First feed successful! !!!!!~

I just got back from the mall with two hopper mice. First one got too close to her and scared her, but after she realised it was food, got it's head and slowly worked it down. It left a nice bulge in her.
She finished, yawned to realign her jaw and started flicking her tongue and looking around. So I put the second one in there. It was hiding from her, so I took my tweezers and put in by her and she took it, getting it by the back though and curling around it, so I held the mouse's head with my tweezers to keep it from biting her and once it was dead and she let go of it. I was scared she'd not eat it and just leave me with a dead mouse, but she went to the head and started eating it from there! I'm glad she did that! She should be nice and full now. XD She DEFINITELY needs those 48 hours to digest!
I'm so so happy! Especially since I didn't really leave her alone for a week after I got her.
SO STINKIN HAPPY SHE ATE! She struck that first one and I was like 'OH YEAH!' *Fist pump**happy dance**:banana::dance:

SO HAPPY! I wonder if she would have taken a FT, but I don't care! She ATE! FJDESFJHAGF OP
(I'm I the only one this happy when their snake takes their first meal!?)

She is your first snake taking her first meal with You, right? So, Yeah, definately do the Happy Dance...:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

I still get that way when one of my hatchlings eats for the first time, or switches to F/T.

Yep! First snake! I got her a week ago. The breeder told me to feed her 3-5 days after I took her home 1 live pinky mouse.
Another guy I talked to said go ahead and wait the week then try feeding a F/T Pinky rat.

Then on here I was told to give her a mouse hopper or two. She was still hungry after her first one and gladly took the second without another though, I think I might just stick with 1 mouse hopper a week though. The mice were as round as her if not a little smaller. There's no way a pinky mouse could have been big enough for her. She's in her hot hide now though, so that's good.:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

Congrats! It's a very exciting thing when they eat for the first time. :banana:

I'm still just glad she ate though I didn't leave her completely alone for a week.

Oh yeah and I'm thinking of naming her Kallista. :3 It means 'Most Beautiful'

Congratz!!!!!!!!! That is awesome!!
I would get her rats soon. I heard it's eaier when they are young and rats are more nourishing.

Good job on the feeding though.

I want to get her on rats. What size rat is about the size of a mouse hopper? I want to get her on F/T as well, but I was advised to take it slow since she's used to eating live mice.

THIS is a pretty good guide but you can weigh and get the length of the next mouse you feed and then go from there with the size comparisons. Then if you go to MiceDirect and click on the particular rat, it has a weight and length.

Alright, thanks! I didn't think to weigh the mice before I fed them off. I really need to get a digital scale, I don't have one, so I doubt it's that accurate.
Anyway, I'll get her another hopper next time and weigh that one and then feeding after that get a rat. Thanks again!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fluffpuffgerbil

I want to get her on rats. What size rat is about the size of a mouse hopper? I want to get her on F/T as well, but I was advised to take it slow since she's used to eating live mice.

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Congrats :taz:
Should have bet you that she wanted 2 :D

Stick with a 5 day schedule and go with 1 that is a little larger. A rat pup is about the same size as an adult mouse but they don't move around a lot to get their attention. Get a few successful feedings under her belt and then try a pup (eyes closed).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rperry03

Congrats :taz:
Should have bet you that she wanted 2 :D

Stick with a 5 day schedule and go with 1 that is a little larger. A rat pup is about the same size as an adult mouse but they don't move around a lot to get their attention. Get a few successful feedings under her belt and then try a pup (eyes closed).

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XD
Okay, so she'd be able to handle a pup? Maybe I should try a fuzzie first since they're bigger than hoppers and she's still small... But she might be a little bigger by the time she's ready for a pup. :3 Maybe two or three more feedings on mice hoppers/maybe a weanling before a rat pup?

if you're going to continue to feed live, I'd try to find rats because they pose less of a risk to your young snake than do comparably-sized mice (even medium mice can be vicious but a rat pup is roughly the same size and can't yet put up much of a fight). however if you want to try to switch over to frozen, go with whichever food you prefer. I use rats from mice direct, but it's all a matter of personal choice and experimenting with what works for you.

in any case, glad you have the first feeding under your belt, and I'm glad you knew better than to feed pinkies. best of luck.

I would like to feed F/t rats, but I don't know where to find reasonably sized and priced ones around here. I can see if the petstore at the mall where I got the hoppers has rat fuzzies since I think pups will be too big for her.

Yea, I think fuzzies would do fine.

Okay!! I'll try them next week. I need to find somewhere to get F/T also that's close.
But for now I'm fine with feeding live, I just don't want her to eat live when she's onto big rats.

Congratulations! :) I feel exactly the same way and always take a video of their first Meals so I can't do the dance :) lol! I have never tried letting them feed on two rats on a single feeding though that is why I feed my hatchlings twice a week instead, every Wednesday and Saturday evenings.

Heh, yeah, I wasn't too sure, but she took both the mice and I was told on here that she'd probably eat two. So I bought two and after the first one she looked around for more so I gave her the second one. After she started to eat that one, I left so she could finish it in privacy and when I checked on her later she was in her hide.
I'm gonna be getting her a fuzzy rat next feeding time.

if you feed live, ensure the pet store will take it back if your BP doesn't eat because then you would have to feed a live rat fuzzy until next feeding day.

Well, taking care of a live rat fuzzy would be no problem since I have a cage it could go in and I have my own pet rat and a homemade diet I feed her. I could just give that to the rat fuzzy if the snake doesn't eat it that feeding day.
Unless it doesn't eat dry food then I'd have to take it back. XD

Well, that's cool so then you wouldn't have to worry about it. You seem good to go then.

Okay, so fuzzies eat dry food. XD I have a water bottle too for rodents if I need it. (We have a rat, gerbils, a hamster, yeah.)
Looks like I have nothing to worry about. XD Thanks for all your help!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fluffpuffgerbil

Okay, so fuzzies eat dry food. ...

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Oh Sorry but I know ZERO about rats.:confused: Someone on here raises their own rats and can answer that part.

You are not breeding them so anything that your other rodents eat/ate will be fine for a day or so, especially gerbil pellets.

I doubt any stores would take a rodent back. Imagine the risk of it introducing something to their store after it left the store.

Awesome! Congrats

Congrats first of all!

You can't feed a fuzzy rat dry food. It will die without mom at that size. Fuzzies don't have eyes open. Pinky -> Fuzzy -> Pup -> Weanling You're a few steps away from dry food :)

I would feed adult mice or rat pups. Hopper mice are good to get a snake eating but a bit small for even hatchling ball pythons IMO.

Regards,

B

Okay, I didn't think fuzzies could.
Rat pups just seem so HUGE compared to her! I guess I really just need to see one next to her.
I guess she did easily take two so I suppose she can eat a bigger rodent, eh?
I can try a pup, but IDK what I'll do with it if she doesn't eat it...(What will happen if she eats food slightly too large for her?)

Hey! Don't have much in the way of knowledgeable advice or comments but congrats on the successful feeding! I'm a new BP owner myself and he just ate his first meal at home today. I know how exciting it is!