Elated new BP caregivers

My boyfriend and I just entered the world of Ball Pythons :)

My sister's friend works at a reptile shop a couple towns over. Without dragging the story out in detail, the she said this guy had come in and displayed "gross mishandling" of the python he brought in (he was complaining it was the wrong pattern).
She took him away from him and was given permission to personally find him a home, having decided the poor baby had been through enough.

She and my sister came by to hang out while in transit with the little guy, and my boyfriend and I just fell in love with him. Neither of us had ever owned a snake, but there was just a connection with him that we couldn't help but offer to give him a home.


He. Is. Awesome. =D
I've always liked snakes, but never knew one that seemed affectionate! He's so good about being handled and we just gave him his first feeding here at home today, and I couldn't BELIEVE how easy he made it!
(the mouse made it easy too, running immediately face-to-face... I think he was a little suicidal and knew he'd serve a good purpose dying this way XD haha)
He struck, held it for no more than 3 or 5 minutes, and got the hopper down in under 10.



I've been "shopping" for forums for when I need advice, input, have questions relating to behavior, or just "get to know" other python parents and hear stories about their buddies :)
This one seemed to be the one with actual activity going on and seems like a great group of people from some of the posts I scoped out!

Looking forward to the ride ahead :) Should be in for a couple of decades of Royal adoration with your help.





He's named "Mordin" (shout out to all you Mass Effect fans!), a CB, he's the Duke of Orbs, and he's going to be one spoiled snake.

Hello and welcome to BP.net. You aren't going to find a site more helpful than this one when it comes to BP's :)

I suggest you check out these threads to get started:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...04#post1845904

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Hello and welcome to BP.net. You aren't going to find a site more helpful than this one when it comes to BP's :)

I suggest you check out these threads to get started:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...04#post1845904

---

^^ True!:gj:

Great!
Yeah, I had already sniffed around a bit, so had come across and devoured the care sheet you guys have up here :) Great the have the additional information on the temperature control options, too @_@;;; I like the sound of the UTH, but that might have to wait until I have a new tank that I'd feel more comfortable using one with. For now we've been set up with everything he needs by the shopgirl-friend :) she got us a heat lamp with a dimmer that we're able to keep him from touching, easily enough.

Right now, where we live and without central AC, Mordin's the only one enjoying the temperature XD I've just had to keep an eye on it since the room's temperature itself can drop/rise rather quickly and I have to adjust the light several times while the room transitions. Right now I want to get a thermometer that also has a humidity gage. He seems to be doing all right so far, but feel better with some actual numbers to base further decisions/adjustments on.


Heheh, I can't wait for him to get bigger so I can get him a new tank (he's going to have a killer bachelor pad)

I would stay away from tanks. Large tanks are very difficult to keep proper temperatures/humidity levels in.

Tubs or PVC cages are much prefered.

Check out these threads:

Tubs: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Basics...*DUW*

PVC cages: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

Ah-so, hadn't heard that bit of info yet, thanks!!

The PVC set up looks like the right idea for us, then. Setting it up should be a fun project for us (hopefully he'll be okay in his tank until we get that ready, then :)

Welcome and advice from a fellow newb:

The under-tank heat pads don't mention anywhere on their packaging that they need to be used in conjunction with a thermostat controller, but THEY DO. I made the mistake of using one without and it nearly burned my house down. Never. Again.

Also, I advise getting your BP on fresh killed prey as soon as possible! There are threads you don't want to see full of pictures of the damage that live prey can do to your snake. I know this sometimes is a controversial topic, but once I found out how easy it is to pre-kill a mouse and then feed it to my snake with a pair of tongs, I was elated, and have never looked back!

Yeah, I was interested in the pre-kill or even the thawed-kill methods I've been hearing about on here. My main concern is any possible injuries little Mordy might sustain (so far we've been lucky, but I know that the risk goes up as his prey size has to increase).


