So hard to wait!

So Ive had my first ball for a week now and I want to hold him soooo badly! really…really badly. He hasnt eaten for me yet though so I dont wanna stress him out I suppose :( just venting my sadness.

the time will come i know the feeling i go thru it alot lol.....

Hang in there. Just keep reading this site And watching YouTube videos like I did. Our new boy is settled in beautifully and we get to hold him quite regularly now and we've only had him for about a month.

Thanks for the support! Im def finding the site super informative and Im trying to read as much as I can from as many sources as I can. Havent really done many youtube vids but I will try that. We tried feeding him Tuesday but he was not interested in the least. The next morning I found some poop in the cage though so I figured that would explain that. Im going to try and feed again tomorrow and (fingers crossed) Ill get to handle him by early next week then.

Just relax and be patient. I get like that whenever I get a new snake. Ball pythons are pretty shy to begin with so it make take sometime, but it is well worth the wait and will save you a headache later on.

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Yeah if he's not eating I woulnt hold him either.. I've been pretty lucky all my snakes ate within 5 days of owning them I try to have snakes arrive on feeding days so the next cycles I can offer my new stuff its worked on every one no problems... But yeah be patient and you will be holding him for yrs to come..

My ball was a rescue I gave it 24 hours to settle and it ate the day I brought it home. Snakes are easy to stress but every one is different. I just got lucky with mine. Super awesome temperment, terrific eater (even during shed) and loves to be handled.

Thanks everyone

The guy we bought him from told me he should be ready to eat this past Tuesday but then when I found poop Wednesday morning I figured that could have been a reason that he wasnt quite ready to eat the night before. I held off a few days and Im gonna try to feed again tonight. Gonna try a few tricks tonight. Please tell me what you all think of this. Ive got F/T that I will thaw out near his cage so he can get the scent and I was going to try in the later evening with as little light as possible so he feels more secure. Should I dangle the mouse in front of his hide or try and wait until he decides to be out and about? Thanks!

What was a eating previously?

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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

What was a eating previously?

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Rat pups. Guy didnt say live or F/T, didnt think to ask. Im trying with mouse hoppers. And our ball is a little over 2 months old. Should I run and buy a few f/t rat pups and try that?

So excited I just had to update this. He just ate his f/t hopper! I wiggled it in front of his hide for about 5 seconds, he snapped it up, I gave him a few minutes alone, went back and it was gone!!! Now I want to hold him but not sure If I should have him eat for me at least once more. Ive heard people say both things.

If you give him two days of digestion mild handling should be fine.:)

Awesome! So now you have to wait two days, which is better than me. I won't be home until a few days before Christmas and then I'll be getting 4 new snakes in the mail that I'll have to wait a couple of weeks to handle! Congrats on getting him to eat.

When you say two months old; how much does it weigh? I have gotten one that was 94 grams. Not sure how old she is, but I started her off on live adult mouse. I just now switched her to weened fuzzy/ small hopper rat, and shes weighing in at 230 grams. She at the next day after ship, and I was told by the previous owner she was a picky eater. She hasn't stopped eating since I gotten her. unless it during sheds. None of my guys eat during sheds.

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Originally Posted by gsarchie

Awesome! So now you have to wait two days, which is better than me. I won't be home until a few days before Christmas and then I'll be getting 4 new snakes in the mail that I'll have to wait a couple of weeks to handle! Congrats on getting him to eat.

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That really sucks! Awesome youll be adding that many snakes of course but the waiting part blows.

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Originally Posted by Seeker

When you say two months old; how much does it weigh? I have gotten one that was 94 grams. Not sure how old she is, but I started her off on live adult mouse. I just now switched her to weened fuzzy/ small hopper rat, and shes weighing in at 230 grams. She at the next day after ship, and I was told by the previous owner she was a picky eater. She hasn't stopped eating since I gotten her. unless it during sheds. None of my guys eat during sheds.

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Not really sure. Since I havent handled him I didnt weigh him yet. I will do that sometime this week. Im excited at how well he took the f/t hooper mouse last night though. Like a champ! Who knows what next week will bring though.

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Originally Posted by gsarchie

Awesome! So now you have to wait two days, which is better than me. I won't be home until a few days before Christmas and then I'll be getting 4 new snakes in the mail that I'll have to wait a couple of weeks to handle! Congrats on getting him to eat.

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gsarchie, may I ask who looks after your snakes while you are serving? Also, once you are home at Christmas, are you going back?
Sorry for all the questions, and for kind of changing the topic, I just find the military fascinating. Our military isn't great. You could probably take us over with a few of your mates LOL

My wife/going to be ex-wife has them. She only feeds them every other week right now as I am not worried about getting them big at the moment. It would be nice if she'd feed the little spider every week so that she would be more likely ready to breed next year, but if not oh well, I still have the rest of her life to breed her. As for deploying again, there is talk about another mission in 10 months, and before that came we were slotted to go to Africa about a year after we got home. All I know is that advising missions suck and I will hopefully be at a new post before I deploy again with a unit that will have our own fight to fight as opposed to advise someone else who is fighting.

Well thanks for serving gsarchie. It sucks you have to be there but Im glad people like you are out there doing what you do. :salute:

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Originally Posted by rasslinrinyu

So Ive had my first ball for a week now and I want to hold him soooo badly! really…really badly. He hasnt eaten for me yet though so I dont wanna stress him out I suppose :( just venting my sadness.

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Sorry just to understand here, why is it that the waiting period is crucial for the BP? I am just kinda curious to know this :-)

Iamelliot,
When you get a new BP they go through a lot of stress, new environment, smells, people, etc. If you don't give them time to settle in, sometimes you'll have a hard time getting them to eat. Also if in the past they ate live, it's more stress trying to get them to eat frozen/thawed. There are a lot of factors including the right temps and humidity also. It's best to leave them alone without touching them for a week, then slowly introduce handling until they get used to you. They seem to adjust well. But as the other member stated, all BP's are not the same and some adjust quicker.

rasslinrinyu,
Congrats on your first BP! :banana: I can assure you, it won't be your last. They are addictive and each one has their own unique personality. I've got one that loves to hiss when you open his tub but then moves up to the edge to get picked up to come out, it's funny :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by Iamelliot

Sorry just to understand here, why is it that the waiting period is crucial for the BP? I am just kinda curious to know this :-)

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Yes, with any new reptile you want to give them time to adjust to their new surroundings, explore their enclosure, get used to the smells and all that. It just becomes tedious because you get a new animal and want to handle them immediately.

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Originally Posted by icejd7

Iamelliot,
When you get a new BP they go through a lot of stress, new environment, smells, people, etc. If you don't give them time to settle in, sometimes you'll have a hard time getting them to eat. Also if in the past they ate live, it's more stress trying to get them to eat frozen/thawed. There are a lot of factors including the right temps and humidity also. It's best to leave them alone without touching them for a week, then slowly introduce handling until they get used to you. They seem to adjust well. But as the other member stated, all BP's are not the same and some adjust quicker.

rasslinrinyu,
Congrats on your first BP! :banana: I can assure you, it won't be your last. They are addictive and each one has their own unique personality. I've got one that loves to hiss when you open his tub but then moves up to the edge to get picked up to come out, it's funny :rolleye2:

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LOL Thanks. Thats what we are finding with reptiles in general. We started on a whim a year ago. My wife got a crestie because she thought it was cute and a corn snake that was supposed to be a class pet (shes a science teacher). Its been pretty fun so far and quite an education. They all def have their own unique personalities.