Am I just lucky?

So I'm a NOOB!

I just got my first BP on Sunday. And I can't tell you how exciting it has been! When we got home I set up his home and noticed that his pinkie was pretty thawed from the drive, so I thought well what the heck - throw it in a glass of hot water and see, so I took it from the glass of water, held it with some chopsticks about 3-4 inches from him - and BOOM within 10 seconds he took it and ate! As soon as he took it - we just let him be and went to dinner, when we came back - all was good.


So I have spent alot of time reading alot of info on this board to make sure I'm the best mom that I can be. But I'm thinking I'm either really lucky or people post the worst case scenarios?? So far he ate immediately, and everytime I come in to change his water - he comes to my hand - checks me out and I take him out (did not hold for 36 hours though after feeding:)) and he seems to be very happy being held. he never balls up, he just hangs out - exploring, and never seems shy, this is usually in the evening. It seems like he really enjoys it.

He has two hides one on each side of his cage, his temp is 90-92 on one side and the 80-82 on the other and the humidity is 50-60%. I also put in a branch thing and he loves to just wrap around it and hang out (in the evenings) during the mornings and during the day - he stays in his hides.

So I guess I am wondering am I just lucky with this one? Or is it too soon to know? He really seems to have a good temperment and sweet personality.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts:)

I look forward to learning so much more about my BP.

Cara

You are VERY lucky. Lol.

Hi Cara,

Its called good husbandry!!! YAY!!! You have a well kept healthy bp. They do great when they are comfortable! Keep up the good work, everything sounds perfect. ;)

Just wondering? You are feeding a BP a "pinkie"? How old is this BP?

-Danny

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tybalt

Just wondering? You are feeding a BP a "pinkie"? How old is this BP?

-Danny

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Some feed them rat pinks some feed mouse pinks or fuzzies to the babies.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tybalt

Just wondering? You are feeding a BP a "pinkie"? How old is this BP?

-Danny

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Honestly I don't know how old - he is only like 14-16 inches long - I guess? My husband says he thought the lady said 4 or 5 weeks? Honestly though i don't know:( Lady I got him from said that he was on the verge of moving to a fuzzie - but to try the pinkie this time since that was what he was used to, then move to a fuzzy with the next meal.

Here is a pic of him, also would you say he looks like he is getting ready to shed his skin?

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...0/ed720d5d.jpg

here is close up of face

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...7/ed7203e9.jpg

Oh Boy he is a cute lil bugger! :colbert2: Hats off to you for such a good choice. I love the flames he has on his lil belly. I was only inquiring because the whole chunky monkey build of young BPs normally warrants the feeding of a rat pup to start. But if he is eating regularly keep on keeping on. Try to switch him to f/t rat pups though in the near future. Congratulations on the lad,

-Danny

I too got lucky with a good feeder. I got my BP 2 Sundays ago and a few days later, he was striking in midair at the heat lamp. SO I decided it was a good time to try feeding him. He had only eaten live so I was doubtful he would eat a F/T but thats what I had.

Whack! He took it. Mine is about the same size and I am feeding small adult mice with no problems. I would def. move up from pinks!!!! even fuzzy mice seem small for a baby ball. In fact, three days later, my BP ate AGAIN! I didn't plan on feeding him until at least 5 days later but he showed all the signs of being hungry and sure enough he ate. NOw he is going "blue" and ready to shed, maybe he knew he was going to shed andhad to sneak an extra meal in??? lol, I don't know. Your BP seems like a friendly one. I can't figure out if mine is or not. I have handled him briefly three different times and he keeps trying to get down. I can't handle him now because he is going to shed.

BUt DEF. move up on prey size.

Crowley has me spoiled, he's a FANTASTIC eater- Never, not once with me has he missed *knocks on wood*

Now, with selena, my friend i bought him from- he didn't eat for about.. five months? Shows what good husbandry will do for a 'nakey-poo.

Cute baby! congrats!

Most BP's have an undeservedly bad rep for poor feeding and shedding. Most of this is attributed to poor husbandry and difficulty in getting imported babies started (they are often sold through pet stores as "captive born" and "good feeders" when they are in fact neither).

Give you snake a proper home, good husbandry, gentle responsible handling and regular once weekly feedings of an appropriate prey item and it will likely be a lovely companion for the next 20 years or so. Getting a well-started baby BP is the first step to accomplishing that goal.

I'd consider moving up from mouse pinks to at least fuzzies or better yet hoppers/small adults (depending on the girth of your snake). A mouse pink is really a quite small meal for most baby BP's. Just go with a prey item that at it's biggest circumference does not exceed or is slightly smaller than the largest girth of your snake.

Thanks Everyone - I will be moving up to a small adult in feedings - I'll try one tonight:)

Thanks for all the help:)

Gotta tell ya I don't know how people did these before forums like this were started. Reading this site as really helped me out!:)

They bumbled along and probably learned a few things the hard way or better yet they networked more at herp clubs and snake shows and so forth. Remember for all the good the online herp world does, there's also a ton of really poor, sometimes dangerous husbandry info out there. Always validate and verify everything you read anywhere online and if in doubt on any health issue, your herp vet is your best friend!

Thanks - OK So with that being said - I have some questions.


What does F/T mean?

AND I keep hearing conflicting don't feed live and do feed live?
What should I do I am going tonight to buy his next meal?
What exactly should I ask for?

Any input would be great

Just feed him what he ate last time to make sure he is an established feeder, then you can switch to F/T(Frozen thawed)

There are three kinds of feeding methods..

1) f/t - frozen/thawed where the prey is bought frozen (often in bulk) and then warmed back to "live" temps just prior to feeding

2) p/k - pre-killed where the prey is live, then humanely euthanized and immediately fed off

3) live - the safe use of live prey items as a food source

All have pro's and con's...none is better than the other if done properly. The end result you are going for is a snake that eats consistently with an aggressive feeding response whether you feed mice or rats, f/t, p/k or live.