» Site Navigation
0 members and 714 guests
No Members online
Most users ever online was 47,180, 07-16-2025 at 05:30 PM.
» Today's Birthdays
» Stats
Members: 75,905
Threads: 249,103
Posts: 2,572,095
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
|
-
Well I am curious about how many people here feed frozen rodents to their ball pythons. Besides the obvious safety issues why are frozen rodent better then rodents that have been knocked out. And if I decide to try these frozen "treats" how do i go about thawing them out.
-
LIVE, FROZEN, OR FRESH KILLED
I feed frozen rodents to all of my snakes (except for one-a baby sand boa who will only take live pinkies) and I find it to be the best way to go in my opinion. Frozen is better because it is cheaper, safer and much more convenient.
I thaw my rodents by placing them in a spare rubbermaid container and then letting them sit in hot (not scalding hot, but very warm) water for about 1/2 an hour.....if the water gets cold or the rodent isn't thawed all the way, I refill the tub with new water.
-
Photo of Jojo my first BP
This is an interesting thread started on this topic that may help answer your question.
http://ball-pythons.net/index.php?na...iewtopic&t=986
As with my opinion, frozen rodents are so much more convienant, they are much cheaper, and they don't smell! lol...Plus, you won't have to worry about the biting or scratching or your snake getting hurt.. Just much more convienant IMO.
Jennifer
-
I feed frozen. I place the rodent in a ziploc bag and then sit that in warm water to thaw. Then I take the rodent out of the ziploc and sit on a paper towel that I put on top of his light fixture - he won't take his food unless it's 108 degrees or more so I have to add this final step to warm it up more.
-
I also feed my new python frozen. When I got my bp it was only used to eating live pinkies, and this made it a challenge to feed it frozen/thawed for the first time. I finally had success by doing what DavidBeard said about thawing it in warm water, and then adding a little more kick right before the feed. Right before I give the rat pup to the bp I hold the rat pup under the heat lamp for about 30 seconds to get it really nice and warm. I then dangle the rat pup, and so far Pina just can’t resist! I’m not an expert by any measure, but if you have trouble getting your bp to eat frozen/thawed, then maybe try doing the water thing and then right before you feed it, throw it under the heat lamp for 30 seconds.
-
I use frozen cause I couldn't bring myself to smack a rodent.
I defrost just like I would a steak :)
I sit out in bottom of fridge til about an hour before feeding then I just sit out in his feed box to warm up and wait for my bp to show up.
Never had a problem
Hope this helps!
-
if you would rather buy a rodents and kill it yourself, that is fine. but that will be more costly. also rodents purchased from a pet store are more likely to be unhealthy and carrying parasites or disease. in my opinion, f/t is better because the company you buy from is (should be) dedicated to breeding the healthiest rodents that cost alot less. im pretty sure these are the only things wrong with buying them and killing them yourself. so hopefully that will help you decide.
-
Quote:
As with my opinion, frozen rodents are so much more convienant, they are much cheaper, and they don't smell! lol...Plus, you won't have to worry about the biting or scratching or your snake getting hurt.. Just much more convienant IMO.
Ditto
Rusty
-
Yep...have to concur with everyone else here. Of course, I'm not feeding a ball yet, but the same principles apply for any snake. You can keep a stock of rodents in the freezer that will last you for months, or you can go to the pet store every week and spend more per critter, or you can raise your own and deal with the hassle of keeping them clean and fed and happy. Not to mention that with either of those last two options, you have to kill them yourself. For some people that is a non-issue, but for many of us, it's something avoided if at all possible.
-
I either feed pre killed or frozen, it's about half and half.
-
Two of our three eat frozen-thawed, but one will only take live so far. We are trying to get him switched over.
-
I feed f/t. I thaw them by cranking up the heat and the heat in my critter room really gets warm. I put the mice-cicles in there and they start to thaw. If they don't thaw quick enough, I'll take them and place them on a table and direct a light right onto them. They will thaw pretty quickly then.
Besides, Breeze will only take them if they are really warm, right out from under the light. Clarice won't take them at all outside of her enclosure. She doesn't seem to mind them not being anything above room temperature. I can't seem to get her to eat in a feeding box. But that's another thread. Oh well, she's fat and healthy. That's what counts I guess.
Go frozen thawed. Better for the snake. Better on the wallet. Better all around. And you don't have to feed them, clean up after them, or put up with them if the snake refuses to eat them.
-
By the way, if you're interested in buying f/t, I get mine from a guy here in Colorado a town over from me.
I get 30 adults, 30 hoppers, and 50 pinkies for about $42 and some change. Of course, I pick them up so I don't have to pay for shipping. But that'll give you and idea on how much you'll save buying f/t compared to buying a live one at the pet store for a buck or two per mouse.
If anyone is interested in contacting this supplier, let me know and I'll get you in touch with him. He's a good guy.
