Feeding

My baby female BP was born on July 1st and her last meal was on the 23rd. I was told to feed her pinky rats, but all I can find is frozen pinky mice from LPS. I was also told I can feed her a mouse now. I'm in Norcross, GA. I'm not sure what to do...any info will be greatly appreciated.

Can you get larger rodents live? Pinkie mice are way too small.

Most BP's can eat a hopper mouse right out of the egg. You're probably going to want to feed a hopper or a small adult mouse.

You just need to feed her an appropriate sized meal for her size (10-15% of your snake's body weight every 4 days while she's growing up). There are many that prefer rats to mice, but if mice are all that's available to you at the moment, they're a perfectly good option. Here's a chart that will help you picture the size difference between mice and rats:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...mousesizes.jpg

Thanx for the info guys...

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Can you get larger rodents live? Pinkie mice are way too small.

Most BP's can eat a hopper mouse right out of the egg. You're probably going to want to feed a hopper or a small adult mouse.

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I can get frozenn fuzzies or lve mice; what do u suggest?

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Originally Posted by Enki40

I can get frozenn fuzzies or lve mice; what do u suggest?

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If your little one was on live before being in your care, then I recommend sticking with live for 3 meals (without a refusal). This way, you can ensure that they're eating properly in your care and not worrying about your new one missing meals because of unfamiliar food. After the 3 straight meals is when I switch mine over to f/t.

Edit: If they were on frozen before, then stick with f/t. It's all about consistency and being comfortable when you first bring a new little one home.

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Originally Posted by Enki40

I can get frozenn fuzzies or lve mice; what do u suggest?

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fuzzies are really too small as well. I would get live mice and either carefully feed live or pre-kill the rodents.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

fuzzies are really too small as well. I would get live mice and either carefully feed live or pre-kill the rodents.

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You're right. I was thinking the decision was between frozen rat fuzzies or live mice.

I agree as well with the live mouse. How big is the live mouse you can get?

I bought a live mouse and she tagged and downed it with no problem...just finished it. When should I put her back into her enclosure and is 24 hours enuff time to give her before I handle her?

Congrats on the easy feeding!

Honestly, I'd recommend leaving her in her normal enclosure when you feed her. It's less stressful overall and you don't have to worry about moving her right after she's eaten. Cage aggression when feeding is over-rated. My girls all know that unless there's a rat on the end of a pair of tongs, there's nothing to strike at when my hand goes in. For now, I'd give her at least 30 minutes before you put her back.

The general rule of thumb on when you can handle them after feeding is 48 hours. If it was a large meal though and you can still see a lump, it would be beneficial to wait longer to handle. Handling too soon can cause regurgitation, which can damage your little one's throat and is extremely stressful.

The best thing that you can do for your new little one is to leave her be and avoid handling her for the next couple of weeks (outside of what is needed for maintenance - cleaning poop, urine, changing water, etc). My rule with new arrivals is hands-off until three consecutive meals - if there is a meal refusal, then the count starts over. Being in a new environment is stressful enough without a monster yanking them out from their nice, comfortable hide.

Eric