Feeding

I know there are countless threads relating to this. Tonight is my first feed night. I will be thawing a fuzzy rat. I'm guessing some thing that small won't take long to thaw?

I was going to just place it on top of tub and let thaw at room temperature (80 F). And maybe hit it with a hair dryer. I was told she is a dynamite eater.

Is that that a good starting point?

Thanks

sure is, you'll do just fine. if you're unsure if the prey item is completely thawed, give it a little squeeze on its hips and head for a few seconds: if you feel any cold, it's not fully thawed.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

sure is, you'll do just fine. if you're unsure if the prey item is completely thawed, give it a little squeeze on its hips and head for a few seconds: if you feel any cold, it's not fully thawed.

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Thanks.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

sure is, you'll do just fine. if you're unsure if the prey item is completely thawed, give it a little squeeze on its hips and head for a few seconds: if you feel any cold, it's not fully thawed.

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Also how long do you think it take to thaw?

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Originally Posted by Newbie39

Also how long do you think it take to thaw?

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hm...couple hours? i haven't thawed at room temp in a while.

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Originally Posted by Newbie39

Also how long do you think it take to thaw?

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A medium size mouse usually takes me 2-3 hours to thaw and then I hit it w/ the hair dryer for 10 seconds afterwards (which might be pointless) because my guy takes his time to eat. Wait's till I'm gone and asleep.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

hm...couple hours? i haven't thawed at room temp in a while.

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So it thawed pretty quick I dangled by the butt she took 3 strikes right away but didn't grab it. Was I holding the rings to tight. After 3 strikes she was outta there and into her hide. I will wait a bit and try her again. She was def. interested but didn't grab. Not sure how hard they are supposed to grab.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Newbie39

So it thawed pretty quick I dangled by the butt she took 3 strikes right away but didn't grab it. Was I holding the rings to tight. After 3 strikes she was outta there and into her hide. I will wait a bit and try her again. She was def. interested but didn't grab. Not sure how hard they are supposed to grab.


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Sorry I meant tongs not rings


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I'm thinking now they were defensive strikes. Either not hungry or I didn't have the rat warm enough. I will try again in a few days. :(

Try heating up the prey item more next time, under a blow dryer.

Head should feel warm to your fingertips.

BP are scent and heat based predators, so when looking to strike they only have the heat of the item and bad eyesight to work with. Heating the item past your body temp and enclosure temp allows them to pinpoint it far more easily with the bonus of also making the prey item smell stronger. Been doing this for a while and my boy's feeding response keeps getting stronger and stronger, he all but ripped it off the tongs the second it was in his reach last time.

(He came to me with some food refusal/fasting issues and a weak feeding response.)

Also, try feeding at times the snake is already awake. A half-awake snake is clumsy and may miss several times, leading to a "fear" response of moving away/hiding from the prey since their ability to ambush it has been nullified.

Wait a week before feeding again. The snake's stressed now and if it has issues again it's more likely to set up a pattern of food refusal and fear, which will cause the animal to fast.

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Originally Posted by hollowlaughter

Try heating up the prey item more next time, under a blow dryer.

Head should feel warm to your fingertips.

BP are scent and heat based predators, so when looking to strike they only have the heat of the item and bad eyesight to work with. Heating the item past your body temp and enclosure temp allows them to pinpoint it far more easily with the bonus of also making the prey item smell stronger. Been doing this for a while and my boy's feeding response keeps getting stronger and stronger, he all but ripped it off the tongs the second it was in his reach last time.

(He came to me with some food refusal/fasting issues and a weak feeding response.)

Also, try feeding at times the snake is already awake. A half-awake snake is clumsy and may miss several times, leading to a "fear" response of moving away/hiding from the prey since their ability to ambush it has been nullified.

Wait a week before feeding again. The snake's stressed now and if it has issues again it's more likely to set up a pattern of food refusal and fear, which will cause the animal to fast.

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Thanks. I hit the rat with the temp gun and it read 100 but hasn't as warm to touch.

I also agree with waiting later as she is up during the night.

I'm def. waiting a week. I have yet to handle her and will not till I get a few feeds in her.

My temps are on point. I may also cover the sides of the tub. I noticed her looking out of it during all this as it's a clear tub.

Thanks for your answer very informative. I probably should have waited longer to try and feed but I went on what the breeder told me. I just picked her up Sunday.


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Looking out shouldn't be TOO much of an issue, mine does that and it actually seems to entertain him to watch what's going on. These days he hangs halfway out of his hide, tucked into all the plant cover I have in his enclosure. Lets him come out and interact with the environment while also feeling secure since he's difficult to see through the leaves.

So, if you're not needing to insulate your tub, I'd say try getting some more cover options in the enclosure itself for now. Two well-fitted hides, and some cheap silk plant garlands to toss in there and simulate ground leaf cover over substrate.

Here's what mine looked like recently, for example:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/bkwgySu.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/FrI6h1p.jpg

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Originally Posted by hollowlaughter

Looking out shouldn't be TOO much of an issue, mine does that and it actually seems to entertain him to watch what's going on. These days he hangs halfway out of his hide, tucked into all the plant cover I have in his enclosure. Lets him come out and interact with the environment while also feeling secure since he's difficult to see through the leaves.

So, if you're not needing to insulate your tub, I'd say try getting some more cover options in the enclosure itself for now. Two well-fitted hides, and some cheap silk plant garlands to toss in there and simulate ground leaf cover over substrate.

Here's what mine looked like recently, for example:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/bkwgySu.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/FrI6h1p.jpg

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She has two of the black smallest sized hides that she loves I may get her some fake plants for the longer sides.


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Originally Posted by Newbie39

She has two of the black smallest sized hides that she loves I may get her some fake plants for the longer sides.


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Contacted the breeder last night. He said he was feeding at night in low light. Defrost in cold then the hottest tap water then feed. Will try in a couple of days. She was very active last night. Going to the top of the enclosure. Head is constantly sticking out of hide. Wondering if it's hunger stress.


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Just a quick tip, I never dangle the rodent the tail, as this is not how it would approach the snake if it were alive. I use the tongs to hold the sides of the rodent and present it to my snake head first, that way he can strike the head easily :)

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Originally Posted by Joci

Just a quick tip, I never dangle the rodent the tail, as this is not how it would approach the snake if it were alive. I use the tongs to hold the sides of the rodent and present it to my snake head first, that way he can strike the head easily :)

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Thanks. I will keep that in mind.


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