-
Is anyone using f/t based on the argument that it can eventually slake off the constricting impulse/reaction associated with feeding? I know after repeated feeding of f/t some species will recognize they no longer need to kill the mouse and will simply go for the swallow. I more than understand the argument on safety for the snake, economics and "storage" - just curious if anyone either was motivated by this or noticed this as an unplanned result.
EDIT - spelling - hate these ergo keybds at work :(
-
Corn snakes do that all the time.
My runt doesn't constrict, it just swallows they dead mouse.
-
How many of you feed dead and/or frozen rodents AND feed in a different container? I have heard that feeding a snake in a different container than what it lives in reduces the risk of harm to yourself. I assume that is the motivation behind feeding dead and/or frozen food as opposed to live food as well.
-
I have two BP's and i feed them in a seperate tank for each of them so they can eat and be left alone for a couple of days they are still small so i can put them each in a 10gallon which are cheap about 15 bux. Then i move them back to the big enclosure and clean out the ten gallon tanks for next time.
-
gozetec02: Do you feed live or pre-killed/fozen food?
-
I feed f/t in a different container more because it's easier to supervise and there are fewer things for a clumsy bp to bounce its head off of than because I'm worried about the bp's striking at me when I open their enclosures. Too many times I've seen a bp strike and bounce its head off something, so I want there to be as few objects in there with it as possible.
-
When my BP grabs the mouse (f/t) I'll tug on the tail of the mouse to simulate a live resistant prey. Then they tighten themselves around it until they believe they've killed it.
-
-
I feed live most of the time if the mouse is small like a hopper or a small female. But if it is a large mouse or a large male then i will smack em on the counter and that takes care of that and Jojo just goes for it if i use the hemostats to move the mouse around he eats it up.
Quote:
I'll tug on the tail of the mouse to simulate a live resistant prey. Then they tighten themselves around it until they believe they've killed it.
I do the same thing he seems very proud when he is done.:)
-
Marla: Thanks for that link. There's a lot of good information there. Smulkin and I will definitely make the switch.
-
Some new pics.
I feed either F/T or fresh killed. I've never put a live rodent in the enclosures with my snakes. Another advantage of bringing home something that's already dead: You don't have a live rat or mouse trying to chew its way out of the box or bag you're carrying it in. Dead rodents also don't escape and take up residence somewhere in your house.
When I thaw the frozen rodents, I use a large insulated mug. I fill it about 3/4 full of hot tap water (typically around 120 to 130 degrees F). I place the frozen rodent in a ziploc bag, and then immerse the bag in the hot water, and keep track of the temperature (I use a "candy" thermometer sold for cooking). When the temp of the water gets down to around 100, I offer the thawed rodent to my snake.
Based on what I've read in this thread, I may try offering it a little warmer. I checked on line and found a veterinarian page that listed normal mouse body temp as 98.6 (some coincindence?), so that was what I was basing the temp I offer at on.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smynx
Marla: Thanks for that link. There's a lot of good information there. Smulkin and I will definitely make the switch.
I'm glad to hear you decided that, because I think it leads to healthier ball pythons in the long run, not to mention less frustration for those humans who do/can feed frozen/thawed rodents.
-
I placed my first order for frozen feeder mice today from Big Apple Herp.com. Anyone have any experience with them?
-
Is this a wound?
I haven't ordered feeders from them, but I have ordered hardware for the cage. I had a problem with the thermometer I ordered and called them...the guy was very helpful and polite and together we worked it out. I wouldn't hesitate to do business with them again based on my experience so far.
-
Gerbils
First order of frozen biggies on it's way. We took the first step in making the transition today by offering Neph a large fresh killed. When it was just laying there she pretty much used it as a pillow, resting her head on it for 15 mins. Whipped out the tongs and as soon as she thought she had a moving target BAM! I had initial reservations, her being much narrower than a ball, but she managed to gulp it right down despite it's girth being about 4x her neck size. Here 10 minutes later she's already climbing around the cage checking stuff out. 'Suki's next up.
-
Excellent, Smulkin! Hope it goes as well with Suki. :)
-
Suki also preferred a moving target. Although she was very interested in the freshly killed mouse, sniffing around and rared back ready to strike (unlike Neph using his for a pillow), she just couldn't bring herself to actually strike at it until Smulkin wiggled the mouse with a pair of tongs. All in all it went well, despite our son accidently dropping the dead mouse in the water bowl when he tried to lower it into the tank with the tongs - looks like we'll have to invest in a pair of locking hemostats. The frozen feeders we ordered should arrive on Thursday, in time for the weekend feed, so cross your fingers for us.
