did i traumatize my bp?!

So I realize that i've made a beginner mistake with my BP, but I have a feeding question. A month or so ago I purchased 2 normal siblings that were eating live mouse hoppers but seemed big enough to handle mice, which they have been eating for the last 5 or so feedings. The breeder recommended I get them on rats as soon as possible, so my plan was that once they were established on eating with me, I would transition them to rat pups and then work on getting them to eat f/t rats, since i've read a lot on here on how BPs can be such picky eaters...so i wanted to go a very slow and steady route. Well I finally found a petshop about 30 minutes away that breeds rats and today I went and picked up two rat babies that were the approximate size of an adult mouse...maybe longer? (I don't have a scale to weigh the snakes/prey...but they were just about the same size as the widest part of the snakes body. I guess they were weanlings? their eyes were closed but on rare occasion would open). Feeding the female first...she struck immediately, killed and swallowed the rat pup with no problem at all (sans trying to eat it butt first before finally finding the head). The male on the other hand (which is extremely aggressive comparing the two...he will sometimes strike at the glass if he sees you etc) i expected to take it easier than his sister...but the opposite happened! He stresses a little when I watch him, so after watching for 5 mins or so...i left the room, thinking to check back in 30 minutes...and seeing how easily the female ate it...i wasn't too worried about him getting hurt at all. When i came back...the rat pup was sleeping on the warm side of his viv, he had pooped in the tank and he was trying to get out of it. :Othis pup literally scared the poop out of my most aggressive snake! So after freaking out about what to do...i decided that i would pk the rat pup and offer it to him. So I brown paper bagged/blunt hit the rat (i don't have dry ice, so i think this is the next most humane way?) and I left it back in his viv. When i put it in, he seemed to show interest, but after an hour of leaving the pup in...he is hiding on the warm side, and the pup is still there. I plan on leaving it in there overnight...and in the morning tossing it in the freezer to offer to the female in a few days. Any suggestions on what I should do with him? Should I ignore this weeks feedings? Is it possible he may be a mouser? When I say he is aggressive...he will strike defensively at everything. when i handle him, he will try to strike at my other hand as i clean out his viv and put hides back together. He seems to be getting less aggressive as the last 2/3 times i've done 5 minutes of handling, his hissing is minimal...and today when i handled him (first getting him out, then the rat pup out) he didn't hiss or strike at all. I have both snakes in separate 10 gallon tanks with lids, both have their own UTH, attached to a hydrofarm set at 95 degrees. with the aspen on top, the warm side usually reads around 90 degrees using a temp gun, but the probes are on the bottom of the tank, under the aspen above the UTH. The ambient temp of the room is always 80-85 with usually 50-55% humidity (they are in a basement office room with a closed door so it's always dark, unless i go inside, when I turn on the light). Previous to this...he has taken every live mouse feeding relentlessly...and shed and all with no problems. Did i traumatize my snake? lol :confusd:

short story anywhere?

Coulda just been intimidated by the rat bc he's used to mice. I wouldnt worry too much! :)

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Originally Posted by 4Ballz

short story anywhere?

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Well, that was rude.

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Originally Posted by Andrew21

Well, that was rude.

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dude dont hate. Not everyone had Sesame Street to teach them when they were little! :D

i wouldnt worry. id just try again next week.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

dude dont hate. Not everyone had Sesame Street to teach them when they were little! :D

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Haha, Honestly, I'd probably watch it today if it ever came on! That and winnie the pooh! :rofl:

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Originally Posted by tmooney0220

i wouldnt worry. id just try again next week.

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x2 I actually have had BPs refuse and then poo that night, so that could have something to do with him refusing. Just offer a rat at the next regular feeding time. Oh, and get a scale from Walmart. They are really too cheap to justify not having one, and that way you don't have to guess at what an appropriate prey size is for your snakes.

lol, for a first time post, it was a big one. I am shocked actually. Only one person really gave some input, and no one else really gave their two cents, but only to mine. the OP hasn't even come back to thank the person. Everyone can relax on my comment, as it was a "holy hecK" moment. The OP pretty much answered their own question as well....

