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My corn is the same, eats great and isn't any different in blue either. She doesnt mind being handled and will sometimes even fall asleep in my hands. I can't get over how pretty she is, I've never seen a snake so beautiful in my life (but thats what all parents say about their babies)... Unfortunitly I can't post any pics since she photographs about as good as Bigfoot.

Are you not afraid about your rtb over powering you one day? It sounds like alot of snake... Let me know when your bp eats, I'd like to know how that goes:D

Strangely enouph I am not too worried about her "overpowering me someday". This is one of the reasons I have gotten the snakes I have as babies, so that we can grow together. I feel more confidant that if a snake grows up in my care I will have better insight to their personalities and behaviors and thus be better equipt to handle them when they are bigger than me! In addition it is my understanding that with a 14ft + snake you may need to have an additional helper standby for handling, feeding, cleaning etc. Another concern I have had is making sure I am equipt to provide for the needs of a large snake, housing and access to appropriate prey items etc. She is currently housed in a 40g breeder which is and will be appropriate for quite some time, but we also have plans and know how to build a custom enclosure for her before the need arises. I currently use a "feeder breeder" friend to supply the prey items I need but realize he may or may not always be in business so I am afraid I will have to make several new arrangements for this aspect of snake care as the years go by. There are so many variables in our treck through life and I have made a commitment to do the best I can in all circumstances to care for the animals (and people) who depend on me.

Wow... your post left me speechless... I wish I was one of your snakes, it looks like their going to have the best life possible. I'm very passionate about Ginger (my snake) also, sometimes my partner complains that I love and take better care of her then I do him..:yes: What do you expect they depend on us for everything but I have to confess I might be taking it a little to far when I get out the ear thermometer to check the uth temp.

Thank you to all who replied, I do feel welcomed. McKenzie you are too sweet.


Perhaps I should start a new thread around this but I am reluctant to do so. (I am timid about starting new threads). I have done some limited search and I am wiped out from work. May be out of line here but I'll give it shot.

I offered a "brained" hopper mouse tonight as I was told at the petstore that the snakes are fed on Thursdays and last week not all of them ate. They were not able to tell me if this particular snake did or did'nt. I considered not offering at all as I have only had the snake 5 days but considering it is small and semi skinny in addition to not knowing if it ate last week I decided to give it a try. I offered a "brained" hopper mouse. He/She "sniffed" the prey up and down several times then just curled up in a ball at the other end of the feeding box. I left it there for 30min then returned the snake to the viv.

After much adu, my ? is. After waiting 3 days do I attempt to offer another mouse or should I try offering a rat pup or pre-killed gerbil? I have noticed that the majority of you feed rats (i know the nutritional value of rats are better). I am wondering if the refusal may be because it was a mouse or some other reason related to BP preference. In addition this snake is a new acquistion and i know the reasons behind refusal could be vast.

Sorry if my question seems to be "common sense" to most of you but I want to make sure I start my new baby off right. Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Angela

first off, don't be afraid to start new threads...aslong as you are genuine and honest no one here is gonna complain.

secondly, welcome to the site. It's fun, friendly and full of BP addicts...there's no getting around that.

thirdly, in responce to your question i think that you should wait a bit befoer offering another prey item, i think the general consensus of the peeps here is that you should give your sankae a two week "settle down" period with minimum handle (essentials only like water dishes and poops) before attempting to feed.

personally i use this system whenver a major event occurs that changes my BPs enviroment (eg new tank, new hides, different type of substrate)

lastly, i am personally against using gerbils or hamster ONLY for the reason that they can be mad costly and because BPs are imprint feeders can mess ur snake up in the future. For example, i need to rehome my BP really soon and i think that it would be a lot harder to get someone else to care for him if he was "stuck' on expensive gerbils. but htats my own feelings on the subject.

First off, it sounds like you are feeding in a separate tub. I would try feeding within it's enclosure. Keep everything nice and quiet and try again next week.

Ok, two weeks it is then. I'll keep my grubby fingers to myself! My other snakes only got 5-7 days LOL. I will stay away from gerbils too unless the situation becomes desperate. Correct me if I am wrong but mice should be fine for now until I get some rats? My feeder breeder has just started getting into rats so probably another month or so before he has a steady supply.


Yes I always feed my snakes in a seperate enclosure. I use aspen and don't want any accidental injestion nor do I want the snake to relate my hand coming in to feeding time. This works really well for the other 3, when they hit that feeding bin they know it's time to chow! I am not against placing the covered feeding bin into the viv so the snake feels more comfortable and I have done this on occasion. Its much easier to clean out after a juicy feeding as well.

Your responses are much appreciated!

Angela

I would continue to feed whatever this animal has already taken. Mice or rats doesn't make much difference. If you feed the same weight in either, you should be fine. Some animals do have a preference for one or the other. I have one that will NOT take rats. She's a mouser, and will continue to be fed them. No big deal.

As for the feeding in or out of the container. Feeding outside the container is fine for animals that do not easily stress. For others it may be enough to put them off feed. The thought that the animal will associate opening the tub with feeding is a myth. As long as you open the enclosure regularly, this will not be an issue. I heard the same thing, but have since fed inside the tubs with no issue for the last year and a half. It just may not work for all animals. You just may have to readjust for this particular bp. You just need to find the balance for you and your snake. As for injesting substrate, these animals digest bone. A little extra fiber from the aspen won't hurt it at all. I've had some aspen eaten with no ill effect. You can also place a paper towel or paper plate down to minimze the chance of getting any substrate.

You can also use loosely crumpled newspaper tossed in the enclosure to help add a sense of security. This trick has helped many people.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes. :D

Thanks Christie


Unfortunately because I got this BP from a pet store I have no real idea of how old it is, what or if it has eaten anything at all. The snake is aprx 18" and I didn't weigh or measure it when I got it home, it went directly into it's viv. The only info the "reptile expert" was able to give was that "some of the snakes ate last week and some didn't". My bad for buying from a pet store I know. I couldn't resist taking him/her away from there! There were 2 BPs, this one curled up in a ball in my hand and after a couple minutes began exploring. The other one struck at my 5yr olds face (who was actually standing still). I would have taken both but it was just not feasable. I have experience in getting weaker corns going from trial and sadly error so I decided on this little one. I know it is early in the game but I hope I have not bitten off more than I can handle here. I know its early in the game and I am an alarmist sooo...will see how it goes.

I will post pics in the pic gallery

Thanks Again

Offer first what you can readily get. Secondly, offer a small meal. Sometimes bigger meals can be intimidating, and since you don't know when or if this animal has eaten it may help to 'prime the engine', so to speak. I'm sure you'll get the little guy going. I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya. :sunny: