Little advice please.

As the proud new owner of a ball python and hooked already cant wait for my next one could anyone advise me on whether its better to feed live or just defrosted. I bought her from a registered breeder but he gave us conflicting advice on feeds in one breath he said live but then said maybe its better to feed her defrosted although he had been feeding her live!!!!!!!!!! just a little confused dont want to do anything that could stop her feeding or jeoperdise her health. I know its mainly down to what the snake prefers but just a little confused.
Any advice or tips would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

well how old is this bP?

most hatchlings wont eat prekilled or f/t.
but its not hard to get them to switch to f/t.
it just takes tuff love.

but its been my experience, my hatchlings wont eat PK or F/T .
but will make the switch to PK. easier than F/T.

like i said thats what i have experienced.

no harm in live mouse feedings. rats are more feirce than mice, so the risks are slightly lower


hope this helps your decision.

10 month hatched in febuary this year
Ok thanks for that will feed her live and see what she prefers.

oh than she should be a little over 250-400 grams?

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Originally Posted by Deborah01

10 month hatched in febuary this year
Ok thanks for that will feed her live and see what she prefers.

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well wait! try pre killed first and if she doesn't strike than try live.
the sooner you get her on PK the better and less worry.

most on here will tell you, live is more of a last resort.

well, i've got a 6 month old on live right now but i will be switching to f/t for financial & safety reasons.
i wasn't able to let my girl's breeder switch her to f/t because we werent able to get set up for it (purchasing a seperate, mini freezer for the frozen rats as well as the rats themselves.)
as far as finances go, this is the math i came up with...

what i currently spend on rats, bedding & food p/ month - $40
that x's 6 for a 6 month time frame = $240

1 20-25 ct pck of f/t rats = $60 (s&h included)

but that 1 pck will last approximately 6 months so i'll only be spending $60 in 6 months to feed my snake rather then the $240 buying live rats and supplying their bedding and food.

i've always known that feeding p/k or f/t is safer in the long run and it was never my intention to keep my snake on live forever but i would rather take away any potential risks for injury when i feed my girl then have to deal with the potential for a big vet bill when the problem can be avoided in the 1st place.

granted, in the wild these snakes eat live food and they deal with injuries and go on living. it's just a fact of life. something must die for something else to live. it's just the way it works.
i'm not completely heartless though. i do not like putting a defenseless animal to its death every time i feed the snake and i will be resolving that issue soon.
whatever situation works best for you, go with it.
good luck. ;)

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Originally Posted by sookieball

oh than she should be a little over 250-400 grams?

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Just weighed her this morning and she is 375 grams. gonna leave her for now although she looks to be hunting and sitting in the strike position all the time will try her again on saturday but will keep a really close eye on her.

Hello, and :welcome: to BP.net...
Since the breeder that you got her from was feeding live, I would suggest that you continue feeding live for the next 5-8 weeks to get her established for you. Then, if you decided that you want to try frozen/thawed, you can start the process. You just want to make sure that she is feeding consistently for you first. Some snakes will switch over the very first time, with no problems, some will need some work, some just refuse to switch. I would also suggest that if your snake eats mice and you want to switch to rats, etc, do it before going F/T. Only make one switch at a time, which will give you a better chance of success...

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Originally Posted by sookieball

most on here will tell you, live is more of a last resort.

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What? I don't see feeding live as a "last resort", I see as my first as do alot of other people. Feeding f/t is alittle bit safer, yes, but I wouldn't go as far as "last resort".

As for cost look for local people. I have to drive 25 min to get my rats a week but I pay 10 dollars for all my snakes food (10 of them) the blues get 2 meals each (smaller prey) and the burm takes a jumbo rat so I can getting them pretty cheap.

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Originally Posted by Deborah01

Just weighed her this morning and she is 375 grams. gonna leave her for now although she looks to be hunting and sitting in the strike position all the time will try her again on saturday but will keep a really close eye on her.

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And that is a tiny little thing. Get that snake some food. If it won't take rats give it 2-3 mice, depending on size of mouse.

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Originally Posted by sookieball

well wait! try pre killed first and if she doesn't strike than try live.
the sooner you get her on PK the better and less worry.

most on here will tell you, live is more of a last resort.

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Actually, most on here will tell you to feed what works BEST for you and your snake.

I feed live almost exclusively to my ball pythons. I've no desire to switch to pre-killed or f/t. None.

The risks of injury from feeding live responsibly (without stunning - I don't do that) are exponentially small.

I have a baby that is somewhere around 6 months and she eats F/T no problem.. took about 5 mns of coaxing the first time to get her to take them thats all. Try them out and if your little one refuses, you can always go to live.

Feeding live is not as big of an issue as some people make it. I feed everyone live because I raise my own rats and that is what works best for me. Every once in a while a rat may get a small bite in during constriction, I simply stick the tongs in the rats mouth until he expires. As far as the cost debate...well very few can afford to feed from a pet store $$$$, shipping on FT is pretty costly, so finding a rodent bredder near you is definately the way to go.

i personally feed live. 1 because it is easier for me and 2. because it is more natural to the snake. being that snakes are not domesticated and have to kill in nature, i feel that it helps to keep a small part of her wild.

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

What? I don't see feeding live as a "last resort", I see as my first as do alot of other people. Feeding f/t is alittle bit safer, yes, but I wouldn't go as far as "last resort".

As for cost look for local people. I have to drive 25 min to get my rats a week but I pay 10 dollars for all my snakes food (10 of them) the blues get 2 meals each (smaller prey) and the burm takes a jumbo rat so I can getting them pretty cheap.



And that is a tiny little thing. Get that snake some food. If it won't take rats give it 2-3 mice, depending on size of mouse.

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Hoi thanks for your advice went out yesterday and bought 3 small live mice and she has eaten them all. and to be honest think she could have eaten another one but she has eaten and thats the most important thing. Refer to her as she as she has no name of yet!!!!!!!!!!!!