Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadrach
I'd switch to f/t'd mice they will be alot better for him in the long run health wise as far as parasites and injurys.
Not true.
Freezing is not a 100% effective method for killing parasites. Also, feeding live, when done responsibly under close supervision is just as safe as feeding F/T or P/K ... I feed well over 250 live rodents every single week to my colony of ball pythons and have been doing so for 10+ years ... so that's ...
250 live rodents per week X 52 weeks in a year X 10 years = 130,000+ live feedings
... and I've never had a single bite, scratch, cut, or "injury".
There are some great threads on this site that cover the "truth" about live feeding and dispell all the myths ... the search function at the top can help get you started.
I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with P/K or F/T, they are both also equally effective feeding methods ... my only point is that there is nothing wrong with feeding live if done properly ... my collection is proof.
-adam
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadrach
Also it looks as if you are feeding live. The reason I noticed this was because the mouse has his leg in one shot pushing on the snakes side/back. I'd switch to f/t'd mice they will be alot better for him in the long run health wise as far as parasites and injurys.
Sorry f/t isn't for everybody I feed live and have never injured one of my snake's.One more thing rodent's do not pass parasite's to reptile's.Now getting back to the thread you should feed one appropriately sized prey item and he'll be great and big in no time.If I were you though I would be going crazy with that bad shed , take everyone's advise to get that taken care of Good luck Buddy.
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
Yea, I would feed frozen, but to be honest with you I dont really feel like keeping frozen rodents in the same freezer I keep the food I eat and I also dont feel like waiting for those stupid things to unthaw, and then risking the snake refusing it cuz its not a right temperature, its more simple to just give him a live one and have him take care of it, That is one of the joys of having a ball; its watching it hunt and do what it would do in the wild. Anyhows, Yea he is fat because he prolly has about 3 mice in him he didnt poo out yet lol. I will raise my feeding period to every 4 days and see how it goes. He does have a humid hide right now, I put moist paper towels in his warm side hide box and the humidity is up to about 60ish. All of his shed is almost off now, it should be completely gone within a day or two. thanks for everyones comments and insight. I Plan on buying a female orange ghost ball python soon and will be breeding him to her in hopes of two 100% hets and two orange ghosts.
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
I feed live; there used to be a pretty big taboo against it, but I think that the admission of several breeders has nixed the stigma. I always closely supervise though, until the rodent is definately dead; I know how they can twist their necks round and bite a snake trying to kill them.
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnitromethx
...I will raise my feeding period to every 4 days and see how it goes...
Once a week is plenty. Why do you feel like you need to feed so frequently?
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
I feed live as well. I've never had a problem, but I still stand by and watch just in case. I hate f/t rodents...it's gross to have them thawing in my sink, plus the blood that starts coming out of their noses as they warm up is nasty. And they reek. :O Plus the main reason I prefer live is because I can control what they eat prior to becoming food themselves...I like to give them fresh veggies, fruits, and grains in addition to their rodent diet.
It's all a matter of what the keeper prefers and what is easiest. :)
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JLC
Once a week is plenty. Why do you feel like you need to feed so frequently?
because I dont want to risk malnourishing him and I think a little more is better than too little; I dont want to stunt his growth. Also sometimes the mice I feed him are very small; the female ones at petco are very small compared to the male ones. Many people suggest that feeding him two small mice every week is better than feeding him one large mouse every week because it is easier for him to digest two smaller ones than one large one.
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JenHarrison
I feed live as well. I've never had a problem, but I still stand by and watch just in case. I hate f/t rodents...it's gross to have them thawing in my sink, plus the blood that starts coming out of their noses as they warm up is nasty. And they reek. :O Plus the main reason I prefer live is because I can control what they eat prior to becoming food themselves...I like to give them fresh veggies, fruits, and grains in addition to their rodent diet.
It's all a matter of what the keeper prefers and what is easiest. :)
I am also enjoying feeding my rat's all type's of food.I have a buddy who laughed at me and said to just do the dog food thing.Nah that's not me I'll give them some of the good stuff mixed with some dog food.I'll alway's take care of them as long as they give me what I need.
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
Quote:
because I dont want to risk malnourishing him and I think a little more is better than too little; I dont want to stunt his growth.
Actually...less is more when it comes to ball pythons. I've got a couple nice sized girls, 2000+ grams, that eat just one or two small rats every 7 days. Since I switched to a lighter feeding schedule, everyone has eaten more consistently and as a result, I've observed greater growth over time. A ball python that eats more consistently grows faster than a bp that eats bigger items then takes breaks as a result.
Re: My Ball python is a fatass! pics inside.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnitromethx
because I dont want to risk malnourishing him and I think a little more is better than too little; I dont want to stunt his growth. Also sometimes the mice I feed him are very small; the female ones at petco are very small compared to the male ones. Many people suggest that feeding him two small mice every week is better than feeding him one large mouse every week because it is easier for him to digest two smaller ones than one large one.
Perhaps you misunderstood that they meant two small mouse per week at one feeding session (in the case of the mice being very undersized or something)? There's no reason to feed more frequently than once per week for a chubby 8 month old like that. Remember he uses up a LOT of resources to digest so it's going to stress him to be in and out of digestion every few days instead of once per week.
Don't worry about malnourishing him. He's obviously NOT thin and in the wild he would certainly not be eating anywhere near the volume of prey he's enjoying in captivity. BP's won't allow you to make them obese...they will simply stop eating and you don't want to deal with a fasting snake if you don't have to.
Live feeding, frozen/thawed or pre-killed...it comes down to what method you are best able to do and are happy with...but more importantly what the snake will take with a consistent, aggressive feeding response.
