How long to leave the mouse?

I am feeding my newly bought ball python frozen feeder mice, defrosted by soaking in hot water, she shed today and has been active since, I figure that she is hungry so I gave her a mouse around 10am and I am wondering how long to leave it in there? Thanks for any feedback...no pun intended!!!

First off it is better to feed nocturnal snakes such as ball pythons at night. I typically leave a mouse overnight. Leave it at the entrance of the snake's hide spot while it's in there. Leave the snake alone so it feels secure enough to eat.

Are you defrosting directly in the water or are you defrosting with a bag in the water? Both ways are fine. I was just wondering. If you defrost directly in the water, the mouse will get wet and weaken the odor. This can sometimes be a problem with a picky feeder.

I feed my bps at about 7 pm usually....but I have fed anywhere between noon and 2 in the morning. I have always figured that if the mouse is in there for 2 hours and your bp has not taken it.....he probably will not. I feed each of my bp two f/t adult mice each week. First, I offer each mouse with tongs. If no interest is shown, I just set them in the enclosure and give them 2-3 hours to eat. If they dont eat(which rarely happens to me :) ), I just toss the mouse and wait til the next week. If they miss a feeding it is generally no big deal. I hope that helps a bit.

If she doesn't eat the mouse after leaving it over night, do I refreeze or throw out? Also I have her in a 40 gallon tank in my living room with two young kids running around and about, is this annoying to my Bp or will she adjust? Thanks for your reply.

Is you bp a hatchling or an adult? exactly how long ago did you get your bp?

I'd throw the mouse out.. they get stinky pretty quickly.

Running kids can surely stress a BP. I'd put the snake in a low traffic area.

I got her 2 weeks ago and I think she is a sub adult, she is maybe 14 inches long, captive bred, bought from Petco.

Petco in general sucks when it comes to taking care of herps..

14" is pretty small to be living in a 40 gallon tank. I'd put the snake in a 20 gallon, or at least put a bunch of tight, dark hide spots in the 40 gallon to make it feel more secure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dagen

captive bred, bought from Petco.

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LOL!!!

-adam

if the bp was bought at petco I am pretty much 99% sure that it is Captive Hatched not Captive Bred. And yes there is a big difference.

I wish I could laugh with you adam.....but Thor came from Petco... ha ha ha...never again....just one of those things...oh well :)

I don't get it...Please fill me in.

Laugh about what? If I had bought a BP on-line and had it shipped to me, I would have had no idea what would show up at my door, atleast I have a place to go to and complain in person. Captive hatched must be better than wild caught, slightly atleast. I am here for advice, please give it to me if you have the time. You must be busy with finals coming up I am sure.

check out the care sheets on this site. there is a lot of info on bp care. petco/petsmart usually don't maintain their animals the best. your snake is probably stressed and needs 2-3 weeks of the proper care and setup for a little bp. get your setup correct first, then attempt weekly feeding sessions. for bp the basics are small snake small setup, hot side temps 90-94, cool side 80-82, humidity around 50-60%, a hide and a water bowl. hope this helps.


vaughn

If it's only been out for a few hours, and smells/looks ok, then the mouse is probably safe to refreeze. I've done it several times. Overnight it should be tossed. I think about it like this, would I want to eat meat that's been sitting out all night and refrozen? Hell no. I'm not going to feed it to my little guy either.

Mine never lets it sit around though, either he's going to eat it right away, or he's not going to eat it. Some snakes like to be left alone with the prey to eat it in private, so maybe try feeding after the kids are in bed so it'll be quiet and calm for him to eat. Just a thought. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dagen

If I had bought a BP on-line and had it shipped to me, I would have had no idea what would show up at my door, atleast I have a place to go to and complain in person.

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That's not true. There are plenty of reputable breeders selling animals online that have solid reputations and can provide you with a long list of outstanding references! Many will even give you a 100% refund if you are not happy with the animal you receive. The best part is that most breeders will be there after the sale willing to share their expert knowledge on all aspects of ball python husbandry.

Buying a CB ball python online from a reputable breeder is absolutely far better than picking up a CH baby from PetCo.

-adam

Yeah.. petco is the last place I'd consider buying a herp from. Please don't think we're attacking you, Dagen, we know it was an honest mistake.. one that many first time herpers make.

Adam is right about online breeders, it's the best way to go.

Let's take a poll... who bought their very first snake from a pet store?

I did.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PrincessErica

Let's take a poll... who bought their very first snake from a pet store?

I did.

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When I got my very first snake there were no "online" breeders .... matter of fact, there was no "online" ... :P

-adam

I got my first snake when I was 8 or 9.. it was a normal corn.. and yes, from a pet store. The guy who owned the shop owned many snakes himself, so it was a good shop. They had a 100+ lb alligator snapping turtle in their indoor pond.. he was so awesome. (ok ok off topic I know.. shoot me.)

My first .. 10 or so were animals I collected, the only animals I ever purchased from a pet shop were from a reptile specialty store in Columbus Ohio called T-Turtle pets .99.0% of the time your going to be better off buying from the breeder direct and with the vast network of breeders and shows these days there really is minimal excuse for not researching and finding a breeder close to you or the very least meeting one at a show if you dont feel comfortable buying online

And to keep on topic.. toss any thing left in the cage over night... why take a chance?

Bought my first ball at the herp show here in Tampa in the beginning of april. John Berry was the guys name... he breeds, but I think it was captive hatched. (but it could have been captive bred... didn't think to ask at the time, I just wanted it!) :oops:

Bought my first beardie from a local breeder at a flee market. He sets up shop every weekend and has some pretty nice herps. Beardie I got from him will be a year old in July, eats like there is no tomorrow, and I think has ADHD. lol She's so active, and has a cool personality.

Anywho... I agree with everyone else. If you leave it in over night and it's there when you wake up... toss it. Not sure how long it takes before any decomposition begins to happen (on a non visible level) but I would imagine that would be a breeding ground for bacteria in a 60% humidity enclosure. Just my :twocents: . Resident herp veterans... feel free to correct my newbness. :P

Not to defend Petco but I got my bp from there and when I took it to the Vet a vet that is a true reptile vet who also breeds bp's he was shocked it was in such great health and so far so good he is still in good shape
Buy your animals where ever u feel ok about
There are horror stories about buying from Petco, breeders, and shows
I would buy another from Petco if I felt good about the animal
I guess Iam saying let your heart and head be your guide
Nothing wrong with buying from Petco except u dont really know the background as w/ breeders u only know what they tell ya

I wouldnt trade my Petco bp for many I have seen at shows or from breeders
He is a great bp
What it amounts to is how u take care of it once it gets home

As for the mouse thing Robert hit it on the head follow that and let it get destressed and it should be fine

For what it's worth my Petco gets there bp's from Rodent pro
I have seen the shipment when it comes in.

i got my first snake from petland discounts(sucks in all but i was young like 8) i got a garter snake and had it on calcisand(pet store reccomended) a heat rock(pet store rec.) needless to say the snake died. but then again i did get two of my most favorite lizards from a pet store(my old iguana and my collared lizard) they were both healthy right to the day i gave them away.

14" is way too small for a 40 Gal. You should have her in something more appropriate for her size. You should try to feed her at night and you should also use tongs if possible and hold the mouse by the tail and jiggle it so it stimulates movement.