Little blind "pinkie" mice vs frozen

Hi everyone!

I need some help!

I bought a ball python from a pet store. He is super tiny like 14 inches id say give or take.

Do I feed him live little baby blind mice called pinkies (which id prefer because i want him to get used to live) or is that a bad idea? if so do i give him frozen??

Thanks so much!

-Bw331

Pinky mice are too small for him...and feeding live is a VERY bad idea. Why would you want him to "get used to that"? It's a recipe for him to get injured,
sooner or later, plus an infection that results from a mouse or rat bite can even kill him. You should be feeding him frozen-thawed fuzzy mice for now, thaw
completely & then warm before offering. Use feeding tongs to offer at night (when they normally eat), slight wiggle (not too much or he may refuse). And
please, do NOT get him on dead prey & then give him live, ever...as he won't be expecting it & is much more likely to get injured. OK?

okay so not to argue or fight but I am going to feed my buddy live rather than frozen. If pinky's are too small do you suggest a small mouse?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bw331

okay so not to argue or fight but I am going to feed my buddy live rather than frozen. If pinky's are too small do you suggest a small mouse?

---

Yeah pinkies are to small, they are basically just water. It would really depend on his weight for us to really know what size he should eat, but hatchlings right out of the egg eat hoppers. You want the mouse to be a little larger then the largest part of his body.

Another good way to go would be to get a rat fuzzy, they would be young and not as capable of hurting him as a full grown mouse and more nutritious, besides its best to get them used to eating rats ASAP sense when they are larger they will need to eat rats to get a full meal.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mice v Rats ...

Look to be very , very similar nutritious-wise ...

Apparently just easier to feed one rat than two or three mice to bigger snakes ..

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...e-and-vitamins


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

If you insist on feeding live, make sure you NEVER leave the snake unsupervised with the rodent.

As others are saying, switching to rats as soon as possible is the best idea. When your snake is big, he'll either have to eat multiple mice (more expensive) or one rat (less expensive), and ball pythons are notorious for being difficult eaters, and switching them from mice to rats can be VERY hard. That is why it is best to do it while they are young.

Why do you want to intentionally feed live? Many breeders with large collections do for the convenience and starting babies but if you only have 1 bp be prepared to often have "pet" rodents that will require housing, bedding, food and all of those additional expenses. also what happens when your local pet store doesnt have the right size in stock? What happens when you buy a small rat and in the week or month that it doesnt get eaten it now becomes too large to feed your snake? Im just curious what your motive is since it has almost nothing besides negatives to feed live if you dont have a large collection.

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bw331

okay so not to argue or fight but I am going to feed my buddy live rather than frozen. If pinky's are too small do you suggest a small mouse?

---

Why in the world would you want to do that if you didn’t have to?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bw331

...I need some help!....Do I feed him live little baby blind mice called pinkies (which id prefer because i want him to get used to live)
or is that a bad idea? if so do i give him frozen??...

---

I believe that the bigger question is why did the OP post a thread (Little blind "pinkie" mice vs frozen) that indicates they are open to debate ("vs"!) and ask if
live "is a bad idea" and then stubbornly insist on feeding live??? Some people just want drama, not to learn...and sadly that appears to be the case here.

Also tells me no research was done and the petstore he bought from has no clue.

So so let's ask the tough questions......
what is your set up
how many hides
uth?
How are you heating your tank?
thermoSTAT? ( notice i did not say thermometer)
humidity level?

oh and if there is anything STICKY in your tank like stick on gauges or any type of tape...take them out. Your snake will get stuck on them. And they are not accurate anyway.

Hello,

I have a 20 long tank. 2 hides a warm hide and a cool hide 2 climbing sticks and a little decoration plant.

I use a heat lamp for the warmth. I have a daytime and a nighttime bulb

No UTH any recommendations? also what does it exactly do instead of just having the heat lamp?

