New To Feeding- How to?

I am new to the ball python thing and want to know that I am doing it right. I have heard-

DO NOT used live mice.
Use either pre-killed or frozen, etc. My question, is how?

Do I buy the mice and bash it in the head and then bring him to the ball?

Do I buy them ready-dead and frozen and thaw them?

I don't mean to ask stupid questions, but I want to make sure I am doing this right from the start.

Thanks!

you can put them in a pillow case or something and just walk outside swing it and pop it against the wall. Not to hard you you can have a mess on you hands. then just dangle it in the cage about 4 or five inches away from him.
If you can't handle that then F/T is the ticket just pull one out of the bag and put under a heat light (not the microwave as once again rat is not easy to get out of a microwave LOL .. hey it been tryed) then just present it in the same way as the preekilled

Generally, the best thing to do is to get frozen pre-killed mice, thaw them under a heatlamp, and dangle them with a pair of LONG tweezers or a pair of hemostats in front of the snake....AKA "the mousie dance". Make sure the prey's warm enough, or the snake may not take it. I usually have to make my f/t rats dance around for quite a bit before Roo will take them. You can buy mice and pre-kill them, but that's just in general a bigger pain in the butt, and takes a much stronger stomach.
Also, be careful not to get them wet when thawing, the snake may not take it if it doesn't smell like prey.
Good luck!

You can buy frozen mousicles at Petco or online from numerous sources. They're the easiest way to go, imho, because you don't have to run out and get prey each time but can stock up instead.

Alice I like that the mouse dance.. I bet that you even add little soud effects and talkk like the mouse while your doing it don't you ???

...... :ashamed
Maybe I do....maybe I do.
Actually, it's more a mousie musical than a mousie dance, and the song goes a little something like "I"m a mousie mousie, dancing mousie mousie, Ruby wants me in her tummy, dancy dancy dance".
I said I was good at science, not songwriting.

Hey its rodent broadway. Featuring Alice and her hardy band the feeder mice. Preforming such favorites as "Food of thought" and "The best part of warming up (is that mousie in you gut)"

We need more info. What was your snake eating before you obtained it? Most people are lucky to get a snake to take a thawed prey item on the first or second try. My snake is moody and will take f/t sometimes, and other times I'll have to feed fresh killed after 2 or 3 tries with the f/t rat.

sorry to say the show is usually cancled thank to the real star of the show,roo, taking over by litterally consuming the dancers lol

Thats funny. I kind of make a mousey or rat tragedy drama out of it.

Rat: no mister snake dont eat me.

Jojo: I heard you been talking bad about me and my gang.

Rat: No it wasn't me it was the cat.

Jojo: I SMELL A RAT.

Rat: Um its not me.

Jojo: Yea a dirty rat.

Rat: No.

Jojo: Its Curtains for you dirty rat.

Rat: ......ugh.....

Jojo:arumph,arumph(its not polite to talk with your full)

:lmao:
Brilliant. All of you.

see the snake owns the spot light.........and now he owns the rats too

you know were just picking on you and I think its cute that you try and make it a little less drastice to feed.

I know. ;)

Wait your a Sgt and I'm a Pvt. Wouldn't that be fraternizing with an officer.. EEhh who care's your cute and have herps so its all good

Well personally....
I myself pray in arabic over my live feeders before I introduce them to my snakes. I pick out a nice live mouse or rat and proceed to stroke its head and mutter about how it is going to paradise and I say stuff like "Inshallah " and "Allua ackbar, God is good, God is great , all praise be to God " and then I toss the hapless rodent into the feeding box and watch Apok or Trinity or Oracle or Cypher nail the rodent and constrict it. Feeding...the way God intended it....
EyelashViper

Now....back on topic. David, if swinging mice around your house isn't your thing, or you don't want to deal with f/t, then grab a cooler, a cup of water, and a little chunk of Dry Ice. you now have a home made gas chamber. put the mice in the cooler, put the cup of water in the cooler, and put the dry ice in the water. close the lid....and it's a very humane way to put down mice. Hope this helps.

If you choose to use f/t you can also thaw by putting it in a plastic ziploc freezer bag (or double it up just in case) and put it in a bowl w/hot water. You may have to change the water a couple of times. I put mine in a chinese soup container (the prey is in the plastic bag of course) and place the top of the bag over the edge of the container and put the top on. This way I can fill it with water and the mousie/rat package is totally submerged. I don't have to employ the mouse dance method with Sophie, she's not picky....but some snakes will not eat w/out being entertained first! :wink:

Nope, a Sgt is still enlisted rank. You all would be fine :)

How long does it take for the snake to die in the gas chamber?

omg why wouldu put a snake in the gas chamber? i hope ya meant mouse please tell me ya meant mouse! anyway i never really done this but i would guess with dry ice about 30 seconds.

Sorry, never would do that. I meant rat.

the last few times i did it, i left them in there for a good 3-5 minutes. you're simply taking away their air supply and letting them inhale CO2. it doesn't take long to do. it's the easiest method if you don't have the heart to watch the rat die or if you don't have the heart to play baseball with it. Dry ice can be expensive tho. so..if you use that method. get enough food to last a few months and then run the chamber. just freeze the rest of them and use f/t.