Gah, killing one myself is going to be tough, for sure (I love rodents, too :P ) but I love my buddy, sometimes you gotta do what needs to be done XP

You got pics? I would love to see a couple pics of your snake. Also when you are comfortable with it you should probably switch him over to rats. Ball pythons are girthy snakes and require larger and slightly fattier prey items than mice. There are a few picky ball pythons that will only take mice but they tend to be on the smaller side unless the owner slips in an extra meal per week but it could still cause your snake to stay on the small side. A good rule of thumb is to feed a prey item that is as thick as the widest part of your snake. Unless its a hatchling I think hopper mice are very small. I received my cinnie when she was only a month old and she started taking rat pups for me immediately. You can order frozen thawed rats in packs of 25 or you can make a weekly trip to the pet store...

A guy at my local reptile store showed me a way to kill them that works well for me (everybody is different though, and my wife can't do it.) I grab the mouse by the tail near the base and flick them hard against the bone of my wrist right at the top of their neck. It breaks their neck and they are dead, just like that. There's no twitching or anything; just dead. Other people like to use a CO2 chamber and "put them to sleep" with carbon dioxide gas. Someone once recommended that I put a pencil against the base of their head and push down hard to break their neck; that was awful, it popped the mouse's eyes out but didn't kill it. :tears: I would personally never recommend that method.

I also love rodents; we have a pair of pet hooded rats. They are not snake food! But then again, I also have pet chickens, even though I love to eat chicken!

I want to get my BP on frozen/thawed, if for no other reason than for the cost benefit, but I think pre-killed is sort of a stepping stone in that direction. At least he's eating them while they are dead, even if they are only recently dead!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Andybill

You got pics? I would love to see a couple pics of your snake. Also when you are comfortable with it you should probably switch him over to rats. Ball pythons are girthy snakes and require larger and slightly fattier prey items than mice. There are a few picky ball pythons that will only take mice but they tend to be on the smaller side unless the owner slips in an extra meal per week but it could still cause your snake to stay on the small side. A good rule of thumb is to feed a prey item that is as thick as the widest part of your snake. Unless its a hatchling I think hopper mice are very small. I received my cinnie when she was only a month old and she started taking rat pups for me immediately. You can order frozen thawed rats in packs of 25 or you can make a weekly trip to the pet store...

---

Man, I am the worst about taking pictures! Good thing I don't have any actual children or they'd grow up resenting me T_T;;;

I'll take some once he's a little more active again; the lighting in the room is great for him, terrible for photos.
Until then, I do have these two (again, sorry for the quality, I'm really not a photo-person :P )

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/t/d5key.jpg
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/t/cb6eb.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eclectix

A guy at my local reptile store showed me a way to kill them that works well for me (everybody is different though, and my wife can't do it.) I grab the mouse by the tail near the base and flick them hard against the bone of my wrist right at the top of their neck. It breaks their neck and they are dead, just like that. There's no twitching or anything; just dead. Other people like to use a CO2 chamber and "put them to sleep" with carbon dioxide gas. Someone once recommended that I put a pencil against the base of their head and push down hard to break their neck; that was awful, it popped the mouse's eyes out but didn't kill it. :tears: I would personally never recommend that method.

I also love rodents; we have a pair of pet hooded rats. They are not snake food! But then again, I also have pet chickens, even though I love to eat chicken!

I want to get my BP on frozen/thawed, if for no other reason than for the cost benefit, but I think pre-killed is sort of a stepping stone in that direction. At least he's eating them while they are dead, even if they are only recently dead!

---

Oh dear god, the pencil situation sounds awful! @.@;; I'd feel SO bad.
Yeah, killing them ourselves is not an experience either one of us are jumping at, but seems like if we're transitioning him from live prey to eventually frozen, that'd be the best way to get him to cooperate successfully.

Going to have to find someone who can show me that trick... 8P

Hey i am new to bps as well, a friend of mine recommended putting the rat in a pillow case or sack and spinning it around. the rat gets disoriented and dizzy. put it immediately in with the snake and just stand by with a pencil. place the pencil under the rats nose so if it tries to bite your snake all it gets is the pencil.

I tried it and it worked great. good luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ivie

Hey i am new to bps as well, a friend of mine recommended putting the rat in a pillow case or sack and spinning it around. the rat gets disoriented and dizzy. put it immediately in with the snake and just stand by with a pencil. place the pencil under the rats nose so if it tries to bite your snake all it gets is the pencil.

I tried it and it worked great. good luck!

