**New snake owner** Should I disturb my ball python to feed it?

So I purchased my first snake last week and I just had a question. It has been almost 8 days since I got him/her(not sure yet) and it has been very active, but I haven't really seen it out in the last 24 hours and was just wondering if I should disturb it to offer food. It will be the first time I have tried to feed it since bringing it home.
Any reply would be appreciated. Thanks.

Whats the setup like, As a snake that is very active is stressed.

One that hides is comfortable with its surroundings.

Give it a shot...I've fed snakes 2 hours after taking them out of a shipping box and they're fine...sounds like he/she may be going into a shed cycle though...most of mine tend to retreat to a hide or back corner when going into shed...

Th snake was probably just stressed in the beggining but if it has been relaxed and gotten comfortable then I don't see any harm in trying. Don't try for an extended period but offer and if it takes it it takes it and if it don't then wait another week and try again. Or sooner if you feel your snake hasn't been over active like 3-4 days later.

It currently resides in a 10 gallon tank, which I feel is plenty big enough, as it is only 6 months old and has adequate room to stretch out completely. A larger one will come later.
I have a temperature gradient of about 78-93F from the cool to warm side, with the humidity sitting around 55-60%.
Heat is mainly provided by a UTH of appropriate size. There is a sheet of reptile carpet or turf underneath about 2 inches of coconut husk bedding(the same as was in the tank at the store).
There is a half log hide, leaned up against the warm side surrounded by more bedding, a solid climbing branch, and a vine that goes around the whole upper area of the tank, and a medium size water dish at the cool end. Still working on another hide.
I do not use a daytime bulb because the room is lit well enough by sunlight, and I use a infrared night bulb at night, and sometimes leave it on during the day is he/she is out and wants to bask, which it has done for quite a few hours this week.

I just want to know if I should wait until it comes out or if I should disturb it for feeding. And any other tips would be helpful too.

If he's been in there for 8 days and now he's hiding that means he's adjusted and settled in. Try taking him out and feeding him and if he doesnt show interest just put him back into the tank and try again a week later.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

If he's been in there for 8 days and now he's hiding that means he's adjusted and settled in. Try taking him out and feeding him and if he doesnt show interest just put him back into the tank and try again a week later.

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No need to take the snake out of the tank to feed. The description of your setup sounds ok with the noted exception of another hide. I'd say after 8 days, you should be good to go. I would try to feed IN the enclosure and see if he goes. Taking him out to feed does nothing but create unnecessary stress for the snake that could potentially trigger refusals.

You're doing good. :) I would try feeding. I always defrost the rodent in a bowl of water on top of the tank. You can also touch your feeding tongs to the defrosting rodent and then place the end of the tongs and the entrance to the hide til you see a nose with flicking tongue peek out. Smelling food before food is offered often gets a great feeding response. They are very instinctual creatures, and smelling prey will put them in hunting mode.

I used shredded coco husk til very recently and it sticks to rodents like crazy. So, I recommend drying the prey with a blowdryer, and placing a paper towel over the substrate. Otherwise, your snake will finish its meal with a mouth full of substrate, which is sooooo frustrating to watch. I don't think it HURTS them... but I don't think it helps either. My girl always got the substrate out by the next day, but I was just over worrying about her getting an intestinal blockage or something, so I switched to astroturf. :)

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Originally Posted by Emily Hubbard

You're doing good. :) I would try feeding. I always defrost the rodent in a bowl of water on top of the tank. You can also touch your feeding tongs to the defrosting rodent and then place the end of the tongs and the entrance to the hide til you see a nose with flicking tongue peek out. Smelling food before food is offered often gets a great feeding response. They are very instinctual creatures, and smelling prey will put them in hunting mode.

