Having trouble feeding. I think my BP is scared of f/t rats.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Do you use tongs? I would recommend them, if not.

I stand off to the side of my tank as I feed and try to only present the feeder hanging from its tail by the tongs and as little of my arm as possible. If i stand to close it makes my BP standoffish and slow to react.

Like the others are saying. They may not be warm enough. I use warm water to warm the feeder in a ziploc like stated above.

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Yes I use tongs. I'll try standing more out of view with less arm next time. I realize he did seem a bit standoffish these past few attempts at feedings. I'll try using warm water to warm them up this time as well.

I also, like Punkymom, keep it dark. I feed at night with no lights except that coming from the heat lamps. I hope these tips work for you.

Good Luck

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Originally Posted by Punkymom

I have one that is VERY shy and I can't have any bright lights on or anyone else in the room when I feed him. He's the same one that will refuse 3 out of 4 feeds. If one of my kids is dancing around behind me, or if the ceiling fan is on or the light is on, forget it. He won't feed. Do you have the sides and back of his tank covered with black paper or some other background? You can also place the rat on a plate and let it thaw on top of his cage. I've also placed a rat on top of the mesh and placed the heat lamp over it for a couple of minutes to get the scent to permeate the cage. Low lights, minimal movement, hot rat, pre-scent, and feed late at night. I 2nd the tongs! There's also the possibility that you're stressing him out and a stressed snake won't eat. I would try feeding him until he retreats into his hide. If he does that, leave him alone! 40 mins just seems like a LONG time to harass a ball python with a rat. I have a new spider girl that has fed twice for me by me leaving her rat in her hide on the hot side. You could try that, as well. Offer it to him, if he seems interested but doesn't strike, place it in his hide. Come back an hour later and see if anything is happening.

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I feed him at night and my room is practically pitch black. I have one light on that I block off so it allows me a little bit of sight but not enough to make it seem obvious that it's on. I don't have anything covering the sides of back of his enclosure. I use a Sterilite bin with holes around the sides and the lid. Should I consider putting some kind of background? on the sides and back? I usually thaw the rat on a towel on top of the lid near some of the air holes. Will leaving the thawed rat on the hot side be alright? Would leaving the rat in his hide not scare him? Also he prefers to hide on his cool side. In fact last night was the first time I've ever seen him in his hot side hide. I don't know if he just discovered it until now or decided to go in it when feeding failed. lol How long of a break is good so I don't harass him for 40 minutes again?

It just came to me. The reason the rat smelled bad when you thawed it a second time.

Leaving them out for hours to thaw allows the inners to start to break down. So then when you thawed it again they picked up right where they left off in the decomp process. You did good by not feeding that rat.

Stick to the water. Warm water is really fast. Make sure to feel the head. If it is not thawed you should be able to feel the cold still coming from the skull.

I turn the tap on hot. Plug the sink. Seal the bag. I then use a heavy bottle opener to keep the bag submerged therefor thawing the entire meal thoroughly.

its a f/t rat pup, just toss it in there and leave him alone for a couple hours instead of dancing it in front of his face. I bet when you come back to check it's gone :)

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by KMG

I also, like Punkymom, keep it dark. I feed at night with no lights except that coming from the heat lamps. I hope these tips work for you.

Good Luck

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Thanks! I don't have a heat lamp though. Should I invest in one? I use a Sterilite plastic bin for an enclosure and never really thought I needed one because my temps were fine without one.

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Originally Posted by blaze

I feed him at night and my room is practically pitch black. I have one light on that I block off so it allows me a little bit of sight but not enough to make it seem obvious that it's on. I don't have anything covering the sides of back of his enclosure. I use a Sterilite bin with holes around the sides and the lid. Should I consider putting some kind of background? on the sides and back? I usually thaw the rat on a towel on top of the lid near some of the air holes. Will leaving the thawed rat on the hot side be alright? Would leaving the rat in his hide not scare him? Also he prefers to hide on his cool side. In fact last night was the first time I've ever seen him in his hot side hide. I don't know if he just discovered it until now or decided to go in it when feeding failed. lol How long of a break is good so I don't harass him for 40 minutes again?

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If it doesnt eat in under 15 mintues it prob wont happen. If mine eats it happens quick. I usually wave the feeder near the hide its in and then wait for it to crawl out. Once out he is in feeding mode and goes to work.

If you mean placing the feeder on the warm side for the snake to get. Yes. If you mean to warm the feeder more. You have to be carful doing it. If the meat gets cooked at all it could end your snake. STICK TO WATER.

If your enclousure is clear you can cover the sides and back wall. Makes them feel more secure. I keep mine in a 40 gallon clear tank. While the sides arent covered they do have alot of cover hanging from them. If your enclousure is no clear, you should be fine.

If you never see him on the warm side I would check the temp there, sounds like it may be to hot.

I used to leave mine out to thaw but now I either put them in the fridge to thaw overnight or put them in a baggie and submerge them like KMG. I hope I didn't offend you by the harass comment. I didn't mean anything by it, that's what it seems like to the snake, KWIM? I would recommend that you cover the sides and back of his tank. You can go out and buy a fancy background or you can just use black construction paper. I've used both and they both work well. I don't think a rat in his hide would scare him. It's dead so it's not going to move around and he'll smell it before he sees it. I would give him a week of minimal handling (clean water and paper/substrate change only) before you try again. You could even do 2 weeks if you're patient (I personally am not that patient, LOL!). It takes a long time for a ball python to actually starve. I believe they can survive on a minimum of 1 meal a year in the wild. While far from ideal, I think your snake is going to be fine! Okay scratch the background. For some reason I thought you had your snake in a tank...I think I'm mixing up threads now! Sorry! Honestly, my finicky guy does much better in a rack so you may want to try and cover the sides with something. I have no idea what, though, considering the holes...yeah I'm really confusing myself here. Ugh. Sorry. Anyway, I hope some of this helps, LOL! And thanks for the idea, KMG! I've been using a bowl filled with water or a cup to try and keep the bag submerged. A bottle opener is a MUCH better solution.

If your temp are right you dont need one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

It just came to me. The reason the rat smelled bad when you thawed it a second time.

Leaving them out for hours to thaw allows the inners to start to break down. So then when you thawed it again they picked up right where they left off in the decomp process. You did good by not feeding that rat.

Stick to the water. Warm water is really fast. Make sure to feel the head. If it is not thawed you should be able to feel the cold still coming from the skull.

I turn the tap on hot. Plug the sink. Seal the bag. I then use a heavy bottle opener to keep the bag submerged therefor thawing the entire meal thoroughly.

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How long on average should I leave it submerged for?