Feeding live with hide in tub

Some of you know that I have a ball that is a bit hesitant to eat for me. I'm going to try again right after he finishes his shed, which should be pretty soon- eyes are clearing.
I've only tried to feed live twice, and I want to try again this time around. My concern is: He has a hide in his tub that I don't want to take out. However, I am afraid that the rat will go in to his hide with him- where he can't be monitored. Should I abort the feeding at that point, or allow a minute or two before taking the hide out?
I really have been giving this some thought. Last time the rat went in to his hide, but he was on the outside of it. Now he spends the majority of his time in the hide. He is plenty big enough for medium adults, but I'm going to try a small, so they're definitely big enough to do some damage.

Also, when feeding live in a tub, do you close the tub and watch from outside, or leave it open? My other one eats f/t, so this isn't a concern with him.

I never remove hides when feeding. In fact, I have had BPs that seem to wait until the rat comes to check out that dark hole...and BAM! the rat never returns. :cool: I also close my tubs when feeding live - nothing like a live rat (or mouse) catapulting out at your face when it realizes there is something very bad in there with it! I know people advocate standing at-the-ready with tongs, forceps, the jaws of life, etc., to rescue their snake from a deadly rodent bite, but bear in mind that this is what your BP was MADE to do. Giving him a few minutes (say, ten) to figure out hunting and killing is not going to result in hundreds of dollars in vet bills.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

Giving him a few minutes (say, ten) to figure out hunting and killing is not going to result in hundreds of dollars in vet bills.

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Until it does result in a bad bite, localized swelling, a nasty infection....you get the point. I've driven my car over the speed limit thousands of times, and only ever got one ticket. Dang thing cost me $475 before it was all said and done. Feed the way you wanna' feed, but please be careful with statements that include the words never, not going to, or always.


blueberry, if you're worried about the rat running in the hide, may I suggest you grab it close to the base of the tail with some good tongs and let your BP come get it. There are bunches live feeding videos on youtube that demo this technique. Good luck with your feed.

If you feed live to ball pythons, Dont feed such large prey items that can inflict massive injury. Small rats is all a Adult ball should ever need for life.

Fed properly and you wont ever deal with a bite in a good strike is made.

Ive fed thousands of live never once had a bite and guarantee i wont either.

Rich makes a great point. Just because a 3200g female can eat a large rat doesn't mean you have to feed that. I also prefer to feed smaller more frequent meals. Yes the big girls have to have 2-3 rats but... I NEVER have to worry about them getting seriously hurt. Weanlings or just a week or two larger than weanling is as big as I go for feeders and this works great up through even my largest ladies.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

I honestly remove everything from my snakes tubs when feeding. Then again all that's in mine is a water dish. Nothing like cleaning tubs then having your snake making a mess with their water bowls while feeding :rolleyes:

i have gotten a few bites on my girls with ASFs. (i live in alberta haha if I'm feeding live it can't be rats :( silly laws) they have bitten bad enough a few times to draw blood, but nothing too serious. The strangest bite i have had was on my amazon tree boa, like many of you know atb's have 'heat pitts' below their jaw to sense the heat from their prays breathe. I mean he has got pretty good aim when he is striking at me; but i guess he let an adult ASF get him because his face was pretty bad. We took him to the vet (and believe me this was quite a hassle) and he received permanent damage to his heat sensors on the left side of his face. and this is an ASF guys not even a small rat!! my ATB still strikes crooked now. So believe me when i tell you, bites will happen at some point.. even to those who are very good eaters and you would not expect this to happen. because i can promise a ball is way more docile than my ATB, especially with feeding habits. and small rats can definitely still do harm if they want to!
cheers
amber

I had a girl go on an 11 month feeding strike and we finally got her to eat by putting and additional hide in her tub. Shes been pounding them since and always strikes from her hide. I guess she just prefers breakfast in bed :)

sent from my EVO

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

never once had a bite and guarantee i wont either.

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Love that optimism :rolleyes:

I agree with feeding small rats. Mine could take a medium but i would just rather not take the risk of a bad bite...

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Originally Posted by Slim

Until it does result in a bad bite, localized swelling, a nasty infection....you get the point. I've driven my car over the speed limit thousands of times, and only ever got one ticket. Dang thing cost me $475 before it was all said and done. Feed the way you wanna' feed, but please be careful with statements that include the words never, not going to, or always.

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How's this...99.9% of the time (subjectively), a few minutes alone is not going to result in hundreds of dollars in vet bills. If you check your BP after each feeding (or once wrapped), clean out any (likely minor) injuries that might have occurred, and keep a relatively clean enclosure, those odds (subjectively) drop to 99.99%. ;) I just think we get a little paranoid about a process that these creatures were built for.

And I agree with Rich, no reason to feed larger prey just because they can stuff it down, which the OP already said wasn't going to happen.

I usually leave my hides in also. If the rat goes in and stays just a little to long I will check and make sure they are ok. My boys go back and forth with size. Sometimes the small rats are to big for them. They act like they are scared of them. If they do that for a week or so I will offer a rat pup or two then go back to the small rat. I have one that won't touch a live rat he wants mice hopefully yours will take the rats :)

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

How's this...99.9% of the time (subjectively), a few minutes alone is not going to result in hundreds of dollars in vet bills. If you check your BP after each feeding (or once wrapped), clean out any (likely minor) injuries that might have occurred, and keep a relatively clean enclosure, those odds (subjectively) drop to 99.99%. ;)

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:gj: Words matter.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

I just think we get a little paranoid about a process that these creatures were built for.

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Pesonally, I don't mind being a little paranoid if it saves me the trouble and exspense of a Vet visit. I guess we all do things baised on our own experience. Nothing really wrong with that.

I know that before I got him, he was on live mediums. So a couple of smalls should replace that diet?

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Originally Posted by blueberrypancakes

I know that before I got him, he was on live mediums. So a couple of smalls should replace that diet?

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That equivalent weight sounds about right. Do you have a scale to weigh your prey items?

Feeding live will result in the occasional bite no matter how careful you are. All of our bites have been defensive and unpreventable, with the exception of not feeding live. It's not like you can force the snake to perfectly execute the kill every single time. 99% are harmless with the teeth doing no damage, but we have had two bites in/on the mouth that are dangerous and kind of scary.

Most of our BPs are on pre-killed now. We do have a few off/on eaters with crappy feeding responses that will probably always get live. They'll continue to get bit occasionally, get scared, and stop eating for a while. Worst predators ever. :rolleyes:

Fun fact: I've had a BP get bit by a pre-killed rat. Yep. The snake somehow bent the rat backwards while wrapping it up and pushed the teeth on the upper jaw through its own scales so hard that it drew blood.

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Originally Posted by Slim

:gj: Words matter.

Pesonally, I don't mind being a little paranoid if it saves me the trouble and exspense of a Vet visit. I guess we all do things baised on our own experience. Nothing really wrong with that.

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Agree on both points. :D