Feeding issues

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Originally Posted by mj_romo

NO rats! I had nightmare issues with rats - they will attack the snake, and I won't have that happening again.

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I feed about 400 rats a week, and have never had a rat attack a snake.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I feed about 400 rats a week, and have never had a rat attack a snake.

-adam

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Have you ever had a snake attack a rat? I hear that happens! :)

It's happened - more than once, in fact. Maybe I just got aggressive rats, but after the last attack, Calvin wouldn't eat rats anymore anyhow, so I switched to mice and have been fine since.

hmmmm. did you leave the rats in with the snake for an extended period of time, maybe even after the snake showed no interest?

Hold on, you don't want to seperate them so you could have something aesthis...whatever in your living room??

Have you ever tried frozen thawed???

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Originally Posted by mj_romo

I would consider separate bins except that due to moving things around, they are now going to have to be on display in the living room and I do want something somewhat aesthetically pleasing.

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I'm confused - are these pets that you want to provide the best possible care for, or are they for decoration in your living room? :confused:

Easy solution to your problem is quite simply to house them separately and feed in the enclosure. Not to mention - it will be better for your snakes to be housed separately.

I also feed live rats and mice, I've never had a problem with either, but then all my kids strike and constrict in less than 30 seconds.

You can still have "pretty" homes for them and house them separately. An adult BP doesn't need a 60gal tank to live in. Two 30gal would be more than enough for each of them. And if you separate them, I'll bet you dollars-to-donuts that the more aggressive one will calm down a bit.

How about a compromise here. You already have a 60 gallon and you already have two snakes. You could split that 60 in half. Give each snake it's own space and safety. Two hides and a water dish each side, heater on each end so they can get warm or cool off as needed. It could be done pretty easily and have lovely identical sides for each snake that would be both pleasing to your eye but offer the snakes their own space and cut down on the risks with communal housing. That way you can then feed in their own side if you wish or at least not introduce a snake in full hunting mode back in with another snake that it could easily turn on.

I'm sure Home Depot or Lowe's would sell something that could be used to seperate the tank and sealed to the glass with a safe aquarium sealant (mind the sealant you use...some are highly toxic). I'd suggest something the snakes can't see through easily so they aren't bothering each other as they move about. Maybe a nice sheet of black acrylic or something of that sort, that would look nice with the black edging on most tanks.

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Have you ever tried frozen thawed

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Yes, that's what they were both started on, but after a few years each refused to eat them anymore. And they'd regurgitate forced feedings, so I finally switched to live.

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I also feed live rats and mice, I've never had a problem with either, but then all my kids strike and constrict in less than 30 seconds.

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Mine strike quickly, but they aren't always clean strikes. The first time it happened, Calvin got the rat in such a way that it used claws to tear her up. The second time, she struck the rat from behind and it bit her rather severely. Both my vet and the local snake guy suggested mice were much less aggressive after that.

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You already have a 60 gallon and you already have two snakes. You could split that 60 in half. Give each snake it's own space and safety. Two hides and a water dish each side, heater on each end so they can get warm or cool off as needed. It could be done pretty easily and have lovely identical sides for each snake that would be both pleasing to your eye but offer the snakes their own space and cut down on the risks with communal housing.

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I like this idea and will look into it today. I'll check the petstore first and then the hardware stores.

I think you should really follow everyones advise on our forum , the problems you have are because of your husbandry. Just take awhile to study the caresheets and you'll be fine , I have 7 bp's and I've never had a regurg never had to force feed anyone and I never will. Force feeding should be a last resort for hatchling's which are very much in trouble also your bp's are adults why would you even think of force feeding them? A ball python can be a very long time without feeding.Hope you fix your situation and good luck.