Newbie to BP any tips?

I got my first Ball Python (Slithers) in September from a friend looking to re-home her 2yr old BP. She thinks its male and had it on a every other week feeding of one large rat. But I'm concerned that the feedings are too far apart because he will start hunting several days before the next feeding. I already knew I needed a new tank because they kept him in a 20g long. He is now in a 30g breeder tank and loves the space. He hadn't been handled for most of the past year so it's taking him a bit to get used to me holding him. I mostly just sit with him while watch TV. I got him a humidifier and he has a heating pad with a hide and a nice size branch he likes to curl around.
I have other reptiles such as beardies and skinks. Im just looking for any tips on caring for my new baby. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Also wondering if I should take him to my vet for a check up or not? Most of the other reptiles are on file because they were rescues we rehabbed and then kept.

They are opportunistic feeders and remain interested in food for a number of days after feeding. Unless this thing is an absolute behemoth, there is little if any reason to feed large rats and certainly no more frequently than you are currently. My 11.5yr old male eats a small rat every 12-21 days and does just fine, maintains good weight and muscle tone, and will still go on an occasional feeding strike. Pics would be helpful for us to offer additional insight.

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Originally Posted by Mute_Sorrows

...Also wondering if I should take him to my vet for a check up or not? Most of the other reptiles are on file because they were rescues we rehabbed and then kept.

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It's mostly about how much confidence you have in your vet. Personally, I don't take any snakes to see a vet unless there's an obvious problem- but I've been keeping many snakes for many years, & in my own experiences, subtle signs of illness are best detected by me. And unfortunately, where I live now, there are no good reptile vets within a reasonable distance, so "check-ups" would be either pointless or do more harm than good. If I need vet help here for one of my snakes, I have to be an active partner in the process.


Anyway, :welcome:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...2259_thumb.jpg

This is the best picture I could get to upload for now.

Our current vet primarily does exotics and has been very helpful with our other reptiles. But we also only take them in when there are signs of something being wrong as well.

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Unless this thing is an absolute behemoth, there is little if any reason to feed large rats and certainly no more frequently than you are currently.

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Honestly I just continued with what his original owner was doing when it came to feeding. He doesn't struggle with eating his food. He will start hunting about 3-4 days before his next feeding.

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Originally Posted by Mute_Sorrows

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...2259_thumb.jpg

This is the best picture I could get to upload for now.

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Looks fine to me "from here".

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Originally Posted by Mute_Sorrows

Honestly I just continued with what his original owner was doing when it came to feeding. He doesn't struggle with eating his food. He will start hunting about 3-4 days before his next feeding.

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My boas hunt every single day. Doesn’t mean they’re ready to eat again. These are lie in wait predators, programmed by hundreds of thousands of years of evolution to grab food when they can because it could be months before something walks by them again. By comparison they are very spoiled in captivity but their instincts don’t know that. I used to feed medium rats weekly and would encounter months long food strikes from my male. Dialing back to smalls less frequently he still goes on fasts but not as often and for shorter durations.


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He bas gone through one shed since I got him and that was the only time he has refused to eat. Which I expected to happen I was just slow to noticing his eyes had gone blue.

I do have a question about food though. Would it be better to continue going through a reptile store or order online for rats?
I'm obviously I'm not feeding him live prey but any of the stores I trust for my reptile supplies are an hour or more drive from my house. Usually we go to the local reptile shows and stock up but with Covid there haven't been any.

There as several online sources that members here seem to like (if memory serves me, they include Perfect Prey, Big Cheese, Layne Labs etc) BUT, if you only have one snake, it will not be very cost effective for you, since the price of shipping on ice adds quite a bit to the price- most people who buy that way stock up for a while (a year is fine, fyi) & most are feeding multiple snakes. Of course maybe the convenience of not driving a few hours round trip balances out the cost of shipping anyway. (I raise my own rodents, btw.)

I will have to check it out and compare cost. Knowing that others have had good experiences with those suppliers helps. The last thing I want is to give my snake bad food.

If I needed to buy rodents, from what I've heard here from others, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from any of these. And I won't mention any chain names, but I have heard of ppl getting "bad rodents" from pet stores, as well as a few other online sources (it was also quite some time ago), but not ever from these. Pay attention to shipping costs, I don't think they're all the same on that.

Big Cheese Rodents
Cold Blooded Cafe
Perfect Prey
Layne Labs

I no longer have a reptile place in my town, but even when I did it was more cost efficient to order a single bag of 20 small rats with $30 flat rate shipping. The place I had local charged $5/small rat and like $9/large. Highway robbery. With 6 snakes I just order a bunch once or twice a year, depending on what I need, and I’m set.


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Also, it may be worth reaching out to your local helping community...I combine my order with several other people's orders and then split the shipping. With what I save on per prey item cost, with the added $10 for shipping I still come out way ahead, especially as I am able to dedicate a decent amount of freezer space to rat storage.