I what eles can i do ?

Ok so my little guyis not doing things the " right way " He does not " hide " in his hide he sprawls out just any were and if he does "hide" it is between the hide or beside the hide or behind the acurite or in front of it .

Now his temps are 77/82 cool 88/92 warm
humidity 55/60
Two hides warm/ cool
he is in a tank

I have tried diffrent sizes of hides thinking well maybe they are not snug enough for him ( the one I first bought was said to be to big for a baby ) but still he does not use them )

Oh and he is eating like a champ if u have read my other post we have had a hard time of it he was sold unestablished and now he is eating two pinkies at a time ( He is not getting anything bigger because he is still soooooo small he can not take a fuzzy they are two big ! )

So anyone eles have a none " hider" ? I have heard if he is eating and eating well he is happy right ???? But also if they are happy they are "hiding" I am kinda confused :weirdface

Bump that animals prey size up. Pinkies are junk food that offer no real nutrients.

Have you tried some of those flower pot saucer things as hides? Or even the small hides from ReptileBasics.com. They measure 5"L X 3.5"W X 2"H.

I also agree with feeding something larger. He should be able to take a small mouse hopper or a rat fuzzy. I think that is what most breeders start their hatchlings out on...

The food size aside, every animal is different. We have LOTS of animals in our care. Some never hide, some hide under their hide, others under the substrate, some like to dump their water bowl others never touch it. It sounds like your animal is well adjusted. He isn't cruising his enclosure or being restless, he is just hanging out based on your description. Sounds like he feels safe with his surroundings. I would say unless there is something I missed, Good job.:gj:

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Originally Posted by tonkatoyman

The food size aside, every animal is different. We have LOTS of animals in our care. Some never hide, some hide under their hide, others under the substrate, some like to dump their water bowl others never touch it. It sounds like your animal is well adjusted. He isn't cruising his enclosure or being restless, he is just hanging out based on your description. Sounds like he feels safe with his surroundings. I would say unless there is something I missed, Good job.:gj:

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This is true, all my snakes have their own habits. Right now only my males have hides. All my girls are in a rack and just sit in the corner, or stretch themselves down the sides of the tub. Some do bury themselves too lol. As long as the little guy is eating I would say your in good shape. Pinks are too small at least feed it a hopper or small mouse.

I am working on posting pics of my little guy and the fuzzy that I perched so that u can see just how much to big it is for him my camara in low so I will get that up soon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ryssa

I am working on posting pics of my little guy and the fuzzy that I perched so that u can see just how much to big it is for him my camara in low so I will get that up soon

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From the pics in your gallery I can see that he is underweight but he could DEFINITELY eat a hopper. They can eat more than you think. Those pinkies are way way too small and he will stay skinny if you keep feeding him those.

You are underfeeding the poor thing.

Have you tried to weigh him? I have a tiny pastel hatchling, and she refused a pinkie. She's doing great on mouse hoppers, and she was the runt. They can surprise you. You would be amazed at what they can squeeze into those little bellies :)

Good luck!

OK so what is there if any between a hopper and a fuzzy ?????

I think hoppers are about twice the size. More movement = more muscle mass. The bp's like the muscle. Lol.

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Originally Posted by ryssa

OK so what is there if any between a hopper and a fuzzy ?????

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The larger the rodent the larger the rodent's bone structure is. This is where they get their calcuim from.

some ball pythons won't even see a pinky as a food source. I had hatchlings that never ate. put in something too small and nothing, up the size a little and bam, others will take the large pinky, but after I get a feeding response, the size goes up.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/012.jpg[



[img]https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/1/6/9/9/4/011.jpg[

oh crap I did not do that right

ok I suck I can not get this to right ....lol:confused:

I out two new pics in my profile of him and the fuzzy I was sold so let me know if u think it is too big .

Thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ryssa

ok I suck I can not get this to right ....lol:confused:

I out two new pics in my profile of him and the fuzzy I was sold so let me know if u think it is too big .

Thanks

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Looks like it's closer to the right size to me. Here is a link to Rodent Pro. They have a description and photo of each stage of growth for rodents. This is the link for the rat section, but you can find the section on mice with the same info. It even tells you the average weight of the prey. At some point you should get a digital scale so you can keep track of your snakes weight and take it with you to the pet store to weigh the prey. It should be about 10%-15% of your snakes weight. You can get digital scales at Wal-Mart or Target in the Kitchen section. You can order them from ReptileBasics.com, or check Amazon or E-Bay for digital Postal scales. You can also try checking at local tobacco shops...

http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp?prod=2

To post your pics in the thread...
-Open up your Gallery in another browser window
-Click on the pic you want
-Below the pic you will see a list of URL codes
-Look for the one marked BB Image. It will start off with [IMG]
-Highlight the whole code, copy and paste it back in to your "Reply"
-When you post the response the image will show up...

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../9/9/4/011.jpg

It looks like a good size, but I think he could take a size up (a hopper).

You know, I had a wee little mite of a hatchling, only weighed 39 grams. Wasn't as big around as my pinky finger.

I kept offer mouse pinkies, since he was so small, he wouldn't touch them. After 3 weeks, in frustration I offered him a hopper mouse, which looked like godzilla next to my baby. He snarfed that thing down in seconds, I couldn't figure out where he'd put it! Don't underestimate what these guys can eat.

Gale

Ok so I talked to my friend that has been helping me and she said to feed him 3 of the pinkies I took him to her and she said no the fuzzy ( in the pic ) was too big for him so she said to feed him 3 of the pinkies since he is all ready takeing 2 and looking for more . I am going to try that and see if that gets him full and happy she thinks that he is

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ryssa

Ok so I talked to my friend that has been helping me and she said to feed him 3 of the pinkies I took him to her and she said no the fuzzy ( in the pic ) was too big for him so she said to feed him 3 of the pinkies since he is all ready takeing 2 and looking for more . I am going to try that and see if that gets him full and happy she thinks that he is

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I would stop listening to that friend :/

Your friend is wrong. I breed ball pythons for a living, and all of my hatchlings are offered fuzzy rats as their FIRST meal. The only hatchlings I have ever offered smaller prey to were runts under 50 grams at hatching. They were given crawler mice, or pinky rats. They did not continue to eat pinky rats more than 2 or 3 times before they were moved up to fuzzies.

Give the snake a fuzzy every 5 days. He will eat them. You will also need to continue to increase the size of his food as he grows! Once he's 200 grams, switch him up to crawler rats. At 400 grams, I give them hopper rats, and snakes 600 grams and up get small rats, here.

If you're not sure, get a kitchen scale that weighs in 1 gram increments. But, your snake is SKINNY. It is better to feed one larger prey item rather than several smaller items. If he can and will eat 2 pinkies, then pinkies are too SMALL. Your prey item should be as big around as the WIDEST part of your snake--like the fuzzy in the photo. And your snake should actually be wider than it is, for its length.

I do not suggest giving him hopper mice. He's on rats, keep him on rats. It's much easier to keep good weight on a ball python when they eat rats. (Provided you give them rats that are the right size).

Ok well I am getting info from all over not sure who is right :confused:
I just gave him 3 pikies and he eat all 3 .
Sorry yal I am just trying get him healthy and everyone has what they think is right so I am trying it all .
When do yal think that I should feed him again becuse he had such a big
meal ?? She said to keep giving him 3 until he gets a little bigger then move him up to a bigger size prey.

3 pinky rats is WAY more food than a fuzzy rat.
If you want to take the advice of your friend (of unknown qualifications) over that of an entire forum full of breeders and long-term keepers, that is your choice to make, but why?

You should feed him again in 5 days.

I am not trying to make anyone mad . This women has kept snakes for 10 yrs and I thought she was good source of info and she saw him first hand .
Sorry :tears:

I am a little confused, are you feeding pinky MICE or pinky RATS?

Did you feed him 3 of the prey items shown in the picture you posted?

Here is my best advice for you. get a gram kitchen scale from target or walmart and weigh your snake. Feed your snake 10-15% of its body weight every 5 days. Ideally you want to feed one prey item per sitting, not 3. Especially not 3 pinkies. If he can eat three pinkies then he can eat a larger prey size.


I don't want to tell you that your friend doesn't know what she is talking about but in this particular matter, I don't think she does.

I feed him 3 mice pinkies , The one in the pic was a fuzzy . The pinkies I fed him were MUCH smaller the that .

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Originally Posted by ryssa

I feed him 3 mice pinkies , The one in the pic was a fuzzy . The pinkies I fed him were MUCH smaller the that .

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Ah I see. I would just start him on the fuzzies next feeding day (5 days). Give him one fuzzy for 2-3 feedings and then move to hoppers or small mice. Just stop feeding the pinkies.

We aren't trying to get you frustrated or confused. We are just telling you what has consistently worked for us. When I got my first BP, on feeding day I would go to the pet store and ask for a feeder mouse and they would always give me a little hopper mouse. Once I found out that it was better to keep track of my snakes weight and feed according to weight for at least the first year I went and bought a digital food scale and I've been taking it to the pet store to weigh my feeders ever since. The first time I bought a mouse that was 15% of my snakes weight and saw the size difference, I figured there was absolutely no way he was going to get it down. I figured wrong.

http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/...ezilla0057.jpg

http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/...ezilla0059.jpg

http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/...ezilla0061.jpg

He got it down quite easily, and after a few feedings like that, he had a growth spurt and started putting on weight, size, and length.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../9/9/4/011.jpg

It looks like a good size, but I think he could take a size up (a hopper).

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I agree...there is no way that is to big for your BP.

Please listen to us hon, we only want what is best for your snake. And just because your friend has had snakes for 10 years doesn't make her an expert.

I've been cooking for 20 years, does that mean I could run a gourmet restaurant? I don't think so!

Trust us, that snake can eat bigger prey. Do me a favor. Hold out your hand, spread your fingers wide. Take a close look at your pinky finger. Imagine a baby snake the SAME size as your pinky finger. Now, you would think a snake that small would need very small prey, like a pinky mouse. WRONG. He can and does eat hopper mice, which are every bit as big or bigger than the mouse in your photo.

Please trust me, your baby can eat something a lot bigger than you think, and if you don't help him out by giving him the correct food he needs, it might stunt his growth. I myself and the others here only want to help you and your baby.

Since he just ate, wait 5 days then offer him a hopper mouse, or if you can get one, a fuzzy rat. He won't have any trouble getting it down, I promise. Once he's eaten 3 or 4 hoppers or fuzzy rats, move him up to the next size.

I wish you and your baby all the best.

Gale

I guess I was just estimating my little guys mouth and his ability to get one of the fuzzys down. :O
Like the tiny pinkies I could see him being able to swallow them cause they were so small So I just thought ok He needs more so three pinkies made since cause he could do one at a time get them down easier and then one big huge (IMO) fuzzy .
So in 5 days I will try the bigger prey , But if he is having a hard time how can I tell ?? I mean how long is too long for him to get it down ? What if he can't ? I know I sound like I am just freaking out over nothing but I REALLY do have his best interest at hart !!!
I" AM" asking for help and your opinions And if I did not follow them it was not to offend or to throw your advise back in your faces it was just that I took her seeing him and all that she has done and was right about so far as this was also good advise and he has been hunkered down now no more roaming and her advise about some changes to set up diff substrate location of hides ect.. and he seems happy and content now .
So thank u for your ideas and I do agree that I need to a least "TRY" the bigger prey next time. I was just like I said underestimating His mouths ability to get the bigger one down .

Thanks again
Maryssa

He'll have no trouble. Their jaws unhinge. Go to youtube and look at feeding videos. They stretch all freaky-like.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ryssa

So in 5 days I will try the bigger prey , But if he is having a hard time how can I tell ?? I mean how long is too long for him to get it down ? What if he can't ? I know I sound like I am just freaking out over nothing but I REALLY do have his best interest at hart !!!

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I've never had one not manage to get it down once they start. Sometimes, it takes them longer to get the prey down than other times. Once he starts swallowing just let him do his thing and work it out. I figure as long as they are working it and making progress, however slow that may be, then they are doing ok...

But when do u know when they are having a hard time will they just spit it out and stop trying ? Has anyone had them give up be for ?

Ok, I and anyone else here can GUARANTEE you that he can eat a mouse fuzzy. Hatchlings eat them. That's a plain and simple fact.

Usually if it's too big he won't eat it. There have been a few people on here that have had their balls strike without a coil. That is a sign of stress and that he does not want it.

They won't force themsleves to eat something they can't. The strange part is watching one try and eat it sideways. Usually they will just let go and search for a better spot.

Don't worry so much dear. We won't steer you wrong. He'll be ok.

Thank you all so much !!!!!!!!! :banana:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ryssa

I know I sound like I am just freaking out over nothing but I REALLY do have his best interest at hart !!!

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We also have his best interest at heart. If you continue to feed him pinkies though, he will not get the correct nourishment he needs and he will not grow.

I can also guarantee that he can eat a fuzzy mouse. I can also agree that he can eat one step up from that, a hopper.

If it is too big he simply will not eat it. You don't need to interfere. Just offer it and let him do the rest.

You would be surprised what they can shove down their skinny necks. All of the skin there is extremely elastic and can stretch even wider then the snakes largest part.

If it makes you feel better. this is my experience.

I had just purchased some frozen rats for my snakes that were MUCH bigger than what I had been feeding. I had started with appropriately sized rats, but I bought a lot, so I wanted them to be gone before I went bigger.

I was quite nervous offering these new rats, they seemed positively huge! However, I had read and researched here, so I knew my snakes could eat them. The next feeding day, each snake carefully sized up the bigger prey, and only one refused to eat the new size. It took them a little longer to swallow, about 15 minutes as compared to under 2 minutes, but no one had any troubles. I offered the smaller size to the one who was uncomfortable with the new rats and she ate fine.

All my snakes will refuse food that is too big, even when they are hungry, they seem to know pretty well what they can handle.

Gale

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

You would be surprised what they can shove down their skinny necks. All of the skin there is extremely elastic and can stretch even wider then the snakes largest part.

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Especially when they decide to eat butt first. I find it a bit disconcerting, yet mildly entertaining to watch. Sometimes I think it is by sheer force of will that they manage to get it down that way...