fuzzies

i am still trying to switch from live mice to f/t i am trying to do this with small hopper mice. my question was....do you need to do the whack method on fuzzies when they are alive. i am not feeding fuzzies but i was just wondering becuase a fuzzy cant hurt a snake like a larger hopper would but i guess if u wanted to get them switched u would do that ??

You should be able to feed hoppers or small adult mice to a hatchling bp, so fuzzies are irrelevant. :)

yeah thats what i was thinking but i was going to continue feeding live while he was eating small hoppers but the sooner i have him switched the better, i dont wanna wait until he is eating adult mice or have him hurt.

(i forgot to put this up there) my ball seems a little skinny compared to others. he eats with no problem but he doesnt seem to get any rounder

If your bp isnt gaining weight you may want to increase the size of his or her food. Also this is a matter of debate with some people but I would try to switch to rats as soon as possible. Eventually you will have to change over or buy stock in mice. The sooner you can get them to start taking rats the better. They also have more nutrition in them for the snake. Rats will also help him get some weight on him sooner. That I know from expereince.

he is only a foot and a few inches long, do u think rap pups are too big ? an adult mouse looks like a big meal for him. are rat pups and adult mice about the same size ?

Rat pups maybe a little too wide for a ball python that small. How often are you feeding. Perhaps instead of feeding once a week try feeding every 5 days.

i tried feeding every 5 days but he wasnt intrested. im going to try to feed him again tomorrow (a small frozen hopper) and see if he takes it. he didnt take the last one so i waited a week to let him get a little more hungry so he would take this one, hopefully he will. i had been feeding him live fuzzies but im switching to hoppers so he will gain some weight.

What about rat pinkies they are about the same size as mouse hoppers

ohh ok ill try those, thanks :)

I read over all of this, and IMHO I think that you should go to small adult mice. Nutritionally, thats better than rat pups because your growing bp needs calcium amongst other things, and rat pups are mostly fat. A Bp that is over a foot should have no problem taking a small adult mouse, I promise. I was really apprehensive about giving a small rat to Amber for the first time; now she pounds them like its her job. And she's only 7 months old....

ok, thanks for all the input guys . im just tryin to make sure my babie is getting the nutriants he needs :)

What Brad said is SO true! When i got my small rats from Rodentpro.com, I was really worried that Hissy would never be able to take them down. I had only been feedin her small mice before then. But now, she LOVES those rats & won't even look at a mouse & if you read any of my previous posts, you would know that she is gettin HUGE since gettin on the rats!!

So, i would say, get your snake on whatever sized rats are appropraite & it will grow like a weed!!

Oh, & I forgot to add that she is not just gettin big, but i can actually feel a huge difference in her muscle strength & size! THAT is a sure sign that she is gettin healthier too! :)

I'll answer your question about whether or not you should still prekill fuzzies (rats, in this case.) The answer is yes! I have fed live fuzzy rats to my snakes, and once or twice, they'd attempt to swallow the fuzzy while it was still alive. I had to quickly steal the rat away with tongs, whack it against something, and re-toss it into the snake's cage. So I'd definately prekill anything that is being fed to a snake.

ok so ,no more frozen, he hasnt been taking the frozen anyways but i guess ill just start out on pre killed becuase i was having a hard time getting the mice at the right temp and plus they dont selll frozen mice anywhere around here. I live in a super small town and the biggest and closest pet store (although we have a little on here in town) is an hour and a half drive away.

Brandon, how long have you had your BP? I only ask because I'm wondering if you've had him long enough to see any observable growth. If you've had him for 2-3 months and haven't seen any change in size either lengthwise or widthwise, you might want to have him checked for internal parasites by a vet.

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

I'll answer your question about whether or not you should still prekill fuzzies (rats, in this case.) The answer is yes! I have fed live fuzzy rats to my snakes, and once or twice, they'd attempt to swallow the fuzzy while it was still alive. I had to quickly steal the rat away with tongs, whack it against something, and re-toss it into the snake's cage. So I'd definately prekill anything that is being fed to a snake.

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So Gin, does your bp constrict when it goes to eat? My bp always strikes and constricts with p/k and the few f/t mice she's taken in the past, but my friend's bp eats exclusively f/t and just slithers up to the mouse and starts to swallow it w/o constricting. I could see how that habit would be a problem with feeding live rat fuzzies.

I'm feeding big fuzzie rat pups to my girls, but you say small mice are better than rat pups? I don't know I think I am just going to raise my own mice so I can keep them clean and feed them a very nutritious diet, that way I know they are eating good mice. Trying frozen tomorrow wish me luck. :lol:

Basically, it comes down to age of the rodent. Pinkies are nearly all fat, regardless of whether it's a mouse or rat, and as the rodent grows and goes through the stages, it gradually loses fat and provides more calcium and protein. Because of this, a small adult mouse is a better quality food than a rat fuzzy, but once you get to the point where they have a full, thich coat of fur, the only truly important factor is whether it's an appropriate-sized meal (same or slightly larger girth as compared between prey and predator).

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Brandon, how long have you had your BP?

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ive had him for about a month now

A month may be too short a time to visually notice any growth. A scale would be helpful in trying to assess whether or not your snake is actually gaining any weight. You might also try to measure his length. Give him another month or two, and if he doesn't look any larger, a trip to the vet might be in order.

i plan on taking him to the vet on wed to have him probed and see if there is anything wrong with him. thanks for the advice :) (ohh i see on your snake list u have a african rock python, how big is he/she right now)

Neph is about 5 feet long right now and growing like a weed. Don't forget to take a stool sample with you to the vet.

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Don't forget to take a stool sample with you to the vet.

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LOL,Why would the vet want to look at chairs?



Ok, forgive me...........one of those moods :roll:

ok i will, he poops alot (well not alot but you know) it wont be hard to get one of those from rocky..lol