ball python first feed tips please :)

I would decide what you are going to feed him first, rats or mice, by what is readily available. I order my frozen rats online in bulk.

A little story...

A few months back I was at PetSmart getting some dog food when I came across their Ball Python enclosure. There was one lonely Normal BP left. As I looked at her (confirmed she was a she) I noticed she had a bad shed and seemed a little small. The temps and humidity were way wrong (20% and around 75 degrees-enclosure was just inside the front door about 20 feet and in the middle of Winter) in the enclosure. SO I took it upon myself to "rescue" this BP from the wicked PetSmart keepers. When I saw that she was 3 months old, I immediately knew she was in danger if I didn't buy her. So I did, took her home, weighed her and put her in quarantine. She, at only 3 months weighed a measly 100g. She was being fed ONE mouse fuzzy a week at PS. I kept her on the one mouse fuzzy for a couple of weeks, then moved her to two mouse fuzzies a week for about a month. Last month, I switched her to rat fuzzies and she is now onto rat pups...and she is thriving! She is currently 5 months old and weighs a little over 250g. She has come along so well and am glad I was able to rescue her from her PetSmart hell.

Long story short, I do use the 10%-15% rule right now in my two young-ins' and they are thriving very, very well.

Good on you! Some shops really don't know how to look after reptiles. I heard about a shop that had a baby corn snake and they were feeding it crickets! Well it had crickets bouncing round the tank obviously wasn't eating them but getting harassed. I bought 2 bearded dragons from a reptile shop. When i got home i noticed they had tons of mites! Thankfully acted fast to get rid of them and they are growing fast and eating well now :D anyway good news. I have got my thermostat so viv is set up correctly now :D the hot side is 90 but the cold side is 75 is this okay? There's 3 hides cold middle and hot side. So he can thermo regulate. Hopefully the cold end will rise a bit during the day. And I'm going to stick to mice as that's what he was fed on before i got him

What type of enclosure do you have him in? Are you using belly heat (UTH), overhead heating lamps, radiant heat panels? How large is the enclosure? Most would probably say to try to get that cool end up a few degrees as it may lead to a respiratory infection, but my Normal seems to like the cooler temps. My Normal's hot spot is 90 (UTH on a thermostat), ambient on warm side is around 86 and my cool side is around 78-79. Surface (snake-level) temp right in the middle is at 80 degrees so she has a nice 8-12 degree gradient from the warm to the cool side. Works for her and I see her all over and she seems like a very happy snake.

Hes in a 2 foot wooden viv with a che. I did use a uth but wasn't heating the viv up enough. Any ideas on raising the cool temperature up a bit? Would a higher watt bulb increase the cool side even if it was still set to 90 on the hot side? Does that make sense or am i making that up ha

Edit: I've just checked and cool side is on 77 now

Remember, the UTH is not really used for heating the cage, rather for belly heat to help with digestion and such. Screen top? I would make sure 2/3 of it is covered. Some use aluminum foil, some use plexiglass. I am finding that by using a hand towel wet down (not dripping wet...but saturated) covering my screen top 2/3 of the way (over the cool and middle) and placing my heat lamp over the warm side, it not only helps to keep heat in but also helps keep my humidity dead on around 55%. I just re-wet the towel every other day.

Summers where I live can get very humid so I plan on switching over to plexi then...

I am learning myself...but the above has worked for me.

No screen top. All wooden with 2 sliding glass doors. Cool end is about 78 now so happy with that. Humidity is good too. He seems to prefer the cool side as well. The temps are taken at surface level too think I've finally got the temp/humidity right after a week! :D can actually let him settle now

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Originally Posted by hovercroft

No screen top. All wooden with 2 sliding glass doors. Cool end is about 78 now so happy with that. Humidity is good too. He seems to prefer the cool side as well. The temps are taken at surface level too think I've finally got the temp/humidity right after a week! :D can actually let him settle now

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YOU da MAN or WOMAN (if the case may be).