I used shredded coco husk til very recently and it sticks to rodents like crazy. So, I recommend drying the prey with a blowdryer, and placing a paper towel over the substrate. Otherwise, your snake will finish its meal with a mouth full of substrate, which is sooooo frustrating to watch. I don't think it HURTS them... but I don't think it helps either. My girl always got the substrate out by the next day, but I was just over worrying about her getting an intestinal blockage or something, so I switched to astroturf. :)

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My substrate is exactly why I have a feeding tub. Plus I feed live so the mice can pick up substrate just from running around in their last moments.

imo, you should never feed on a paper towel, this snake died in the process of accidentally swallowing a paper towel that was stuck to the rodent (not my snake, pulled from google):

http://i972.photobucket.com/albums/a...per-towels.jpg

a little bit of substrate isnt going to hurt your snake, unless theres alot, or theres large peices, but small bits of coco wont hurt them at all

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Originally Posted by cmack91

imo, you should never feed on a paper towel, this snake died in the process of accidentally swallowing a paper towel that was stuck to the rodent (not my snake, pulled from google):

http://i972.photobucket.com/albums/a...per-towels.jpg

a little bit of substrate isnt going to hurt your snake, unless theres alot, or theres large peices, but small bits of coco wont hurt them at all

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You always find the craziest pics. That is another reason why you don't feed and walk away. No way that owner sat back and watched it eat all that.

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Originally Posted by VEXER19

You always find the craziest pics...

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thanks, i try lol

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Originally Posted by VEXER19

That is another reason why you don't feed and walk away..

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especially if you ever feed live, this snake was probably left over night with a rat in the cage (also pulled from google):

http://i972.photobucket.com/albums/a...feed-live1.jpg

I would try feeding him/her. No need to take the snake out of the enclosure, a little bit of substrate, if swallowed, will not hurt him/her. Good luck and we love seeing pics around here :)

Both of those pics are instances of not supervising. I don't think there is any danger in feeding on a paper towel if you supervise. I never toss food and walk away. I no longer feed on a towel because I changed substrates, but when I did, she never came close to eating it, and I never left until the prey way fully swallowed and she had crawled back in her hide. If she HAD started eating it, I would have caught it when her lip caught the corner, it would have gone nowhere.

I would hope that anyone who feeds live knows better than to walk away. There is a pic in the ball python book I got before getting my girl of a poor snake that was left alone with live prey and actually survived, but its pigment was gone in most places after it healed up. Looked like a pied that went through a blender. So sad. I actually think supervision is a must no matter what method you use. Just safer all around.

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Originally Posted by Emily Hubbard

Both of those pics are instances of not supervising. I don't think there is any danger in feeding on a paper towel if you supervise. I never toss food and walk away. I no longer feed on a towel because I changed substrates, but when I did, she never came close to eating it, and I never left until the prey way fully swallowed and she had crawled back in her hide. If she HAD started eating it, I would have caught it when her lip caught the corner, it would have gone nowhere.

I would hope that anyone who feeds live knows better than to walk away. There is a pic in the ball python book I got before getting my girl of a poor snake that was left alone with live prey and actually survived, but its pigment was gone in most places after it healed up. Looked like a pied that went through a blender. So sad. I actually think supervision is a must no matter what method you use. Just safer all around.

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just in case you were wondering, i wasnt trying to bash you, so sorry if it went over like that, i was just trying to point out that there is a risk

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Originally Posted by cmack91

just in case you were wondering, i wasnt trying to bash you, so sorry if it went over like that, i was just trying to point out that there is a risk

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Oh no, I understand you weren't bashing. I was just stating that both of the very important problems you highlighted can be solved with supervision. You stated it visually, I did it with words. :) Sometimes we need to see those graphic pics to highlight the importance of being vigilant and taking 20 min or so to just watch the prey go down without incident. We need to learn from the mistakes of others, and your pics were two VERY big mistakes made by others. The problem was not the paper towel or life feeding. It was a lazy or uninformed keeper. :(

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Originally Posted by Emily Hubbard

Oh no, I understand you weren't bashing.

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okay, good

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Originally Posted by Emily Hubbard

It was a lazy or uninformed keeper. :(

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and thats the only reason i post them

Thank you to everyone that replied. Glad to be a member of this community. I will post up pics of my new baby as soon as I get more spare time.
His/her(not sure of the gender) first feeding went very smooth. In a separate container I dangled the mouse around near it's face but wouldn't take it. Once I dropped the mouse though it was all over. Happened so fast it scared me a little bit.
I was a little afraid to pick my baby back up to return to the tank right after eating, but there was no problem. I don't know how ball pythons are about being handled after feeding.
But again, thanks to everyone who replied, and will keep the community posted with new info as it comes.

