When will he shed?

Ok. So, should I switch him to live prey also? My heating pad doesn't have a thermostat. I will try to find one soon. Thank u so much for the help. I didn't know any of this.


Corie Dee

It's okay! I learned about this stuff not long ago at all.

You can get a hydrofoam thermostat for about thirty bucks - it's not expensive at all. Check amazon and ebay.

I wouldn't switch to live. My guys are doing just fine on frozen and there's no risk of the snake getting hurt, or getting stuck with a live rodent when the snake refuses its meal. If he is eating mice now, though, I would go larger or more mice, before switching to rats. Get a few proper sized meals into him (2-3) and then go to rats. Let him have some time to get some growth going before applying tough love.

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Originally Posted by sho220

I have nothing else to add other than I agree and those are cool pics...:D

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I get a kick out of feeding - and had fun taking pictures of a couple of feeding sessions. I'll do more later, probably. Ball pythons are such great photography subjects, in general, though.

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Originally Posted by CptJack

I get a kick out of feeding - and had fun taking pictures of a couple of feeding sessions. I'll do more later, probably. Ball pythons are such great photography subjects, in general, though.

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CptJack, do you still offer food during shedding. My female Mojave is a very avid 5th day eater. During her shed cycle she still seems to be in feeding mode on her normal schedule. There's no harm in feeding during shedding is there? She weighs 234 grams and takes down 30-40 gram f/t rats every 5 days like a champ, so I don't think she is underfed, do you?

I have been told that feeding when they're in the clear stage of shedding can be dangerous because the skin that hasn't come off yet can prevent them from being able to stretch as much as needed/it can act as a constriction around the snake. I HAVE fed them then without incident, but now that I'm aware it's a potential problem, I probably won't do it again - but only for the clear stage. Mine are completely willing to eat when they're blue.

Also no, 30 grams or so every 5 days is definitely NOT underfed. (Rule is, if I remember right, 10-15% body weight every 7 or so days, but I'm sure there are slightly different rules for really little/young snakes).

CptJack. I'm grateful for the info you've given. I went to petsmart to get some larger frozen mice. They were $15. I wasn't aware dead mice were so much. Lol. It's ok tho. Have u started breeding yet? I know we aren't ready for it yet, we are still learning the basics in care and feeding, but we hope to start breeding eventually. I was just wondering if breeding was challenging or if it was easy once u got the hang of it.


Corie Dee

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Originally Posted by corie.carpenter3

CptJack. I'm grateful for the info you've given. I went to petsmart to get some larger frozen mice. They were $15. I wasn't aware dead mice were so much. Lol. It's ok tho. Have u started breeding yet? I know we aren't ready for it yet, we are still learning the basics in care and feeding, but we hope to start breeding eventually. I was just wondering if breeding was challenging or if it was easy once u got the hang of it.


Corie Dee

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You can buy from online sites like rodent pro eventually. Lots cheaper in the longrun - just wait until he's established at a size that'll last him for a while/on what you want him to eat.

I have no idea about anything related to breeding, but there are lots and lots of people here who can help when you get there.

Glad I could help!

Ok. So, we have had a successful feeding. We gave Sampson a much larger mouse and it went down beautifully. I think we can even go larger. Thanks everyone for the help!


Corie Dee

I just bought more rats online and actually purchased the next size up as well since I have a deep freezer....saves on shipping and I am set for quite a while!

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Well, our ball python, Sampson, is finally about to shed. His colors are dull and his eyes are changing to a hazy blue. We went ahead and fed him a day early so he could have a good meal in case he quits eating. We are pretty excited because its his first shed with us and we are new at this. 😃😃😃


Corie Dee