Lets meet Rei.

This is Rei, she's my 6 month old Bumblebee BP. I got her about 3-4 weeks ago, been stalking these forums learning all I can about keeping her happy and healthy. She is also my first snake, and I'm already dreaming of another, I've got the "bug" as you guys seem to put it. :P

This is her in her waterbowl and tank. Literally the only time I've seen her actually sit in her water bowl.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Gsbwsvg.png
Chillin' in my hand and lap
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/yksAZ1F.pnghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/fBWSPUB.png

She's a real sweetie, has eaten 4 times for me so far, every 5/6 days, she eats live since that is what her breeder was feeding her, I have not yet decided if I will try to switch her to f/t yet.
Well... back to lurking, probably will post pics occasionally.

Pretty baby! Welcome,

Wow look at that head!!! It like a face on her face so cool!

She is gorgeous! Tank looks good too.

IMO if you are looking to switch her diet, it's easiest to do it when she is young.

She is a beauty, love her head stamp 😊 Glad things are going so well for you and your new friend congratulations.

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping!!

Wow, that headstamp is AWESOME!!

Like mentioned above, switching to F/T is easier with young snakes. Just something to keep in mind.

I feed F/T for the following reasons:
1) much cheaper. I can stock the freezer a few times a year, easy breezy. I pay less weekly to feed all 4 snakes this way than feeding one snake buying locally.
2) refusals can be re-frozen (the general rule of thumb is one time, then throw it away if refused again) which is super convenient when you nly habe 1 snake and can't feed refusals to other snakes. Refusals of live means you have a temporary pet mouse/rat.
3) this is the main reason: the safety of my snakes. Dead prey doesn't fight back. Mice aren't too bad, but get bit by a rat and you know it. Once your snake is bigger and requires bigger prey, rats can be vicious little buggers and can cause serious harm to a snake. Good luck pulling a rat out of your enclosure if the rat is fighting for its life while the snake is trying to eat it.
4) I just don't like watching any animal die if I don't have to. With F/T I just see food, not a living animal. I hate watching or hearing the mouse/rat die when there's another option.

Anyway, good luck with your new pet!! Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
That being said, I am not opposed to feeding live, as long as it's done safely and properly.

welcome. beautiful lil noodle!
:welcome:

Great looking bumblebee congrats and enjoy. Believe it or not the bumblebee was the very first ball python combo.

She's a cutie and nice size for 6 months! I agree switching to ft only gets harder with age but has nothing but benefits if you decide to switch. Glad shes eating well and seems happy!

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk

I'm with these guys ... get it over to frozen thawed asap if you're going down route .


Stunning looking Royal but keep an eye on the 'soaking' , no worries if it's only very occasional but if it was done more and more that can suggest the dreaded 'mites'..


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I think I will switch her to f/t because it would definitely just be much more convenient for me, and safer for her.
I'm a part-time college student and full-time employee. It can be a hassle to run out and buy a mouse every five days, which just really how often she wants to eat right now.
My question is, should I try to switch her to f/t mice first? She's eating medium mice rn. I ask this because I really want to switch her to rats as well, I have a feeling trying to do a double-switch on her food type will not go well. Lol

Update on Rei.

I got a kitchen scale so I can keep up on her weight. She is currently weighing in at 356 grams.
As for the f/t switch, that has indeed been successful. She ate adult mice for me every 5 days for about 4-5 weeks then last week I offered a f/t rat pup, I just today gave her a second rat pup, also f/t, I've been using the hairdryer method after thawing in hot water, feeding during the day in as much dark as I can muster(my mom being around at night makes feeding stressful for me and stressful for Rei I'm sure cause she's always trying to dictate on how I should feed.) Anyway, she took it quite readily, her first rat she wasn't too sure of at first, but she did take and eat it after i offered it warm and did the zombie dance, but this one she took right away.
While I'm doing the switch I'm feeding her every 7 days but I know she wants to eat every 5 days. She's a voracious girl!

Rei also has a more pretty setup, same tank but I've added in more plants because I didn't like how little color was in the tank, I also started experimenting a bit with substrates. I didn't like how the coconut alone would get on her prey and she would swallow it. It hasn't been an issue of impactation but it has me worried just a bit. When I cleaned her tank last week I invested in some reptibark. I now use a brick of compressed coconut substrate and a layer of reptibark on the top. This looks both pretty and keeps her prey free of substrate. I'm also finding the wet coconut fiber is doing a fine job of maintaining humidity underneath the bark.

Don't have any new photos for you guys as of right now tho. D:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

refusals can be re-frozen (the general rule of thumb is one time, then throw it away if refused again) which is super convenient when you nly habe 1 snake and can't feed refusals to other snakes.

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Really? Is this true? Everyone I've asked told me that re-freezing is a no-go for fear of bacteria. My snake is eating right now, but it would be good to know for the next time he doesn't.

Beautiful girl!

I finally got a photo of her this morning.
Turns out the day after I fed her she went into "blue" so I left her alone. She'd only shed a month ago so I was surprised to see her shedding again.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/NOjcoL0.jpg
Proud to say, full complete shed :). I measured the length of the skin today, she is currently 27 inches long.

and her new debut picture!
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/EGqpFl6.png

Gorgeous girl! I've always liked that morph and she is a spectacular example of it. Glad she switched easily for you!

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Y3LTXMz.jpg

She is now eating larger rat weans, and weighs 428 grams. Sometimes we just chill like this. She is actually sitting comfortably next me right this moment.

Just photobomb update.

I had gotten her out the other night to just chill as I was watching The Office. She decided to chill and I thought that against the blue of my blanket this was a perfect photo opportunity.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/grUsRkg.jpg
This is by far my favorite photo to date. I may have set it as the wallpaper to the lock screen on my phone.

Pretty girl!

The sun is out today, so I got Rei out for some photos. Only natural light really does her justice. Still too cold outside for snakes, but I do have a window. I got some really nice headshots of her today, and finally captured the true color of her eyes. I'm also amazed at how good photos my phone takes.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/0Js0WiV.png
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/ljCCx18.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 55fingers

Really? Is this true? Everyone I've asked told me that re-freezing is a no-go for fear of bacteria. My snake is eating right now, but it would be good to know for the next time he doesn't.

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I'm with you on this...not only bacteria but the whole texture tends to change rodent to mush with a re-freeze...gross when snake grabs & it's all over the place. :O

Great updates & photos of Rei, ClarinetPhoenix- she's a beauty and doing beautifully in your hands. :gj:

Such pretty eyes! Beautiful girl. 😊

She's beautiful! Welcome to the forum! Seriously, the people here will 100% help you to make sure your snake is living her best life. I've learned so, so much.

Thank you guys. I know I'm not an active poster but I definitely still check in a couple times a week and read up mostly in husbandry. I still learn new things every time.
Its the advice on this forum that has given me the skills and knowledge I need to keep her healthy and happy.

I'm also feeling so blessed to be entrusted with the care of one of these beautiful creatures. It is an honor for me.
I'm definitely feeling confident with my first snake surviving a whole year with me. I'm eager to expand my collection and I have some plans for later this year. :)
I'm glad I joined the Herpetoculture world.