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Originally Posted by Inknsteel

No need to take the snake out of the tank to feed. The description of your setup sounds ok with the noted exception of another hide. I'd say after 8 days, you should be good to go. I would try to feed IN the enclosure and see if he goes. Taking him out to feed does nothing but create unnecessary stress for the snake that could potentially trigger refusals.

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Ok so not to hijack the thread but are you saying that it is perfectly fine to feed in the enclosure? Because I was always told that the snake would associate the opening of the tank with feeding then and become more aggressive. I only have one snake so its not really that much extra work for me to do it but Im just wondering?

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Ok so not to hijack the thread but are you saying that it is perfectly fine to feed in the enclosure? Because I was always told that the snake would associate the opening of the tank with feeding then and become more aggressive. I only have one snake so its not really that much extra work for me to do it but Im just wondering?

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Feeding in the enclosure will NOT cause your BP to become aggressive. I have 17 currently, and everyone eats in their respective tubs. I have not issue taking them out the next day or any other day, by hand. In fact, you put yourself at greater risk by picking them up out of a feeding tub when they might still be in feeding mode. If you think about it, you probably open that cage to handle him more than you do to feed him, so a conditioned response would be to assume it isn't food until he can smell it. Some of mine are fed more often than they're held, and I still have zero problems.

You don't need to remove it from the tank to feed it. Snakes do not become aggressive or more prone to biting if they are fed in their enclosures.

You don't need to worry about putting down paper towels. Use your paper towels for wiping something up in the kitchen.

You don't need to worry about it ingesting wood substrate. With the exception of really, really, really, really, really, really, really small neonates, there is no risk - and even with the most wee of neonates, that risk is infinitesimal. Don't believe me? Ask a qualified reptile vet how many substrate impactions they treat in their careers.

If you feed live, supervise the feeding. If you feed F/T feel free to walk away.

Too many phantom worries and internet forum bugaboos here. Worry less, enjoy your snake more.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Ok so not to hijack the thread but are you saying that it is perfectly fine to feed in the enclosure? Because I was always told that the snake would associate the opening of the tank with feeding then and become more aggressive. I only have one snake so its not really that much extra work for me to do it but Im just wondering?

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A couple people already beat me to it. The subject of feeding in the enclosure or a separate tub has been rehashed to death, so you can try a search if you want to read a lot on that subject. It's a total myth that feeding in the enclosure will make the snake more aggressive. Again, moving them is only going to cause stress. Also, once you move them to feed, you have to move them back, so you're creating additional stress, risking a bite from a still-hungry snake and risking a regurge from handling right after a feeding. Also no need for paper towels or anything like that. Skiploder's reply was dead-on...

Feeding in the enclosure, and on the substrate will not harm them. Pretty sure someone isnt walking around in Africa making sure their on a smooth surface to eat.

I use paper towels, have been for good 8 years now and never had a snake swallow it. No need to ever supervise a frozen eater once coiled. And Live eaters i just wait for the strike then i close the tub.


This thread is exactly why forums are over ran with repeat comments, cause your believing what you read and hear from petstores. And when told otherwise, you decide to ignore the right information handed to you here and still do it your way.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Feeding in the enclosure, and on the substrate will not harm them. Pretty sure someone isnt walking around in Africa making sure their on a smooth surface to eat.

I use paper towels, have been for good 8 years now and never had a snake swallow it. No need to ever supervise a frozen eater once coiled. And Live eaters i just wait for the strike then i close the tub.


This thread is exactly why forums are over ran with repeat comments, cause your believing what you read and hear from petstores. And when told otherwise, you decide to ignore the right information handed to you here and still do it your way.

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Yea but this is the first time I have been told otherwise lol :)
Trust me, from now on I'm definetly not doing the extra work to get him out of the tank and wait for him to finish then put him back into his tank!

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Feeding in the enclosure, and on the substrate will not harm them. Pretty sure someone isnt walking around in Africa making sure their on a smooth surface to eat.

I use paper towels, have been for good 8 years now and never had a snake swallow it. No need to ever supervise a frozen eater once coiled. And Live eaters i just wait for the strike then i close the tub.


This thread is exactly why forums are over ran with repeat comments, cause your believing what you read and hear from petstores. And when told otherwise, you decide to ignore the right information handed to you here and still do it your way.

