Fang's new feeding strategy? (Is it safe?)

He ate a pinkie a week ago. I offered him another yesterday, and he made a half-hearted strike at it, then ignored it completely. I laid the mouse up on a rock and left it there.

Checked in on him about an hour later, and Fang had decided to use the mouse as a chin rest (do snakes have chins?:rolleyes:)

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t.../Fang/Fang.jpg

When I went to bed he was still in this in this funny position ("It's MY mouse, and I'll use it for a chin rest if I want to!") When I got up this morning the mouse was gone.

Is it dangerous for my snake to consume a thawed mouse that has been sitting out for hours? I'm wondering if there would be a problem with bacteria.

That is completely fine. Some people leave their feeders out for hours on a regular basis. Dont worry about it. If one of my snakes doesnt eat right away Ill leave the rat in their, if its not gone by the next morning I take it out. After about 12 hours of sitting I would say thats when its time to throw it away.

I would increase the size of his meals, and put him on a 5 day feed schedule.

i agrree with llovelace:gj:

Pinkies are not an appropriate size food for a BP, the average hatchling is started on hopper and quickly move to adult mouse.

Offering the appropriate size prey every 5 to 7days is very important, you obviously do not want your BP to be underfed ;)

He's 18" long and about 1" at the widest. Hoppers now, or weanlings?

And a 5-day cycle on rodents that size?

Thanks for the help.

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For reference, this is from the caresheet on this site, and is the information I was basing my decisions on. I know you folks are experienced keepers, and I'm trying to learn what's right.

What size and how often to feed is always up for debate. Many keepers hold to the standard of feeding a rodent that is as big around at its widest point (the hips) as the snake is at its widest girth. With ball pythons, though, the best way to have a consistent eater is to feed smaller-than-typical prey sizes. A fully mature ball python can thrive on nothing more than a small rat (~50-60g) offered weekly.

How often to feed really depends on what size prey is being offered. If one chooses to offer the smaller size, a feeding schedule of every seven days works well. Slightly larger prey items can be fed every ten days. Excessively large prey items will cause the ball python to refuse food on its own for an extended and unpredictable length of time.

Ball pythons seem to do well on a regular feeding schedule. Feeding every seven days on the same day of the week is a good way for the keeper to track the feeding schedule as well as being a routine the snake can become accustomed to. However, there is no one right way to go about it.

If you are feeding mice, a hopper or small weanling would be perfectly fine, however, if you are feeding rats, a large pup or small crawler/ hopper would be best, a weanling rat would be far too big for right now.

Hope that helps some!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eracer

He's 18" long and about 1" at the widest. Hoppers now, or weanlings?

And a 5-day cycle on rodents that size?

Thanks for the help.

**********************

For reference, this is from the caresheet on this site, and is the information I was basing my decisions on. I know you folks are experienced keepers, and I'm trying to learn what's right.

What size and how often to feed is always up for debate. Many keepers hold to the standard of feeding a rodent that is as big around at its widest point (the hips) as the snake is at its widest girth. With ball pythons, though, the best way to have a consistent eater is to feed smaller-than-typical prey sizes. A fully mature ball python can thrive on nothing more than a small rat (~50-60g) offered weekly.

How often to feed really depends on what size prey is being offered. If one chooses to offer the smaller size, a feeding schedule of every seven days works well. Slightly larger prey items can be fed every ten days. Excessively large prey items will cause the ball python to refuse food on its own for an extended and unpredictable length of time.

Ball pythons seem to do well on a regular feeding schedule. Feeding every seven days on the same day of the week is a good way for the keeper to track the feeding schedule as well as being a routine the snake can become accustomed to. However, there is no one right way to go about it.

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But those suggestions are for mature ball pythons. When they're young yours, you want to feed them more than you would feed an adult because they're growing and need more. When they're young you want to feed them a prey item that's as big around as them, and every 5-7 days (the younger they are, the more often)

OK, every 5 days it is. All the rodent sales sites tell how long the mice are, and how much they weigh. The care info talks about how big around the mice should be.

Hence my confusion about the size. I'm new to this, and asked the salesman I bought Fang from what food to use, so I bought pinkies, and they are most definitely NOT as big around as the snake. I'll order some weanling mice today.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eracer

I'll order some weanling mice today.

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Weanlings should be fine for his size; if you're worried they might be big, you could possibly throw in some hoppers as well, just in case.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lexxielightning

Weanlings should be fine for his size; if you're worried they might be big, you could possibly throw in some hoppers as well, just in case.

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Thanks.

I'd go for adult mice, your snake though.

How much does your snake weigh? If he is over 100g he shouldn't have a problem with weaned/adult mice, just don't get "large adults". With my babies I switch to adult mice when hoppers no longer leave a lump.

This is how I did it :)

I got my hatchling, who didn't eat f/t in June and was pretty thin. He was pretty small, but I started him off on a 5 day feeding schedule of adult small mice. Not full grown adult mice.

Now 4 months later he is on a every 6 day(full grown adult mice), since he is about 6 months old now, I took him off of his baby feeding schedule. Then I'm thinking in another 6 months he will starts to get every 7 days. And soon once he is big enough he will move up to one small rat, etc...

With hatchlings, every 5 days is good, some even feed more often, but I think every 5 days is a good balance. Just be feeding either hoppers, or small adult mice.

I feel bad.

The salesman told me he'd been eating a pinkie every two weeks, and that I should continue on that schedule for a while.

I tried to feed him after a week, and he wouldn't eat. I waited a week, and he ate a pinkie. Then I waited a week and fed him his latest pinkie.

So, he's had two pinkies in a month. I bet he's hungry....:(