Fed my first BP for the first time today

Hello all! I just thought I would post about my first BP I got about a week ago and her/his first feeding today. I am soooooo happy she took to the live adult mouse right away:banana: I have read many stories about how finicky and picky a ball can be. I was hoping she would eat soon for being so new to her new home. I did feed her out of her cage and I saw first hand why it is best to feed her in her cage. I just wanted to watch and make sure everything went OK. I put her in a big plastic tub and then put the mouse (that was still in the carrier) in with her to try and get the scent to entice her. At first she only seemed interested in climbing out of the tub, but then I think she caught on that dinner was in there with her. I dropped the mouse out of the carrier and she almost instantly locked on to it. The rest is history lol. I do have a video I can post as well. It other than that, she took that mouse like champ!!

Congrats on a successful feeding!

That's great news! Congrats! :gj:

Sweet!!!!!!!!! That alway make you feel good. great job.

Thanks guys! Next time I think I will be feeding in her cage. I almost got bit trying to get her out of that tub lol. :snake2: I still cant believe how fast she locked in to that mouse though. I hope she will always be a strong feeder.

It is always a great feeling when they eat. Congrats.

Congratulations! :) Feeding reptiles makes me nervous... they all seem so picky and you need to be so precise with their feedings! At least compared to birds.

Awesome on the feeding and not having any issues. Though it never hurts our reptiles to miss a meal or two or in some cases more, it always stresses us out and sometimes causes us to miss our meals, lol.

Congrats. I agree with your conclusion. From now on i'd feed it in its enclosure. :gj:

Do the majority of people here feed in their enclosures or in a separate area?

I feed separate and so far don't see any issues. I think it's one of those personal preference things, an not one side is right and the other is wrong...

Every snake has a different personality.


0.1.0 Normal Ball Python
0.1.0 Red Tail Boa

I am new to the site and to owning a snake. Ran across this post and am curious about where to feed also. We were told by the store we got it from (the most reputable in the Stl. area) to feed in a separate container so that the BP doesn't think every time your reaching in you have food and can lead to more instance of getting bit. I have to boys ages 7 and 9 maybe this was for their safety. Anyway I am wondering too do most people feed in primary cage or move to a feeding container?

Thanks, I think I will feed my new ball python in his tank and not move him. Unless later I decide it's better to do it the other way.

I feed all mine in their tubs with zero problems. Some of mine get very "excited" for their food, you'd be a fool to reach your hand in there and try and move them when they're like that. It has nothing to do with the snakes preference or personality, its solely the keepers choice. Ball pythons don't have the mental capacity to understand that you're moving them to feed them. Its not like other species which you can train with hooks or with tapping or something.

I snakes have the mental capacity to know that their hide has been moved, how can they not understand a feeding container? Mine does.?.


0.1.0 Normal Ball Python
0.1.0 Red Tail Boa

You keep saying "snake", just to be clear i'm only talking about ball pythons...

What do you mean? When you take their hide off them? Yea, i'd hope they'd realize that lol. Moving them to a separate container to feed benefits the snake in no way.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

You keep saying "snake", just to be clear i'm only talking about ball pythons...

What do you mean? When you take their hide off them? Yea, i'd hope they'd realize that lol. Moving them to a separate container to feed benefits the snake in no way.

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No I meant like if you take them out, rearrange their tank, then put them back, they can stress...

When I put my girl in her feeding box, she almost instantly coils up to strike. Drop the mouse in then pow! Hits it almost immediately.

I'm no BP whisperer, but I'm pretty sure my girl knows what that box is for.

But then again, every animal, every person, can be different. Some have different temperaments, different feeding habits, different sleeping habits etc.

Just my observations. I could be completely wrong.


0.1.0 Normal Ball Python
0.1.0 Red Tail Boa

Im far from being an expert in this field but I started out with my first ball a Spider thinking it was important to remove him from his enclosure to avoid striking when we get him out and to this day I still put him in his tub because he seems to know its feeding time and we like to get him out a know he has no problems eating this way. On the other hand I've learned that my yearling pastels don't seems to like this transition and will rarely eat.

The truth of the matter that I've learned is that if you move them from there enclosure your not doing at all to benefit the snake and they are A) Already a good eater with small problems and don't mind the tub B) Stressing the snake out and causing interruptions in the eating habits.

And no matter which one of these they are you're still handling and moving the snake again after there done eating which is in no way a benefit.

