Two pics, felt like sharing

hey everyone
here are some pics i took today

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...encrazypic.JPG

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...edeneating.JPG

once again, hope everyone is doing great. i'd love for more pictures to follow from you. always good to see those beautiful rtbs.

I love the ground color on her! She could eat a bigger meal than that little mouse:P . BTW, is that F/T?

lol yeah, she's my girlfriend's and gorgeous. when we got her she was pretty skinny. we've been feeding her multiple mice each feeding and she is definitely starting to thicken up a little bit. i'd like to get to the point where we can feed her one prey her size but for now the stores are lacking in the area with feeder rats and mice so we've been making do. we feed live.

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Originally Posted by Aza

lol yeah, she's my girlfriend's and gorgeous. when we got her she was pretty skinny. we've been feeding her multiple mice each feeding and she is definitely starting to thicken up a little bit. i'd like to get to the point where we can feed her one prey her size but for now the stores are lacking in the area with feeder rats and mice so we've been making do. we feed live.

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Oh, I see. So you cannot find rats at the pet store?

today they only had extremely large rats and babies that were not for sale. my snake, the ball python, eats two medium to large rats each week so that hasn't been a problem besides today the pet stores being out of what we needed. i fed her two large gerbils today and everything went very smoothly. yes, i know, imprint feeders but Aza has been a great eater and not worried. i think i might just start breeding rats but i think my roomie might not be too fond of that idea.

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Originally Posted by Aza

today they only had extremely large rats and babies that were not for sale. my snake, the ball python, eats two medium to large rats each week so that hasn't been a problem besides today the pet stores being out of what we needed. i fed her two large gerbils today and everything went very smoothly. yes, i know, imprint feeders but Aza has been a great eater and not worried. i think i might just start breeding rats but i think my roomie might not be too fond of that idea.

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You scared me there, about the gerbils. I know, I have gotten my BPs to eat mice/hamsters/rats-(occasionally), without a 'preference' except maybe a bit toward mice(strong smell).

scared you? lol. how so? i felt awful though. the girl at my usual pet store was new and i was freaking out there were no rats of the right size, plus i was in a rush, so i asked what were there cheapest hamsters and got one of the worst looks i've ever gotten. the gerbils didn't go over to easy either but i told them that my girl had to eat.

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Originally Posted by Aza

scared you? lol. how so? i felt awful though. the girl at my usual pet store was new and i was freaking out there were no rats of the right size, plus i was in a rush, so i asked what were there cheapest hamsters and got one of the worst looks i've ever gotten. the gerbils didn't go over to easy either but i told them that my girl had to eat.

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I don't want to try gerbils, because they are very similar(in smell) to the gerbils and gerboas in Africa that wild BPs eat. You're lucky if your BP eats gerbils, rats, and mice. Like I said before, I feed only mice/rats/hamsters, but I breed gerbils too(for the pet stores).

ah yeah, understandable. random question, how should i "fatten" up our rtb or should i try to feed her small rats p/k? i've always gone with feeding our snakes the size of the thickest part of their body or as close to that as we can without getting too large. basically, how can i get to feeding a good sized item once a week?

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Originally Posted by Aza

ah yeah, understandable. random question, how should i "fatten" up our rtb or should i try to feed her small rats p/k? i've always gone with feeding our snakes the size of the thickest part of their body or as close to that as we can without getting too large. basically, how can i get to feeding a good sized item once a week?

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Maybe you can buy hamsters/gerbils for the RTB if they are a good size. Feed p/k if you wish. My boas aren't picky about any rodents. I fed my red-tail boa a rat that was 1.5-2 times as thick as it was. They can handle so much more than that, but it isn't necessary. I have yet to experience regurgitation problems with feeding prey items on the larger end of preference. BTW, I don't do it all the time and if I feed a large item, I may wait 2 weeks or so before feeding again.

have you tried ordering some f/t rats in the right size? that way you'll always have them available.

:D

nope, haven't yet. obviously a good idea. thank you for the input. right now i'm just trying to see how many stores have feeder rats around here in chicago. i can't wait to bring eden and aza here from the suburbs and suprisingly the neighbors are way more interested, in a positive way, then i expected to see them.

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Originally Posted by Aza

ah yeah, understandable. random question, how should i "fatten" up our rtb or should i try to feed her small rats p/k? i've always gone with feeding our snakes the size of the thickest part of their body or as close to that as we can without getting too large. basically, how can i get to feeding a good sized item once a week?

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If you want to fatten her up, I don't know why (she looks healthy), you can feed her every five days for awhile...right sizes mind you (not too big). They pack on the pounds quickly. Remember though, A fat boa isn't a healthy boa. As long as the back bone isn't showing (or ribs) she is fine. You want to see the muscles in them...that is a good sign.

Like this one:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88...akesMay/DH.jpg
She is a perfect example of a healthy looking Boa.

This one is too skinny:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88...akes/Axle2.jpg
See the bones showing? That is an underfed Boa.

P/K or F/T Boas take easily. Just take a pair of plyers and grab the rats tail. Dangle it in front of the boa for a minute and hold on when they strike. Tug lightly on the tail so the Boa thinks it's killing the rat and after that they will be switched to F/T. You should only have to "tug" the tail a few times then let go. After you have fed her this way twice or three times you shouldn't have to play tug o war anymore, just let her grab it and you'll be all set.

thank you! we were thinking she was a bit skinny so that's the only reason we wanted her slightly a bit more around, not too much but yeah definitely a little thicker. i'm going to try p/k next feeding, should be interesting. i'm thinking the switch will go easy even though she looks like she is loving live, nailing it every time and moving fast, but with larger prey...yeah, p/k. thanks again everyone, feedback is always welcome:)
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...9/2/weird2.JPG