ok, so I'm trying to feed

I just offered a small hopper to my new BP, who is pretty young. She spends a lot of time sniffing it and rubbing her chin on it, but isn't striking. I am worried that it has by now gotten cold. She is still interested, but isn't eating. Should I just leave it in there a while anyways or take it out and wait ten days to feed her again?Thanks!

Is it a frozed hopper, or a pre-killed one?

Some are picky on eating those...

The bp might have to get use to it's new habitat, leave it be and don't handle it. Also don't change it's environment for awhile.

Leave it be, give it some time to adjust to new surroundings, then try again in five days to a week.

did u just leave it in there or did u do the "rat dance"???

thanks guys..I'll wait and try later :)

Was the mouse pre-killed, frozen, or alive?

Mine was breed in captivity and had no problems eating, but some that are shipped over might take like a month before they start eating.

it was f/t...the owner had said that it was eating pre-killed. should I try pre-killed next time? How should I kill the mouse if so? also, how hot should the f/t mouse be when offered? Is there a specific temp or just warm? I put it in steaming hot water, let it soak, then offered it.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59

It says in the care sheet all about how to serve them up.

I've heard of putting f/t in chicken broth if he doesn't take it too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by clipclopclip

it was f/t...the owner had said that it was eating pre-killed. should I try pre-killed next time? How should I kill the mouse if so? also, how hot should the f/t mouse be when offered? Is there a specific temp or just warm? I put it in steaming hot water, let it soak, then offered it.

---

Susan and I were discussing this just a bit ago...

The FEW times I have used F/T I would put them in a baggie and soak them in hot water to thaw them...the times were depending on the size...When I got them out they were usually not warm enough so I used a hair dryer and just heated them up a bit. You don't lay it directly on the prey item and it doesn't have to be HOT...just warm enough to get the bp's attention.

remember...what is warm to you may be too hot for your snake...so don't leave it under the dryer for long.


also...you may have a picky eater and might not be comfortable eating with you around...leave it in the enclosure overnight and see if it is gone in the morning.

:)


just a side note....do not leave ANY LIVE prey item in the enclosure unattended.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by clipclopclip

it was f/t...the owner had said that it was eating pre-killed. should I try pre-killed next time?

---

If the previous owner said he/she was eating pre-killed then that is what i would suggest to try next time. Your snake may simply be used to pre-killed and for whatever reason could be thrown off by F/T.

With BP's as picky as they are, stick to what ever the previous owner said worked and go from there.

how can I kill the mouse to feed pre-killed? I've never done it before. Thanks!

Try searching the site a little before asking sometimes. Most the time it can be easier to use the search method.

I found these links in "feeders" under "General Husbandry and Supplies"

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=33850
http://research.uiowa.edu/animal/?get=euthanasia

thanks for the info! I tried searching but I guess I used to wrong keywords cause nothing came up....now I know what to search under!

so far my snakes have been great eaters im trying to get my male switched over to twinkies to enhance his yellow :salute:

Well, I tried again today (I know it was only four days but I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm sure my petsitter won't want to feed her). I tried with f/t and made sure the mouse was dry and I did the deal where I bumped her mouth slightly and gently with the mouse and she snatched it right up and dragged it into her hide to munch away! Yay!!!

Thanks for the advice guys!:banana: