Need a little bit of advice

Hey guys and girls, I'm Kyle and I'm fairly new to snakes. Someone I know was giving a snake away because he couldn't look after it anymore so I took it off him. I've been doing the little things like changing bedding, water and spraying the tank to keep the humidity up around 60 to 70. I've been taking him out every day just to get used to him, putting him around my neck and just getting as comfortable as I can with it being around, I even got the confidence to try popping it but chickened out because I didn't want to hurt it. I've measured it and it's just over 3 and a half foot. There's a problem though, he seems to be a fussy eater and the guy that had it before me has just been putting f/t on top of it's hide and the snake will eat it in the night. I've been taking him out to feed and putting him in a tub with newspaper and he refuses to take anything off tweezers. I don't know what size food he should be eating, I've tried pinky's and it was pointless, I tried a full grown rat and he didn't touch it and then I tried a full grown mouse and it disappeared the next morning so I'm guessing it was eaten. I was trying him on tweezers last night with a fuzzy and he went for it but I dropped it before he finished the strike. What size food should I be feeding it? And how can I get it to eat off tweezers instead of eating off it's hide?

http://i48.tinypic.com/2n7p9qs.jpg

why is it such a problem that it needs to eat off tongs?

Of the 10 snakes i've got, i have 2 that will not take food off of tongs, it needs to be just left there and it will be gone in the morning. 6 others will take food just off tongs and the other 2 need the zombie dance.

As long as he's eating he's good :) he just wants to eat in his particular style. I'd oblige him as he is a handsome boy.

feed him a prey item about as wide as the widest part of his body.

It's not a problem how he eats, I just don't like the idea of him eating in his tank. I think it's more a personal problem because my hand's in the tank cleaning and moving stuff around and I don't want him taking a strike at me again :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyle1

It's not a problem how he eats, I just don't like the idea of him eating in his tank. I think it's more a personal problem because my hand's in the tank cleaning and moving stuff around and I don't want him taking a strike at me again :)

---

Whether you feed in the tank or not, it will not make a difference as to whether he strikes at your hand when you're working. If you're worried about a strike at that time, I'd just take him OUT of the tank to complete whatever cleaning you're doing.

One other little hint...you don't have to work so hard to keep the humidity that high. If you can keep it around 50% steady, you're good. He should shed fine in such an environment, but if he proves to be a difficult shedder, then you can bump it up to 60% just during his shed phase to help.

Hello, and :welcome: to BP.net...
Congratulations, that's a nice looking snake you got there. A snake that big should easily be eating adult mice or small rats, I would say somewhere in the 30-50 gram range. There's no need to waste your time and money messing with pinkys, fuzzies and hoppers.

When he refused the rats, how long did you wait before offering another prey item?

When you are cleaning and moving things around in the tank it is best to remove the snake. Any kind of sudden or quick movements in front of their face almost always triggers a defensive response, whether it's balling up or a strike. All you need is some type of container to put him in while you do your cleaning. That can be anything from a cardboard box that he can't climb out of, or a plastic tub, or even a simple pillow case with a knot tied in the end of it...

Hello and welcome to to the site and owning a BP...careful they are addictive and that is a very nice one you have there!!!

Sometimes taking them out of the tank to feed can stress them out, hence food refusals. For the most part ....as long as you don't smell like a rodent....they will not strike. Sometimes during shed as they cannot see well they get a little testy but that is about it.

Whenever we clean their enclosure we take them out and set them down or just put them on our lap.

As someone else stated a large mouse or a small rat is a perfect size for him....just go with the thickest part of the snake to measure the size of the prey. As far as him not striking....I wouldn't worry about it...he just like privacy...and that is ok. I have one that rubs on his for while before eating it...another that will not let you watch...another that stays coiled around it until it is all the way down to the tail..etc...they all are different in that aspect.;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyle1

It's not a problem how he eats, I just don't like the idea of him eating in his tank. I think it's more a personal problem because my hand's in the tank cleaning and moving stuff around and I don't want him taking a strike at me again :)

---

Feeding in the enclosure has no correlation with getting bit by going in the enclosure to do regular maintenance. If anything, you are more likely to get bit when you are moving the snake on feeding day. I do not touch any of my snakes on feeding day. I always feed in the enclosure. I have never been bitten.

Feed him where he eats. If he is more comfortable eating in his home, feed him there. Getting him eating on a regular basis is more important then your personal preference.

There are some snakes that will eat anywhere but some that are very shy and will only eat in their home enclosure.

Also, that snakes look like it could easily eat a small rat. Pinkies and fuzzies aren't even big enough for ball pythons right out of the egg. They are like popcorn.

Hay Man,

From what I have learned, I feed my Fat Boy full size Monkeys on Wed. PMs. -I sent the room he is in for up to an hour. Before feeding him, I remove one of his hides and a climbing log ** With Hemos. ** I know not to put my hand in there on Wednesdays. I will leave him alone for two days after his feeding - even if he has dropped a duce and or beet up his Rat (blood) He is in the middle of a shed and i wont feed today, until he has fully shed.

Moving to feed is probably your #1 problem. Also, that's a big boy. Feed him a big boy meal. If you don't smell like food, he's got no reason to try to eat you. And if he's biting cuz he's scared, that's a whole other issue. Also, the refusals could be because you're offering too often or holding him too much.

It only took a strike at me once and that was the first day he got back here. I don't actually mind if he striked, I just wouldn't want it to think I'm dinner and start to coil. How big is a big boy meal? I've tried feeding it every 7 days but chances are, it won't take it in the next 7 days so I wait another 3-4. I think I'm starting to pick up on when it's hungry now though. I'm going to buy a small rat tomorrow and I'll try feeding after the weekend because it ate 3 fluffy's last night.