-
Yup, a lot of the time it is necessary to do the zombie mouse polka before they'll accept warmed mouseicles as prey items, but if that's the worst of it getting them fed, then you're in good shape. I hate when I have the mouse clamped in the hemostats (but not locked, because I want to let go quickly) and I end up dropping the mouse in the tank. Others say their snakes jump on it when they do that. Mine look at me like I'm losing credibility that it's a real prey item. :)
-
LOL at the "zombie mouse polka." Yeah, Suki did look a bit suspicious, but hunger won out in the end.
-
Hooray for hunger then! What do you plan to feed Neph when she's outgrown jumbo rats?
-
Our cat. And eventually maybe a kid or two if they're really, really bad. (Just kidding)
Actually, Rodent Pro has frozen rabbits in 5 sizes ranging from small to "colossal" (up to 9.75 pounds). After that we'll have to explore other options. Maybe some others on here with giant constrictors have some suggestions . . . anyone?
-
stray dogs
or just go to your local SPCA and pick out the apropriate sized dog
JUST KIDDING
-
You know, I almost said that (jokingly), but I was afraid someone might take offense.
-
HAHAHA
I don't often think of reprucssions (spelling??)
thats why I tend to get in trouble alot!
-
Pimp_n, hmm... maybe you ought to think of the repercussions sometimes, but I think we're all right on this one. ;) I know a couple of pit bulls I'd love to offer Neph, Smynx. It'd only be fair since they ate my cat. Seriously, though, maybe you should look into breeding New Zealand Giant bunnies. We had one when I was a kid and he was 17 or 18 lbs. when grown.
-
how long did it take to reach that size marla?
-
I think it was about a year, but it has been almost 25 years ago (geez! I feel so old!). Still, it's probably a pretty good prey option if you have space to breed them, and they're cute as heck.
-
see that would be my problem. i even get attatched to some of my rats. it's sad really.
-
LOL, that's not sad. It just means you're tender-hearted. Nothing wrong with that. You'd have to have a much bigger snake than a bp to eat the giant bunnies tho. And if you fed them, you could just pretend they were the vicious bunny from The Holy Grail first so you wouldn't feel so bad. :)
-
LOL!!! I could see Smulkin re-enacting that scene from the Holy Grail just before feeding Neph. Our kids think that's one of the most hilarious scenes in any movie ever.
Marla: Those sound like some huge rabbits. Can you really call them "bunnies" when they're that large? It's a good idea, though, and one I'll look into (we do have the room). My guess is the breeders will be treated like family pets. My son got attached to a mouse we bought to feed to our lizard but turned out to be too large for it. I was saving it to feed to one of the snakes (before we made the decision to switch to f/t), but it became his pet within about 48 hours. Ah ha! Another good reason not to feed live prey!
-
Smynx, I think our kids would get along just fine. ;) Last year my older daughter got a stuffed Monty Python bunny with huge fangs if you open its mouth and she loved it! They are prone to reciting Monty Python at any time (don't ever say the word "shrubbery" if you're not prepared for what comes next, lol).
As far as the rabbits, I figure I'll stop calling them bunnies when they stop being cute. ;) At the same time as we had the giant bunny, we also had a skunk (vet rescue), and we used to put harnesses on them and take them for short "walks" together. Still, I thought that might be a pretty good, reproduceable food source that would keep you out of trouble with the local animal shelter. It's probably best if the breeders are family pets because then they won't panic when you're harvesting from them or feeding them. It might not occur to you, but a giant bunny has a heck of a kick. :)
-
Live/PK/FT depending on the snake, and always within the enclosure.
K
-
Marla: you have to tell me where to get the Monty Python bunny! "Shrubbery" starts everyone giggling at my house. My 14 year old son is very fond of blurting out at random moments: "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" (At one time we had 6 videotapes filled with Flying Circus episodes.)
Okay, a little of the subject at hand - reign it back in. They do sound like a good potential food source. I'm not sure how quickly Neph will grow to a size where he would require something that big (hopefully not TOO quickly), but I will certainly keep it in mind.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smynx
I'm not sure how quickly Neph will grow to a size where he would require something that big (hopefully not TOO quickly), but I will certainly keep it in mind.
LOL...it's an Afrock...he/she'll be eating rabbits within the first 2-3 years. They grow VERY fast!
K
-
Thanks for the warning. He's about 24 inches long right now and eating normal-sized mice. Maybe we should start breeding the giant bunnies now.
-
Smynx, I got the Monty Python rabbit at Media Play. They may or may not have them now, but they are generally willing to try to track things down for you. As I recall it cost about $15.
As for the other, I'm not getting good results searching for "New Zealand White Giant" which is what we were told out rabbit was, but the Flemish Giant grows to over 13 lbs. and comes in white, so that's more likely what we had, or maybe a mix of the two. This site lists some info about breeds. The American Rabbit Breeders Association has links to breeders' sites, indirectly, and the NFFGRB Breeders Directory has contact information for registered breeders, though I didn't see any in WV.
-
Boy I created a monster. I only had one question and here we are 48 Posts later and still going. :P
|