Feeding BP without heat?

I left my heat lamp at my mom's house. She's shipping it to me but it won't be at least another 5 days before it gets here and I currently can't afford to buy a new one. So should I hold off from feeding feeding my snake for about a week, (her regular feeding day is today), or should I just feed him? Will he be able to properly digest it in room temperature? He's about 4 months old if that makes a difference.

Hi,

Don't feed until the lamp arrives - they need the heat to be able to digest without problems.


dr del

No feeding, and hopefully he doesn't come down with an RI :(

Do you have anything that you could use as a substitute for a few days? Maybe one of those desk lamps with the bendy neck? Obviously, it's probably not going to be ideal, but maybe you could find something around the house that will generate enough heat (without being a fire hazard) to get you by until your heat lamp arrives.

what is the room temperature? because i kept ball pythons at 29 degrees Celzius (like 85 Fahreinheit) for about a year without a hot spot and they fed and grew just fine and without problems

"Hold off" if temps in the room do not average in the 80's Example of what they experience without heat to digest, Have you ever ate a big meal late at night and tried to go right to bed and the food will Not Digest and feels like it wants to come back up and some times does? The food just lays there blocking the tract without heat darling and snake will not perish without a meal over a weeks time I promise you that! Adult snake can and do go hungry in the wild much much longer sometimes months without proper food as long as they have WATER. I hope this makes you feel at ease Sista!

Are you not using a UTH? just a heat lamp? I would hold off to get temps right to feed..UTH is more important than a basking light in my opinion tho

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Ball pythons can go awhile without eating. The majority of mine won't eat for most of the breeding season.
I wouldn't worry about that.
But why are you using a heat lamp? How do you give your ball heat at night? And how do you keep the humidity up?

Possibly ceramic heat emitter?

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I use a night light red bulb 24/7 and I keep the water dish near the heat lamp and I tape up half the top of the cage to hold humidity.

In answer to your question, hold off on feeding until you have heat available. Without the right temps, your snake is unlikely to want to feed anyway.

However, as others have mentioned, you may want to switch to a heat pad when you get the chance.

-Jen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PigZilla50317

"Hold off" if temps in the room do not average in the 80's Example of what they experience without heat to digest, Have you ever ate a big meal late at night and tried to go right to bed and the food will Not Digest and feels like it wants to come back up and some times does? The food just lays there blocking the tract without heat darling and snake will not perish without a meal over a weeks time I promise you that! Adult snake can and do go hungry in the wild much much longer sometimes months without proper food as long as they have WATER. I hope this makes you feel at ease Sista!

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That was a horrible mental picture, I think I will refer back to this the next time I want dessert late at night as it's put me right off!

Ambient temp daytime here is 85 to 89 and at night 80 to 85 (Jamaica). I do feed without a lamp or belly heat mostly with no ill effects so far. Would think the decision would have a lot to do with your ambient temperature. The breeder here from who i purchased my girl doesnt use heat either and shes been breeding and keeping ball pythons for over 10 years with no ill effects either. Snakes grow fine and most are great eaters.

recently rescued a ball that was about 9 years old the lady's son went to college, he could not take snake and since been unable to get a place that allows snakes. any how the lady was feeding a pair of mice every other week ( when she remembeed the snake was there) and it had no heat, and the room was cool ( like maybe 72)
also the poor snake had a n old injury to her back that would making breeding impossible for her she went to were my wife works and will be offered as a special needs snake.