Haha man! Although my woman is getting very grumpy because I'm always in my reptile room haha

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Originally Posted by hovercroft

Haha man! Although my woman is getting very grumpy because I'm always in my reptile room haha

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I hear ya! My wife says I call my snakes sweetheart :snake: more than I do her...I think she's right :P

Haha she says she gets neglected every time i get a reptile. Well, they are my babies after all and need looking after!

Yeah, I do miss my wife...sometimes :D

Haha. :D i weighed sid yesterday and he's only 88 grams! He must be at least 3 months old so want to get him feeding asap

Hey, I'm new to this site and don't mean to change the subject but I don't know how to make my own thread thing like this so people can post and help me out. Please help! I have some questions regarding my female pastel. Thanks for helping.

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Originally Posted by ballophile

I would decide what you are going to feed him first, rats or mice, by what is readily available. I order my frozen rats online in bulk.

A little story...

A few months back I was at PetSmart getting some dog food when I came across their Ball Python enclosure. There was one lonely Normal BP left. As I looked at her (confirmed she was a she) I noticed she had a bad shed and seemed a little small. The temps and humidity were way wrong (20% and around 75 degrees-enclosure was just inside the front door about 20 feet and in the middle of Winter) in the enclosure. SO I took it upon myself to "rescue" this BP from the wicked PetSmart keepers. When I saw that she was 3 months old, I immediately knew she was in danger if I didn't buy her. So I did, took her home, weighed her and put her in quarantine. She, at only 3 months weighed a measly 100g. She was being fed ONE mouse fuzzy a week at PS. I kept her on the one mouse fuzzy for a couple of weeks, then moved her to two mouse fuzzies a week for about a month. Last month, I switched her to rat fuzzies and she is now onto rat pups...and she is thriving! She is currently 5 months old and weighs a little over 250g. She has come along so well and am glad I was able to rescue her from her PetSmart hell.

Long story short, I do use the 10%-15% rule right now in my two young-ins' and they are thriving very, very well.

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You didn't rescue her, you bought her. It will just be replaced by another one that will suffer the same treatment. You probably don't want to hear this, but you're just perpetuating the problem by "rescuing" these snakes from Petco and Petsmart...

I have done the same thing for a couple lost dogs, and a cat and won't stop. If I see an animal suffering and I have the means, I am going to help that animal. Period. No apologies. Anyway, subject of a different topic...

Another failed attempt at feeding. He just turns his head away at these mice is there anything I can do? Ive read about dipping them in raw egg or chicken broth. How effective is this? Is there anything I can try other than mice or rats? Must be something he can't resist. Ive had him for 3 weeks now getting worried

If you have to try cutting a little whole in the head... i know this sounds so gross and it kinda upsets your stomach at first, but it really gets them going. After i slice the head a little bit i smear the juices all over the meal and it worked wonders. Thats what I had to do when i first got my corn. Just my opinion. Gory but you gotta do what you gotta do. I dont think these keep as well overnight though so leave it alone for maybe two hours and then throw it away.

Will give that a go was hoping I wouldn't have to! If he doesn't eat next week it will be coming up to a month. He is only a few months old so will I have to try assist feeding if this next time fails?

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Originally Posted by SunnyD

Hey, I'm new to this site and don't mean to change the subject but I don't know how to make my own thread thing like this so people can post and help me out. Please help! I have some questions regarding my female pastel. Thanks for helping.

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In a forum section, there's a blue thing at the top of the page that says "create thread" or something

Im hoping it works. It worked for me. After its thawed but it in a bowl of boiling water and then try cutting a slit in the head. Its gross but its worth it.

Thanks I'll try but I don't know what to do if this doesn't work. I would of thought twice about getting a ball if I knew they were notorious for not eating. Nothing frustrates me more

Offer him a live hopper mouse or fuzzy rat, left in overnight. Neither is old enough to hurt your snake, and the movement will likely entice him to eat. Also, can you show us pics of your setup?

How often are you offering? This thread was only started 9 days ago.

I can't get live feeder in the UK. Or at least in my area. I will get a pic later on when I'm home. I offer once a week twice so far I've had him for 3 weeks, I left him to settle the first week then offered but he shows no interest and moves away from anything that goes near him