feeding question

I bought a ball python a couple of days ago and I'm unsure when to give her, her first meal. She's an adult, 6 years old, she was in a tank with a light with nothing more than a bowl of water. So I guess she's pretty nervous?!? Now she has 2 perfectly snug hides on each side, in a tub covered with a blanket. Would 2 weeks be a good idea to try to feed her?

I would wait a full week without handling before you feed her. I would also invest in a kitchen scale so you can get her weight. That will help us decide what you should feed her. Assuming she's a full grown adult, I would offer her a weaned rat if she very, very skinny (a picture of her would help). If she's not too thin, I would feed her a small rat. Again, it's best to know her weight and have a picture of her so we aren't guessing on what to feed her.

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Originally Posted by BHReptiles

I would wait a full week without handling before you feed her. I would also invest in a kitchen scale so you can get her weight. That will help us decide what you should feed her. Assuming she's a full grown adult, I would offer her a weaned rat if she very, very skinny (a picture of her would help). If she's not too thin, I would feed her a small rat. Again, it's best to know her weight and have a picture of her so we aren't guessing on what to feed her.

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She's normal size, I was planning on giving her small size rat. I would take a picture but as for right now I leave her alone. Alright, I'll try to feed her on day 7 like you said.

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Originally Posted by ballpython70

She's normal size, I was planning on giving her small size rat. I would take a picture but as for right now I leave her alone. Alright, I'll try to feed her on day 7 like you said.

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Well... "normal" size is very subjective. If they are thin (they have a triangular look to their backs), it's unhealthy to feed them a large meal (thus the need for a picture and a weight). But if she's a healthy weight for her age (2000+grams), then I would say a small rat would be fine. You just don't want to over feed them.

I'm a new owner too, but I think the rule is 10-15% of the snake's weight should be the weight of the mouse/rat.

Having a kitchen scale should be a necessity...I see a lot of them on sale these days.
I'd assume 6 years would have some good weight, but from what I've been reading, use the 10-15% rule & the width of the food should be pretty close (or a little bigger) to the width of the snake.

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Originally Posted by Greekinese

I'm a new owner too, but I think the rule is 10-15% of the snake's weight should be the weight of the mouse/rat.

Having a kitchen scale should be a necessity...I see a lot of them on sale these days.
I'd assume 6 years would have some good weight, but from what I've been reading, use the 10-15% rule & the width of the food should be pretty close (or a little bigger) to the width of the snake.

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the 10-15% rule is just for babies and juveniles...not for adults. No matter how big the snake gets, you don't feed anything larger than a medium rat weekly (usually 150-200g per rat).

But yes, a kitchen scale is very valuable to have to track weight and such. They don't cost a fortune and are important for every snake owner to own.

For the first meal in a new place, smaller is always a safe bet! Do you know what she was fed previously? She'll probably eat fine after a week of leaving her alone if she's hungry. If she doesn't eat, this is kind of the season for them to be fasting so be prepared for anything.

I guess she's kind of fat, a medium rat is small compared to her body size. So that would be a small meal for her, that would be perfect. At the petshop they said that they fed her medium to large rat.

Maybe I should only stick to medium rats.

She had her first F/T medium rat last night, leaved it overnight, she didn't take it. Better luck next time I guess. I'll try to get a picture and her weight this week.

Some additional details. She acted interested in the rat when I got it in the cage. She went to smell it. After a minute she went back into her hide. I put the rat on a plate and go away. I check a minute later, her head pops out of the hide and she's looking at the rat but does nothing. She spent a good part of the night besides the rat and she ended up curled up in her another hide.

You might need to do the zombie rat dance next time, especially if she was fed live. You can hold the rat by the tail or use tongs to pick it up by the hindquarters or the scruff of the neck and move it around to make it look alive. It might also have not been warm enough for her. Wait a week and try again. If she is a decent size a week won't make a difference. Also, since she's an adult female, she might be off feed for the breeding season, so don't worry too much if she keeps refusing.

I forgot to add, her eyes had become blue, so I guess shedding is coming soon.

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Originally Posted by Inarikins

You might need to do the zombie rat dance next time, especially if she was fed live. You can hold the rat by the tail or use tongs to pick it up by the hindquarters or the scruff of the neck and move it around to make it look alive. It might also have not been warm enough for her. Wait a week and try again. If she is a decent size a week won't make a difference. Also, since she's an adult female, she might be off feed for the breeding season, so don't worry too much if she keeps refusing.

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I did the rat dance thing with the thong at first, when she went back in her hide I stopped and leaved there. I did thaw the rat in warm water first, than hot tap water, inside a plastic bag so it stays dry. How long is the breeding season? From what month to what month?

Thank you so much guys. I guess I should not worry, but it's a newbie thing I guess! I just love her so much.

It might have been too cool... If the head and body aren't hot enough, the snake won't even recognize it as prey. They hunt mostly by heat signature, so if it's cool it looks like nothing to them. Smell is secondary and they barely use their sight to hunt at all, I think. Using a hair dryer or heat lamp to warm mostly the head and also the body really helps a lot. Both should feel warm to the touch and the head warmer than the body.

We're starting to get near the end of the breeding season now, but I don't think it's 'officially' over until April or so, when girls start really laying eggs. Some snakes eat all the way through, some stop in November or October and don't start up again until spring. Was she eating at the store you got her from?

If I feed f/t I use a blow dryer on the head for a sec to get it warm enough for her labial pits to "see" the rat.

I'll try using a blow dryer next time. But since she has blue eyes I guess she won't eat until the shed is done.

At the petshop they said she eats good, they gave her live rats, (something I won't give), I guess they are telling the truth since she's far from being skinny. They said something else, this snake was for breeding beforehand, since a young age. That's about all the info I got.

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Originally Posted by medicinhed

If I feed f/t I use a blow dryer on the head for a sec to get it warm enough for her labial pits to "see" the rat.

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Do you mean you use the blowdryer on the head of the snake, or the f/t rat's head?

I guess you mean to heat up the head of the snake, sorry I'm french.

The head of the rat. I don't think your snake would react well to you blowing hot air in its face. :P

Okay I'll try that next time. Thank you.

Just make sure you wait a week before you offer - if she's off feed for whatever reason, offering too often will stress them out and make them refuse.

She didn't eat again, I'll try a small rat next week.

She weights 2190 grams.

now you have a picture of my gf holding it, I think she looks normal... The snake, I mean. :D

also I'm wondering... When you leave a f/t rat overnight do you leave it on the meat mat so it stays warm for the snake?

I do. You don't have to, but keeping it warm helps. I just push the rat into the substrate and nestle it against the bottom of the tub, close to the hide but definitely not inside it. Soemtimes you come back in the morning and it's gone, sometimes it's not. If you come back and it's still there, just toss it. It's not safe to freeze and re-thaw (decomposition sets in and bacteria grows) after it's been out all night, so you'll just have to eat the loss.

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Originally Posted by Inarikins

I do. You don't have to, but keeping it warm helps. I just push the rat into the substrate and nestle it against the bottom of the tub, close to the hide but definitely not inside it. Soemtimes you come back in the morning and it's gone, sometimes it's not. If you come back and it's still there, just toss it. It's not safe to freeze and re-thaw (decomposition sets in and bacteria grows) after it's been out all night, so you'll just have to eat the loss.

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Thank you again Inarikins. I'll try to leave it on the heat mat next time. I did toss the rat every time the snake didn't eat.

Now she pops her head out of her cave when I do my daily spot cleaning so I guess she might be expecting a rat soon?

She didn't eat... :(

She didn't eat again. Can I start feeding her every two weeks now that she seems to be on a hunger strike.