Enough is enough

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Originally Posted by iCandiBallPythons

Not trying to get involved in squabble here but just a question. You do realize that rat or mice bones are far more dense than aspen?

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I'm sure bones are more dense than aspen but does that men ball pythons can digest aspen???

The only reason I brought this up in this thread is because I have read of compaction problems on this very site. I just wanted to make sure it was mentioned in this thread considering like 4 people insisted that the OP feed inside his/her enclosure without knowing what the OP was using as substrate.

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BTW didnt you post something awhile back about using a UVB light for a ball python?

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You mean the very first thread I started here? Yeah I posted that because that is what I was told when I bought my BP and I posted a bunch of links backing up the claim. FYI I don't use UVB bulbs anymore as they eat up her humidity but that doesn't have anything do do with possible compaction!

Damn! All I was trying to do in this thread is warn the OP of possible compaction(which nobody else did) and I get my head bitten off.

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Originally Posted by Maixx

Another advantage of those hides, when they go into shed, take the carpet out, fill 1/2 full damp moss and you have a nice high humidity hide. My bp's shed 1 piece every time.

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Well as far as humidity I have no problem maintaining a normal level and when she is going into a shed it's pretty easy to spritz her tank down 2 times a day.

That being said...I LOVE your way of feeding and I just might get some sterilite lunch boxes so I don't have to feed outside of her enclosure anymore!!!!

I think that is an effing great idea.....and I thank you for that!!!!

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Originally Posted by ms381

Although i am in agreement with you on feeding in the tank, with substrate is ok. I dont believe the above is correct and Cant be the reason to justify feeding in the enclosure. bone is not dense and for Many reasons and i say Any Wood is denser than bone. Bone has to be strong but flexible to reduce fracture and splinters, its made with a hollow tube with soft narrow and the inside layers made with minerals and calcium deposits that Make a spongey structure. If you looked at both under a microscope im sure you would be suprised at the difference in the sturcture between Wood and bone.

Anyway, slightly of topic there. I just did not Think it was an accurite way to Make your justification. Matt

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I simply made a reference between two materials that are many snakes habitats and that if a bp can digest bone, hair and the rest of the contents of a prey item, that digesting a soft type of aspen substrate should not be a problem as Im sure they ingest stuff in the wild. I am quite sure biologically they are two different materials in structure.

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Originally Posted by Superpop

I'm sure bones are more dense than aspen but does that men ball pythons can digest aspen???

The only reason I brought this up in this thread is because I have read of compaction problems on this very site. I just wanted to make sure it was mentioned in this thread considering like 4 people insisted that the OP feed inside his/her enclosure without knowing what the OP was using as substrate.



You mean the very first thread I started here? Yeah I posted that because that is what I was told when I bought my BP and I posted a bunch of links backing up the claim. FYI I don't use UVB bulbs anymore as they eat up her humidity but that doesn't have anything do do with possible compaction!

Damn! All I was trying to do in this thread is warn the OP of possible compaction(which nobody else did) and I get my head bitten off.

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I would never bite your head off or hope I wouldnt intentionally try to offend you in anyway, Im a nice guy:gj: From my own personal experience I had an incident years ago with loose substrate where a very fine piece somehow became wedged between the teeth and ended up with a sore a couple days later that almost looked like an abscessed tooth , it was such a small splinter it took 2 vet visits and to notice so now I dont use loose substrate at all in my racks, It was prob a one in a million chance that happened but it was enough for me to switch to paper towels, just me personally I would worry about something like that happening versus it being ingested

I actually feed in enclosure and in separate tubs. I'm a novice keeper and was told "feed outside the tank" thing, so I did. I've never had any problems with it-my bp is particularly funny about it.

She's very calm until you put her in her feeding tub and it's so funny to watch. She gets so excited she looks like that dog on begging strips commercials..heh. You could have a disco ball going around her and she would still eat. I'm very lucky with her.

But, then I got my first dumeril boa and the feeding problems began. With him it went on for months until I finally decided to follow posts in here and try feeding him in his enclosure.

That was the trick for him-it got him to eat and it's the only way he will eat now but he's so odd with it. I feed f/t for all mine but he seems to play with his. Sometimes it takes him 2 days before he will eat it. I'll see him laying on it, beside it, under it, pushing it around..lol...then ignoring it. :O

I would try putting a f/t in your snakes enclosure and leaving it there. When I switch my dumeril over to aspen I'm going to put a piece of flat slat rock in there and put the f/t on top of it for him to "play" with :rolleyes: At least it will give him a flat surface area to get the f/t hopefully w/o getting substrate also.

Luckily my newer female dumeril eats like a charm. She was fed live and her first feeding after I got her she immediately took a f/t in a feeding tub :banana:

The only reason I still feed any in feeding tubs is because I like to handle them to move them. Sometimes I get busy w/work and don't handle them as much as I should so this gives me a for sure time to handle them. I don't mind feeding in their enclosures though-it is a lot easier.

I only have 4 snakes at the moment so it's not an issue with time in moving them. I'm going to the National Reptile show in Daytona in August though so that might change soon...hehe :D

Good luck with it :)

I've got one ball python (the mean one, of course) who has eaten a f/t rat off of a paper plate in the middle of the living room at 3pm with four people sitting around oohing and ahhing and watching while I explain to them how a snake feeds.

Another one won't take a meal unless I place it in her cage at night then don't even look at her until morning. She's also a live feeder until she develops a better prey response, so for the time being she's eating nothing bigger than fuzzy rats.

My suggestion on feeding is do what works for any particular snake. If you're concerned about the possibility of an impaction, then what might work is to keep that fussy eater on paper towels or newspaper and feed it in the cage until it develops a good feeding response. Then if you still want to you can try feeding it in a separate area.

:hijackd: aside,

How are you housing him?

How are you measuring the temps and humidity and where in the tank do you take the readings?

What are you using to control the heat source?

Can you get us pics of your enclosure?


dr del

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Originally Posted by GoFride08

So sorry you're having these problems! It can be frustrating, I know. Was this 2:30 AM or 2:30 in the afternoon that you tried to get a feeding response?

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2 pm and 11 pm

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Originally Posted by Anya

Not removing is a good idea, since the snakey won't have the stress of being pulled from it's home, and then being shown something to eat. Your own stress won't do your bp any good, and no one's in peril here, everything's okay. :) I noticed you offered...3 times in one day? offering again and again in a short period of time can be stressful, I would definitely put a few days between offering, maybe even a week. If your snake was bitten, that's even MORE stress. There are tons and tons of helpful hints around the forum, I recommend you relax and make a new plan. A BP off feed isn't the end of the world, and it's certainly not a good reason to give up!! They're wonderful creatures, and very much worth the effort.


lol- angllady2 posted while I was writing, what she said, haha. ^.^

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No, I offered it food ever 5 days

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Originally Posted by dr del

:hijackd: aside,

How are you housing him?

How are you measuring the temps and humidity and where in the tank do you take the readings?

What are you using to control the heat source?

Can you get us pics of your enclosure?


dr del

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She's in a 20 gallon tank. I have a thermometer on the warm side and a hygrometer in the middle. I use a CHE and a heat pad.