Oh, wow no one mentioned it. 10-15% of his body weight, maxing out at 150 grams. Or, about as big as he is around at his widest point. Those should be about the same. Small rat should be good, but "small" can be subjective, so try the above measurements. If the food is too small, they may not even see it as food, which is probably the problem if you're offering pinkies. And yeah, a full grown rat is too big. Do you know his weight atm? I don't know if he's a big boy of course, but he looks like it to me. :D

I'm not too sure, I haven't got scales big enough to measure him on. I know he ate the full grown mouse and the only rats my local pet store sell are quite big.

I weighed it earlier at the pet store and it's 1260 grams. I just need to pop it now

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyle1

I weighed it earlier at the pet store and it's 1260 grams. I just need to pop it now

---

He should be eating rats that are about 100-120g once per week.

A fuzzy weighs about 5g.

Thanks for the advice, I bought 2 today so I'll weigh them up. When should I try feeding again? It ate Tuesday night.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyle1

Thanks for the advice, I bought 2 today so I'll weigh them up. When should I try feeding again? It ate Tuesday night.

---

Just wait until the next scheduled feeding day, 5 or 7 days from tuesday.

It's not eating, I tried it on a rat on Sunday and a mouse today and it's really not interested.

Do not pop him on your own, you could really hurt him if you dont know what your doing, I would not risk it, you can have an exotic vet sex him for you for 15 bucks, thats how much mine charged me.

I would feed him in as similar a manner as the previous owner. You may have to wait him out if you're switching prey.

You said you have been handling him daily, he may be stressed out, leave him alone for about a week, no handling except to clean something messy, then offer the appropriate sized prey item, see if that works.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by llovelace

You said you have been handling him daily, he may be stressed out, leave him alone for about a week, no handling except to clean something messy, then offer the appropriate sized prey item, see if that works.

---

I agree, I have one that really seems to enjoy being held for a while but I limit the "hands on" to once or twice a week. He is also not much fun to feed, what I have to do is put the f/t rat in the enclosure, turn out his light and hang a towel over the viewing side of the tank. He wont take it from tongs, or if I am watching...yeah, I cant even watch! But as soon as the lights go out and the towel is up, that rat is gone, I have a shy Python, lol.
It takes the fun out of the "feeding response" I was wanting to see, but as long as he is happy I do what I have to do because I know how picky they can be to begin with.
And feeding in the enclosure is fine, just make sure you wash your hands after messing with the rats / mice before putting your hands back in there, if you smell like food he may try to take a nibble, lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyle1

It's not a problem how he eats, I just don't like the idea of him eating in his tank. I think it's more a personal problem because my hand's in the tank cleaning and moving stuff around and I don't want him taking a strike at me again :)

---

its been proven time and time again, feeding in the tank is better and more logical. theres no reason to feed outside the tank unless you want to stress your animal

I didn't really bother with it last week, it only came out twice because I've been busy. I didn't try feeding off the tongs, I just put the rat on his stone, it usually eats them over night but it was still there in the morning and same with the mouse.

It's still not eating. Shall I try it on live?

Hello and welcome,
do you still try f/t food? Or do you leave living food in the tank over the night? As long as my english is not the best, I didn't get it clearly.

If you may worry about the humidity, put a wetbox in the tank! we have one at every ball, filled with sphagnum, and it keeps humidity over a long period without spraying at all.

I've been leaving f/t on his hide overnight like the guy before me did. But I've bought mice today, if he doesn't take then I guess I've got a few new pets.

Hiya

You've had your ball for just over two weeks now it seems. He has already eaten a mouse that you left in his cage overnight on his hide.... This is good.

I would not even consider feeding live or changing anything else when it comes to feeding. The ball is used to feeding a particular way, stick with that.... the more you chop and change feedings the greater the chance he will stress and stop eating all together... then what will you try?

He is probably still settling in, or is not hungry..... leave him alone for a few more weeks then try again... if your husbandry is correct and you keep trying to feed him in a way that he is used to then he'll eat when he is ready.....

He looks in pretty good shape so skipping a meal, or even 10 won't do him much harm... just avoid changing things too much for the little fella.... give him time to settle in....

Get some FT rats and mice and keep em in the freezer, give him 2 weeks with minimal disturbance then try feeding again.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bundu Boy

You've had your ball for just over two weeks now it seems. He has already eaten a mouse that you left in his cage overnight on his hide.... This is good.

---

I've had it for nearly 2 months and it's eaten twice but it hasn't eaten for 3 weeks.

I'd feed him live but then I feed everything live :P

Good looking boy by the way :gj:

Thanks, I did buy live mice but I can't bring myself to putting them in it's tank.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyle1

I've had it for nearly 2 months and it's eaten twice but it hasn't eaten for 3 weeks.

---

Ok, great, so we've established that he's eaten twice for you already....

Have you changed anything in his enclosure since he last ate?

Changes to environment can stress these fellas out a bit.

Also give some details of what your setup is like, temps, humidity, hides etc....

I would not worry if he has not eaten for 3 weeks, I had a ball that went 6 months and then just started up again.... they just stop sometimes.....

I'd still stick with attempting to feed him the way he is used to....

Good luck
:gj:

I haven't changed anything, I've cleaned it but everything's been put back as it was. As for temps, they're about 85-90 hot side in the day and 75-80 on the cool side in the day and they stay around 75-85 all night. Humidity is always between 50%-%60, sometimes more if it's a sunny day. He's got one of those exoterra hides on the hot side and a bark hide on the other with his water bowl in the middle and a log to climb on. The substrate is aspen. My next feeding day is Sunday so I'll see if he wants to eat then.

Still hasn't eaten. I'm pretty sure it's starting to lose weight