If anything they should be commended. Most new people receive a couple dozen "more info plz" replies ha

Howdy y'all. I frequent these forums and read tons of threads hence all the extra info since it seems that everyone asks what the temps and setup is for the snake. And since this is my first time checking since posting the thread... Thank you to the people who said not to worry. I guess next time I'll keep my husbandry mistakes to myself.. Sorry

You'll notice there are those that tend to help out new people, and there are those that tend to try to assert their expertise as if their way is the ONLY way and you're an idiot if you don't agree.

There is an "ignore" button on the forum and I've learned to use it here for those that are not too welcoming of new bp enthusiasts. Take the haters with a grain of salt and you'll find plenty of helping hands here just as I have.

Just try again, only concern is that you left it alone half an hour. when you feed live you must watch to ensure your snake's safety

oh, ok...i didn't think leaving it alone would be too big of a problem since it was moving around, but it's eyes weren't even open yet...but i guess it can still scratch and things like that. Is there a recommended process from converting from live to f/t or just try and cross your fingers? lol

I truly apologize to you Kelvin, as I'm usually very supportive on this site, and never talking smack. It was all in good fun, as I was amazed at the length. I was trying to just have some "fun", but sadly the text can not be seen as "humorous" or "sarcastic". Again, sorry to all the other readers as well.

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Originally Posted by Kelvin Rivera

oh, ok...i didn't think leaving it alone would be too big of a problem since it was moving around, but it's eyes weren't even open yet...but i guess it can still scratch and things like that. Is there a recommended process from converting from live to f/t or just try and cross your fingers? lol

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Leaving a pup whose eyes aren't even open isn't going to put your snake in dire danger. It's the larger, weaned rodents that are more risky. Some BPs also won't eat while they're being watched. I trust my snakes to know what nature has ingrained in them, which is how to dispatch a rodent without allowing major damage to themselves. [Cliff's Notes version: You did fine. :)] As far as switching from live to F/T, the biggest recommendation I can make is to make sure it is fully thawed and then warmed (hair dryer, heat lamp, etc.) so your BP recognizes it as prey. I just hold my F/T in front of them with tongs (more jiggling for the less shy BPs, and vice versa).

I was going to comment lol. Then I saw that the OP didn't come back... well actually I am still commenting so ignore that first bit.

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Originally Posted by Rocialhabit

I was going to comment lol. Then I saw that the OP didn't come back... well actually I am still commenting so ignore that first bit.

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Wow what a noob move. I didn't mean to hit Submit on this... And whats worse is I don't see how to delete the post. :( Such fail...

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Originally Posted by Kelvin Rivera

So I brown paper bagged/blunt hit the rat (i don't have dry ice, so i think this is the next most humane way?

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If you're wondering, this is not the next most humane way. It's questionably one of the least humane ways, actually. It's not called 'paper bagging,' it's called bludgeoning. It's a horrible way to die. Here's what you want to do next time:


Throw on some leather gloves

Pin it down flat with one hand behind its head with your thumb and forefinger holding it right at the back of its skull... kind of pinching the back of the head. Hold it with the other hand firmly at the base of its tail.

Give a SHARP, FIRM tug at the base of the tail. This is more of a snap of the wrist than a pull of the arm.



Behind dry ice, that's the most humane way to kill a rodent for feeding.

Yup, just wait till next weeks feeding and try again. One thing I would like to mention, is that I would not freeze the rat after you left out overnight. I would chuck it.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

thanks for all the new tips everyone...i didn't know about the neck/pulling the tail technique so i'll be sure to do that next time. I left the dead rat in his viv for 2 hours in a dark room and he didn't eat it, so i froze it after that instead of leaving it in overnight. I'm just going to skip this week and try again next week. I'm going to offer the female the frozen rat and offer the male a f/t mouse to see if they will both take to f/t. thanks again everyone!

and to 4ballz...it's alright. I wasn't so personally offended or anything by your post...I was just trying to be detailed, so I admit that the post was long. No harm done :)

Sometimes starting with a smaller rat rather than one the same size as the mouse can help. Also try thawing it in a bag with a mouse or dirty mouse bedding so that there's mouse scent on it.

I would toss it if it was left overnight; it's no good after being left out that long.

Edit: I just remembered you were trying to convert with live first, so actually try rubbing it with mouse bedding! :)