Tank heat sits at 90-95

humidity sits at 55-60%

BP's rarely climb. And more plants for seclusion. A hiding ball is a happy ball. Warm side should be 90. Cool side 80 and over all temp (ambient) should be 80. Uth under the warm hide (on the outside of the tank hooked up to a thermoSTAT) should read 90 with a temp gun on the glass bottom without substrate. If you don't understand any of this please ask. You do not need a day bulb since balls are nocturnal and do not need Uva or uvb. I use a ceramic heat bulb or CHE on a dimmer to dial in the right temp.


things you need:
a hygrometer/thermometer digital.
More plants
uth (for belly heat and digestion)
a thermoSTAT to regulate the uth (this is NOT an option)
a heat gun to gauge proper temps

and again...go frozen. It is safer. I was just bit by an adult mouse at work and had blood running down my hand. Frozen is safer for your animal. You can pay $4 for frozen for $200 for a vet bill....you decide if eating live is so cool vs frozen is safer for your animal. I always say to all my customers....this is not about what you want....this is about your animal. Your wants to not outweigh what your animal needs.

Anything else please ask. Sorry we sound harsh...we just want a happy life for your beep. You have 30 years with this animal...lets getting it going right, from the start.

CHE
Link: http://a.co/clxbESq

UTH
Link: http://a.co/9uDzjy3

thermoSTAT
Link: http://a.co/icWpHe7

For my part .... I would say that everyone of my Royals pythons ( Ball pythons ) over the years have been very active in the climbing department .... They just need a few branches ( hot glued in place ) and they will explore ( sometimes for hours ) in the evenings ...

There is even a paper ( study ) doing the rounds online that says that the guys who hunt Royal / Ball pythons in the wild advised that they found a decent % of them off the ground in bushes or trees .... If I can find a link to it I will post it .


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zincubus

For my part .... I would say that everyone of my Royals pythons ( Ball pythons ) over the years have been very active in the climbing department .... They just need a few branches ( hot glued in place ) and they will explore ( sometimes for hours ) in the evenings ...

There is even a paper ( study ) doing the rounds online that says that the guys who hunt Royal / Ball pythons in the wild advised that they found a decent % of them off the ground in bushes or trees .... If I can find a link to it I will post it .


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

---

I am not disputing at all that they occassionally like to climb but if you're referring to the article Im thinking of, then they had very skewed results. Of course youre going to find way more out climbing since they are easier to see vs the % of hiding ones. If its a different article and you find the link then I'd be interested to read it.

OP even if you didnt do previous research, Im glad you're making the effort to read up on your new pal and hopefully take the feeding and husbandry advice listed all over this site to modify your set up.

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk

While I no longer keep BPs, years ago I raised a few, and one of my youngsters had been refusing food. It wasn't until I put a sturdy multi-legged
arching driftwood in his cage that he ate: he waited in ambush from atop the driftwood, looking down upon the wiggling (yes, live) crawler below him
before pouncing & eating. While I'm a firm believer in feeding dead prey, I'm a person who has both bred & raised various kinds of snakes as well as taken
on rescues of both native & non-native, so I also know that sometimes (NOT always) it's necessary to feed live* to kick-start a feeding response, OR, to
accommodate the needs of a wild snake that is only a temporary captive you're helping.

Anyway, back to climbing for BPs, it was obvious that my little one felt braver by being above the prey, & it was only about 7", but when you're only an inch
tall, it counts...:snake:

*And as far as feeding live, it's only baby rats & mice with eyes still closed that do not fight back & bite your snake. That gives you some time to transition
a snake that is stubborn about taking f/t, but for all the reasons already shared, f/t is best for your snake & for the long run. If you are depending on local
pet stores for feeders, what happens when they run out of the size you need? That's happened to me before, but if you're feeding f/t, you can keep a supply
frozen for those occasional shortages. But don't assume a snake will only accept live, many take f/t right away, & many techniques are helpful.

If you are living with others who object to frozen rodents in the freezer, you might reassure them by double boxing them & making sure they're well-labeled
so no one gets an unappetizing surprise. Some keepers buy a tiny dorm freezer just for their feeders. On the other hand, letting others know what's in your
freezer will get you out of "pot-lucks" every time! :D hee hee...

Also...if you buy from a big box pet store they are already established on frozen. We never feed live unless an animal has never eaten from the moment it comes in and multiple vet visits before we feed live. And then once they eat we go right back to trying frozen.

Educate yourself on feeding and feed what YOU want and what is convinient to YOU, don't let others determine what YOU are feeding to YOUR snake.

The important however is to feed the appropriate size prey which pinkies are not.

To know how much to feed see are feed chart in the husbandry forum