To trade or not to trade... That is the question?

I recently bought a newborn female bumblebee at the reptile show, which I realize might not have been the best decision. I have been going back and forth with a man on CL about trading the bumblebee for either a 550 gram female spider who is super tame, or an 800 gram yellowbelly who is jumpy and a bit nippy. Should I trade for the spider, the yellowbelly, both(I would throw in $150) or should I pass on the whole deal?

Didn't you just post the same question only in your other thread?

Sorry to be somewhat double posting, but last time was mainly about switching from live to f/t, and this thread is mainly about whether I should trade or not. I would very much appreciate your feedback.

Trades are all about MUTUAL benefit. If you feel you are better off with the other 2 females, then trade. If not, then do not.

Done and done.

Why was the bee not a good decision? If you like it, what's the problem?

If you are wanting to breed getting the two females would jumpstart your plans a bit but like said above if it is good for you then do it.

I feel like I made a mistake on the bee because I bought her fresh out of the egg on the breeders recommendation. She refused her first feed, and I am worried that she will be very difficult to start on F/T (I hate live)

What was the breeders reasoning for you to buy a snake that had not started feeding yet? That is not a common practice and I think most would agree is bad business.

If you do trade be sure to disclose the bee hasn't taken a meal yet..

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Originally Posted by brobertson

I feel like I made a mistake on the bee because I bought her fresh out of the egg on the breeders recommendation. She refused her first feed, and I am worried that she will be very difficult to start on F/T (I hate live)

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Who was the breeder? Rarely will a hatchling start on f/t. If you ever plan to breed in the future you're going to have to get past this aversion to live.

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Originally Posted by brobertson

I bought her fresh out of the egg on the breeders recommendation. She refused her first feed

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What kind of breeder would recommend that ?

Are you sure they're what he says they are? CL has a lot of scammers so just be careful if you do the trade. :D

I'm interested in who the breeder is because that's a kind of shady recommendation. Did they give you a discount since the bee hadn't eaten?? How long has it been now? You might want to try an assisted feeding if the little girl isn't showing interest in food.

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Originally Posted by babyknees

Are you sure they're what he says they are? CL has a lot of scammers so just be careful if you do the trade. :D

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Originally Posted by TXpythons

I'm interested in who the breeder is because that's a kind of shady recommendation. Did they give you a discount since the bee hadn't eaten?? How long has it been now? You might want to try an assisted feeding if the little girl isn't showing interest in food.

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Both of these are very good points;)

Most hatchlings will not start on F/T, and plenty of babies refuse their first meal (no matter what it is) and go on to be great eaters. I don't know how long you've had the bee, but if it's only been one meal, I wouldn't panic yet. That being said, if you plan on breeding, you will probably not be able to completely avoid feeding live, at least for new hatchlings.

As for the trade, that is really just a personal decision. Just make sure you disclose that the bee isn't eating.

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Originally Posted by brobertson

I feel like I made a mistake on the bee because I bought her fresh out of the egg on the breeders recommendation. She refused her first feed, and I am worried that she will be very difficult to start on F/T (I hate live)

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you dont loose anything trying to feed live maybe she will eat.

I wouldn't trade because that bee is already stressed out enough. I would at least try to get it eating before putting it through any further stress!


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I bought her from HDI reptiles, and they told me that she wouldn't be an issue. I was gullible, so I went for it. Looking back, it was quite stupid of me. Anyway, I have two more F/T hoppers left, and if she doesn't take either, I will buy a live one. I have decided to hold on to her for the time being.

I would strongly recommend offering her a live hopper first, and once she has had a few meals, then make the switch. You will have a much higher chance for success if you do that, because her feeding response will be stronger after a few meals.

Don't trade! you can try contacting Brian from 'for goodness of snakes' and see if he can help you start your snake off, he's a awesome guy located in San Jose. Don't give up on your knew hatching :)

Here's a vid he has on how to Assist Feed stubborn baby ball pythons. He writes "If you have a baby ball python that does not eat within 3 weeks after its first shed then you will want to try this technique." But also states that if this doesn't work you'll want to try a live pinkie.
http://youtu.be/2K2gXdeQU1I

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Originally Posted by brobertson

I bought her from HDI reptiles, and they told me that she wouldn't be an issue. I was gullible, so I went for it. Looking back, it was quite stupid of me. Anyway, I have two more F/T hoppers left, and if she doesn't take either, I will buy a live one. I have decided to hold on to her for the time being.

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OK - so his name is Doug Day (googled for the owner of HDI Reptiles). Most reputable breeders are not going to sell a baby straight out of the egg unless it's to another experienced breeder that they've known for some time. To sell a baby fresh out of the egg before its first shed at a show is irresponsible, and because he doesn't have first hand experience if that baby will eat, he shouldn't guarantee that she wouldn't be an issue.

Seems as though he was more concerned with the sale than the well being of the snake. :(

I wouldn't make that trade. now for getting your hatchling to eat. we will need more info on how you're keeping the hatchling. a pic of the enclosure, the size of the enclosure, temps, humidity, and don't hold the hatchling until it gets a good feeding response. leave it alone, no stress.

Also if you don't want to see your snake eat a live pinkie see if anyone else in your family would be willing to do it for you so you don't have to watch.

I agree it was irresponsible to sell it to you without having eaten under and guiding your decision by claiming F/T right away would not be an issue.

I had this situation come up recently but I was prepared to bite the bullet and feed live. I must say, they are QUITE efficient at what they do. It was not nearly as upsetting as I thought it would be.

Feed it a few live hoppers before trying anything with the F/T. It's going to be a waste of money until it's like 150g I would say.

Wow lots of good info here.. first of all I'd be getting back with the breeder and start taking refund if she die's because she wont eat..Second of all even though I think you've learn the hard way, NEVER EVER buy an non-eating animal from anyone. Now that we've gotten that out of the way.

One question how long since the animal hatched has it been 1 week? 3? 10?

If it's only been a couple of weeks there is still time to get that thing eating

1. Get that baby a good small tight hide, something that it can really curl up in and feel safe.
2. Use a dark tub or cover the setup somehow
3. Leave it alone for at least a week.
4. Offer a live rat pup, anything smaller doesn't move around enough, even better get a little mouse hopper.
5. I preface the following by saying that the above feeder items are in no way able to harm the baby snake! Leave to food item in over night.
6. If the baby hasn't eaten by morning take the feeder out and try again in 2 days.
7. After about 3-4 tries stop offering for a few day's and try again.
8. During all of this do not handle look at or mess with the snake. Only peek in to make sure it's still among the living and close the tub.

The problem here is stress, and this till one has had loads of it so far. Get it De-stressed if the animal isn't to far gone and work from there. But your first order of business is to call the breeder not to pawn your mistake off on someone else.

Keep us up to date on how it goes.

You don't even need to sit there and watch...some hatchlings are shy. When I feed mine their first meals, I drop the hopper in, turn off the lights and leave for 15min. A rat pink or a hopper mouse isn't going to hurt the snake.