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So you're saying that because I didn't do it the way that you would have, and since you probably know more about snakes than me, that me asking the question in the first place was, what? Stupid?
I did quite a bit of research before purchasing my snake, and the one thing that I found out is that every single source of information says something different. 10 different people will give me 10 different answers to any given question I have regarding these creatures. Makes me wonder if anyone really knows as much about them as they think.
I'm not trying to make enemies over a completely innocent post on a website forum, start a flame war, or anything like that, but your post just sounded just sounded as if you were making "noobs" like me asking questions out to be a bad thing.

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Originally Posted by MikeJuggles

So you're saying that because I didn't do it the way that you would have, and since you probably know more about snakes than me, that me asking the question in the first place was, what? Stupid?
I did quite a bit of research before purchasing my snake, and the one thing that I found out is that every single source of information says something different. 10 different people will give me 10 different answers to any given question I have regarding these creatures. Makes me wonder if anyone really knows as much about them as they think.
I'm not trying to make enemies over a completely innocent post on a website forum, start a flame war, or anything like that, but your post just sounded just sounded as if you were making "noobs" like me asking questions out to be a bad thing.

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I think what Rich was pointing out is how incredibly false most petstore information is on exotics, and how frustrating it is that so many people take their word instead of going to more reputable sources. Yes, an online forum is still a lot of people posting "opinions" based on what works for them, but it at least gives you all those perspectives to sort through and get as close to the truth as is known today. These threads come up almost daily about cage aggression, and just about every time the fear was created by a generic petstore employee making a sale.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

I think what Rich was pointing out is how incredibly false most petstore information is on exotics, and how frustrating it is that so many people take their word instead of going to more reputable sources. Yes, an online forum is still a lot of people posting "opinions" based on what works for them, but it at least gives you all those perspectives to sort through and get as close to the truth as is known today. These threads come up almost daily about cage aggression, and just about every time the fear was created by a generic petstore employee making a sale.

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I did buy my snake from a pet store, and probably could have asked more questions about my particular snake, but I didn't. He or she(have to get it sexed, or call the pet store back) seems like a perfectly healthy and normal young snake. Alert, active, eating, pooping.... All the things that all 6 month old anythings should be doing.
Everyone just seems to make it sound like anything that I do will cause "too much stress" to my snake and all the sudden it wont eat for a year. I don't want to be worrying constantly and instead be enjoying having my first snake. Something that none of my friends have.
With adequate knowledge in hand, I'm going to go with also with my instincts and common sense and hope that I raise a healthy, hopefully 15-20+ year old ball python.

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Originally Posted by MikeJuggles

I did buy my snake from a pet store, and probably could have asked more questions about my particular snake, but I didn't. He or she(have to get it sexed, or call the pet store back) seems like a perfectly healthy and normal young snake. Alert, active, eating, pooping.... All the things that all 6 month old anythings should be doing.
Everyone just seems to make it sound like anything that I do will cause "too much stress" to my snake and all the sudden it wont eat for a year. I don't want to be worrying constantly and instead be enjoying having my first snake. Something that none of my friends have.
With adequate knowledge in hand, I'm going to go with also with my instincts and common sense and hope that I raise a healthy, hopefully 15-20+ year old ball python.

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none of this has to be followed to a T, if you want to feed in the enclosure, go for it, if you want to feed out of enclosure, go for it. you can feed on substrate or on paper towels or even on the floor if you wish, you can feed live or f/t, none of the different ways will necessarily stress your snake out more than the other way of doing it, they wont be more aggressive from being fed in the enclosure, and as far as i can tell with my snakes, they wont be any more stressed out by being taken out to feed every time, ive only ever fed this way, just because i like to watch them eat, its fascinating. however you choose to do it, none of the different ways will cause any significant difference in your snakes mood, apetite or well being, and if it by chance does, tune the way you do things to fit your snakes needs, for example: if hes obviously stressed by being taken out to feed every time, start feeding him in the enclosure. everyone here is just telling you how they do it, and nobodys calling you a noob, since everyone here had to learn all these things at some point, they didnt just magically know. every way of doing things has its own pros and cons, and you have to find what works best for you and your snakes