---

That can be very dangerous... if the BP doesn't get the rodent fast enough and the rodent snaps out of it they can be extremely aggressive and ultimately be more dangerous than if you wouldn't have done that in the first place.

Further it is unnecessary torment to the rodent. Either pre-kill them or feed live trying to daze them is not a good idea.

One thing I found with mice that is fast and fairly easy. I set the mouse on my knee, holding on by the tail. I use my finger to flick it really hard right on top of the head, you know, like you flick a bug off of you. This stuns it. Once it is stunned grab it just behind the ears with your other hand and pull HARD. There will be a faint pop when the spine dislocates, and you are ready to feed.

Sometimes with larger mice, they will kick a little when you do this. Their spines are thicker and harder to dislocate. But if you do it a few times, you can get a feel for it and should rarely have a problem.

Gale

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raymei

Going to have to find someone who can show me that trick... 8P

---

When I was at the reptile shop the guy was feeding a baby ball python, and I noticed that one moment the mouse in his hand was alive and the next it was dead. He did it so fast that I didn't even see what he'd done. After my bad experiences with other methods I had to ask him if he could teach me how he did it. After showing me what to do, he gave me one so I could try it out with him watching to make sure I was doing it right. I was nervous at first that I wouldn't do it right and only hurt the mouse, but it was so easy. The mouse ended up as food for a carpet python. Now I have no problem killing them this way and they don't suffer at all.

Now my biggest problem is figuring out what to do if my python refuses a mouse. I hate wasting a life- any life. I don't really have anything else right now that would eat a dead mouse if my BP doesn't want it. Well, I guess that's not quite true; my chickens probably would eat it. They will eat pretty much anything. If I fell unconscious in their enclosure, they'd probably start to devour me within minutes.

HA!
Yeah, my boyfriend had to tend chickens at his parents house (said they could be real @$$holes).

Hm, I wonder if the guy that owns Reptile Room would be willing to give me a tutorial/practice session.. The way you were allowed to experience it was really lucky! That's definitely ideal! (And yeah, an unaccepted kill would be problematic. I would imagine the freezing process is more complicated than throwing him in a baggy; you wouldn't want to amateurishly destroy any tissue that would in turn be more likely to be rejected)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by angllady2

One thing I found with mice that is fast and fairly easy. I set the mouse on my knee, holding on by the tail. I use my finger to flick it really hard right on top of the head, you know, like you flick a bug off of you. This stuns it. Once it is stunned grab it just behind the ears with your other hand and pull HARD. There will be a faint pop when the spine dislocates, and you are ready to feed.

Sometimes with larger mice, they will kick a little when you do this. Their spines are thicker and harder to dislocate. But if you do it a few times, you can get a feel for it and should rarely have a problem.

Gale

---

That seems like something I could do. If I can't find someone to show me the flick technique (wouldn't want to just be beating the poor thing against my wrist again and again in order to learn by trial and error) I'll at least have that to try to help get his transition moving (or in case we have to move up to bigger guys that might pose a threat before then).

Awesome, thanks guys!!

When I fed live mice I would also flick it hard on the back of the head to stun it however I would just go ahead and feed it like that. I dont think I could pop its little head off!!!

As for measuring temperature and humidity these are great.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347

Took the suggestion from Aaron/ The Serpent Merchant, and I was thrilled with their cost and ability.

There have been a few people saying they have been discontinued or this model has been, and I can confirm after speaking with a representative of the company this week that while there are 2 designs out they have not been discontinued nor is there a plan to discontinue them. I really like them and needed to know if I should go on a mad hoarding spree buying them from all the Walmarts near by lol.

As for pre-killing mice , I used to do it when I had a large collection of hots, simply cause if the mouse did go nuts I was not willing to reach in to attempt to save the snake it just wasn't safe for anyone involved. The method I was taught was a solid thump on the head then holding the mouse in your hand use your other hand to get two fingers behind the head and a short quick jerk to dislocate the neck. May not be the best method but I never had it fail and always seemed very quick. Now that I am back into BPs I am a major fan of F/T when ever possible though. Currently switching over the newest addition from live to F/T.

Ok long post sorry , Congrats and welcome to the community ^^