Ball pythons are shy creature that don't want to bite you. If you're not poking and prodding or doing three blind mice finger puppets you're unlikely to get bit. But the pain comes with the pleasure of connecting with such a delicate defenseless creature against us. all it has is its mouth to defend - If its biting you, you must be doing something they dont like, Or you still smell like food.

So do what you want because this is your adventure. But know you're not doing it for them.

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Originally Posted by DreamingofDragons

Im far from being an expert in this field but I started out with my first ball a Spider thinking it was important to remove him from his enclosure to avoid striking when we get him out and to this day I still put him in his tub because he seems to know its feeding time and we like to get him out a know he has no problems eating this way. On the other hand I've learned that my yearling pastels don't seems to like this transition and will rarely eat.

The truth of the matter that I've learned is that if you move them from there enclosure your not doing at all to benefit the snake and they are A) Already a good eater with small problems and don't mind the tub B) Stressing the snake out and causing interruptions in the eating habits.

And no matter which one of these they are you're still handling and moving the snake again after there done eating which is in no way a benefit.

Ball pythons are shy creature that don't want to bite you. If you're not poking and prodding or doing three blind mice finger puppets you're unlikely to get bit. But the pain comes with the pleasure of connecting with such a delicate defenseless creature against us. all it has is its mouth to defend - If its biting you, you must be doing something they dont like, Or you still smell like food.

So do what you want because this is your adventure. But know you're not doing it for them.

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To a point it can benefit the snake really. I like to watch to make sure the prey item doesn't bite or scratch the snake and also make sure she is downing it head first.

An open feeding box is much easier than my enclosure but that will vary with different enclosure types as well...

Obviously tubs are the easiest way, all around, but I like to see my beautiful pets, even when I'm not holding them in my hands...


0.1.0 Normal Ball Python
0.1.0 Red Tail Boa

I've never understood the logic of the feeding tub. If anything is going to get you bit it is getting a snake used to biting whatever shows up every time that they are in this tube and then reaching in that tub and picking them up after they eat. Lucky most ball pythons won't bite even in that situation. Also despite their reputation as picky eaters most will eat in a separate tub even though they are more stressed now then they were sitting happy in their home. For those two reasons people are able to get away with a separate tub.

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Originally Posted by firemedik73

I am new to the site and to owning a snake. Ran across this post and am curious about where to feed also. We were told by the store we got it from (the most reputable in the Stl. area) to feed in a separate container so that the BP doesn't think every time your reaching in you have food and can lead to more instance of getting bit. I have to boys ages 7 and 9 maybe this was for their safety. Anyway I am wondering too do most people feed in primary cage or move to a feeding container?

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Because I have a younger brother at home I was told the same thing when I picked up my ball python. But I've learned that if I try moving him to a separate tub, he is too concerned with getting out to even think about eating. But if I leave the food with him in his enclosure, he eats just fine. I think it helps that I just lay the mouse down on a piece of paper (so it doesn't get substrate on it) and leave him to eat it himself. This way he doesn't associate my reaching in with food. Plus I handle him almost every day, except during feeding or a shed, so he is far more familiar with me reaching in without food.

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Originally Posted by Abigail

Do the majority of people here feed in their enclosures or in a separate area?

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I feed outta tank for two reasons.

First: I DO NOT want to get tagged by a strong feeding response and I've read countless stories about snakes associating reaching into enclosure with feeding time. I know I WILL get bit EVENTUALLY... ooorrr not but either way I only got over my fear of snakes a few days after I brought my BP home and would hate to regress lol

Second: My girl doesn't seem to mind me handling her briefly after a feeding to put her back home. She ate two small adult mice today :). She doesn't seem to mind much of anything really, her first shed happened in my hands! She used my calloused, dry skin to break shed and the entire process happened right then n there (later learned she didn't have enough rough surfaces to do it on her own in her tank). I will not make a habit of that but the point is my girl seems to love me :P

I want to post the video of her first shed simply because it is pretty unbelievable but cannot seem to get the vid from phone to computer. Once that happens though I will be sharing!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Abigail

Do the majority of people here feed in their enclosures or in a separate area?

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I've been feeding my girl in a separate tub and haven't really had an issue. There is a hide set up in there and she'll hang there until I open the lid to offer her food. I give her a good half hour to relax before I move her back. Though after reading through this thread and a couple others, I wonder if it would just be better to let her be in her own tank.