Acclimating hatchling - when to feed?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NH93

Thanks for the advice! I have contacted Andrew (or Drew?) to see when Beau's last feed was.
As a few others have suggested, I will wait until Beau sheds to feed him.

I don't want to feed in his vive because I have had a bad experience with a cage-aggressive corn -- I realize that they are different, and that BPs are pickier, but it is something I'd like to learn for myself, and also hopefully, if possible, get my snakes in the habit of. The corn has already gotten the hang of it.
Obviously I want what is best for my pets, but the BP is young, and I'm hoping to be able to "shape" him, if that makes sense?

I promise I won't come back in a few weeks saying "My BP won't eat!" if he gets stressed about moving containers ;)

---

You moving your BP to a different enclosure can easily make him refuse his food. Like Ricky said, handle your snake instead of never bothering with him and you'll be fine. The only animals I feed outside the enclosure are my 3 Rufous and the ONLY reason I do this is because I keep them housed together and I don't want more then one of them to go for the same food item. So I avoid this by putting them in tubs and feeding them.

My BP's I feed in the tubs but I deal with them once a week at least if not more, depending on various situations and I've never had any of them become aggressive. However my black pastel if I put a rat in there for him and I try to remove it by hand will strike at me but it's because there is the smell of food right in front of him and my warm hand going near his face.

I do know what you mean Ricky :P
And I have to respectfully disagree with your point about snakes not learning. There's actually brand spankin' new evidence to support that they can in fact learn! I don't have the citation at the moment (as I'm not at home), and I know that everyone's opinions on this subject are also different.

That being said, my snake is the smartest damn snake in the whole world (even though I just got it and have never fed it or really handled it, but since I am its mother, he is the smartest snake in the world).



;)

EDIT: Learn on a simple level, I mean.

Thanks again everyone, but I more interested in your opinions on my first question(s), not moving to a feeding bin thing :)
I know that if he refuses food, it is my fault and I will deal with it if it happens.
I didn't mean to go off track with that, my bad!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NH93

That being said, my snake is the smartest damn snake in the whole world (even though I just got it and have never fed it or really handled it, but since I am its mother, he is the smartest snake in the world).

---

I'm sure he is :gj: Keep us posted. I wanna see some post shed photos and a feeding update :)

Thanks for coming on here and asking for advice.

Speak of the devil...

We literally just found a shed in his tank.
I think I will wait to feed him until Sunday though! If he can go without the food, I'd rather he be comfortable in his new home first. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NH93

Speak of the devil...

We literally just found a shed in his tank.
I think I will wait to feed him until Sunday though! If he can go without the food, I'd rather he be comfortable in his new home first. :)

---

Really I don't see why you would wait if you're only going to stress him by moving him anyway.
I'm sorry but instead of getting him to learn your way I'd do what's best for the snake I chose to bring into my care

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

Hey, congrats on your new baby :) When I got my first baby BP on Saturday I asked the breeder when she was due for her next feed and she told me in 2 days. I tried (with the 6g pinky rat she gave me), and she didn't take it. I think part of the problem was that I dangled it by the tail instead of grabbing it by the scruff and zombie walking it. I asked the breeder when I should try again and she said in 2 days. I tried again today with a 12g fuzzy and zombie walked it and she took it right away, only 4 days after I got her.

I agree with you that snakes can learn to an extent. Like simple learning cause and effect if repeated enough. I also believe that feeding in the viv isn't a problem. They have a very acute sense of smell that is far more honed than their ability to learn and even if you feed in a separate enclosure, if you stick a hand into the viv with rat smell all over it, then it's basically a rat to them. They hunt where they can find food, they don't go to a specific place to find it, if it walks by their home, they eat it. At the same time, I believe that they do learn to recognize your smell (as they learn the recognize that of their prey's), and they do know if it is you and not food. Honestly, you should go with your gut, but I know that if I took Mara out of her enclosure today and plopped her in a box, there is no way she would have eaten. I scented the enclosure by warming the rat under the lamp and in 10min she was out and hunting, and I very quietly opened the door and danced the rat and she took it. Good luck with your baby, however you decide to do things. I think it's best we go with our gut for the most part in these matters, and if that doesn't work, then reevaluate.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NH93

Speak of the devil...

We literally just found a shed in his tank.
I think I will wait to feed him until Sunday though! If he can go without the food, I'd rather he be comfortable in his new home first. :)

---

Awesome! Glad his first shed in your care went well :)

offer food 24hrs after shed, and after he feeds wait to handle him in 2-3 days, you want the food to start digesting. there insides are so soft and weak you dont want to hurt them.

I see a lot of rules people have on when and how you should do things but to be honest with you I have ten ball pythons movies and adults I have received them as adults and hatchlings, and I have never let any snake sit for two weeks before handling them. When I get a snake in I check it out being gentle and letting them move around in my hands and put them up in the tub the little ones and the skittish ones get a hide. The next day I might take them out for just a few minutes letting them do what they want to learn that I'm not a threat. I ask the person I got them from when they ate last and feed them when the next feeding time comes small snakes get fed about every four or five days older snakes seven days. If they are restless crawling the front if the tub I take them out and let them crawl around in my arms and I gently rub them. I have never let a snake sit for weeks and all of my snakes eat and mine even allow me to rub their heads. Despite what people say if you don't handle them then they won't become comfortable with you. None of my snakes bite and if they come in as nippy they very quickly calm down. To each his own but one thing I learned with these animals is they don't read books so you do what that particular snake let's you do, they are all different but you have to show them you aren't going to hurt them and they will trust you. Keep them in a clean tub or tank with the proper temp ranges and increase humidity when they are about to shed and handle them regularly. After you have them for awhile you learn what they like. I have some that love to be held and some just tolerate it.

1.1 pastels, 1.0 lesser, 0.1 spider, 1.3 norm. 1.0 fire 0.1 RTB 0.0 sav. Mon.