have him not eat them. I don't think refreezing is a safe option either.

You're correct that it's better not to re-freeze rodents. If he's fed 3 times with you, he may well be going into a shed cycle, & in that case, you're better off
waiting as he is likely to refuse anyway. Waiting a few days won't hurt...snakes are designed NOT to eat all the time as we are so get used to that. They have
no "scheduled" meals in the wild...prey doesn't show up at certain intervals. ;) It does sound like your mice are too small...he should be ready for hoppers
at the very least.

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The breeder told me he was feeding on small fuzzy mice

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these small fuzzies are very small so on the 3rd time feeding him I decided I'd give him 2 (3.5 - 4.99 grams each).

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Fuzzies are too small for any average BP, hatchling out of the eggs take Hopper without issue so if the "Breeder" said he was feeding fuzzies he was maintenance feeding or that BP is EXTREMELY small.

What is the weight of your BP?

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Originally Posted by Deborah

What is the weight of your BP?

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I didn't weight him the first week b/c I wanted him to chill out, but he was 68 grams last week, and 76 grams yesterday.

the first two weeks in my possession he was always exploring, and I took that to be either hunger or just new enclosure, after these last 2 fuzzies he's been hunkered down going on 4 days straight...so I'm just wondering if he remains like this into Saturday, should I offer him more food....wait a day or two...or wait for him to outwardly exhibit signs of hunger again (i.e. searching around)?

I'm obviously new to snakes but I can't see any signs of him going into shed, and yes, I will be ordering small mice the next time around for him.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

You're correct that it's better not to re-freeze rodents. If he's fed 3 times with you, he may well be going into a shed cycle, & in that case, you're better off
waiting as he is likely to refuse anyway. Waiting a few days won't hurt...snakes are designed NOT to eat all the time as we are so get used to that. They have
no "scheduled" meals in the wild...prey doesn't show up at certain intervals. ;) It does sound like your mice are too small...he should be ready for hoppers
at the very least.

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This ^


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And most BPs like to wait in the doorway of their hide, peeking out for prey to "happen by" as they'd do in the wild ("ambush predators", not active hunters) so
IF you see your snake doing that, fine...offer food again...but if not, don't worry about it or waste your food. Our snakes know a shed is coming long before we
can see it, and with more experience, you'll be better able to tell when your pet is heading into a shed. The early signs are very subtle.

And in case you don't know, after a snake clouds up to shed, they "go clear" before they actually shed the old skin...this is the result of moisture secreted by
their body between the old & new skin layers that makes it appear translucent (like water does to some kinds of paper). The amount of time taken by the entire shed cycle varies, so be patient, don't worry that your snake is starving, and do bump up the humidity to about 60-70%, and/or offer a "humid hide" until the actual shed takes place. Sometimes you'll see it strung around the cage, caught on things...other times, it may be rolled up & left in the hide. But your snake
will notify you by being active again, especially at night.

He actually started showing signs of "hunger" the day I was scheduled to feed him again, so I decided I'd try, and sure enough he took another 2 fuzzies. I only have a few left so I'll be moving up to small mice probably in a week or two.

Still no shed tho...I'm sure it's coming here sooner or later.

thanks for all the help and advice.