first feeding done but i have some?

well my new bp just ate his first mouse since i got him.i put him in a box then put the mouse in there it didnt take too long before he was gone.first question is it necessary to feed in a seperate place the girl at the pet store said that bps are agressive snakes and have to be fed in a seperate enclosure.also how do i know if the mouse was big enough its been 10 minutes and i cant see any lumps in him.if it is too small should i feed him sooner than 1 week from now?she also said to leave him in there for an hour before i put him in his tank but he was going out of the box so i just put him back in a couple minutes after.thanks

Well as usual the girl at the pet store does not know what she is talking about :rolleyes:

BP are not aggressive nor will they mistake you for food if you feed them in their enclosure.

You need to feed a prey slightly smaller than the girth size (widest part of your BP's body) once every 5 to 7 days.

I feed all of mine once a week in their enclosure and there is no visible lump once fed.

ok the mouse was pretty close to his girth.maybe ill try feeding in the tank not sure yet.i change his water everday so i dont think he will get tank aggression if keep going in to change his water.also i didnt really know how to get him out of his tank.im still a little nervous about taking him out and im sure he knows that but first i kinda pet him gently then i waited 15 seconds then i picked him up from the middle of his body with one hand.was that the right way to take him out?and he curled his neck back when i was putting him in and it made me jump a little any pointers on the fear situation lol

The more you handle him the less fear you'll have, over time you'll get use to it. my young snakes i just got are skidish still and are alittle jumpie, so i just let them be and as they get older i'll handle them more. but my older balls, are really friendly and easy to handle..

just my .02

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Originally Posted by beardieguy

well my new bp just ate his first mouse since i got him.i put him in a box then put the mouse in there it didnt take too long before he was gone.first question is it necessary to feed in a seperate place the girl at the pet store said that bps are agressive snakes and have to be fed in a seperate enclosure.also how do i know if the mouse was big enough its been 10 minutes and i cant see any lumps in him.if it is too small should i feed him sooner than 1 week from now?she also said to leave him in there for an hour before i put him in his tank but he was going out of the box so i just put him back in a couple minutes after.thanks

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Hi

well first off usually the people at the pet shops are wrong and have no idea what their talking about :rolleye2:And i like to feed my snakes out side their cages . and usually what the size of the largest part of their body get them something smaller i feed all my snakes 1 time a week except for my carpet (i want him to grow faster) also dont touch them till 2 days after they eat

:salute:

so if i do continue to feed outside how long do i wait before putting him back in his tank?

i would wait about 15-20 min to put him back in...if you are nervous of picking him up while in the cage get a snake hook to hook him out and then gently place him in your hand

just wait like 5 min i guess then just place him back and leave him alone but allways clean before and after he eats (after he poops)

i dont want to have to use a hook i really want to get over my fear but i have no problems holding them once there outside.and since you mentioned it how ofter do they poo anyways and whats the right way to take him out?

When I got my bp I was a little cautious of picking her up too but honestly, they are so friendly and unless you have an aggressive snake (which you would probably have known by now) the chances of it bitting you when you pick it up are slim to none. As long as you keep their body supported and are gentle you should have no problems.

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Originally Posted by giaach

When I got my bp I was a little cautious of picking her up too but honestly, they are so friendly and unless you have an aggressive snake (which you would probably have known by now) the chances of it bitting you when you pick it up are slim to none. As long as you keep their body supported and are gentle you should have no problems.

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In some forums about feeding they say that some can go up to 4 weeks without pooping. But usually they poop once or twice a week. Most the time you'll just find uriates. You will know when they poop. It smells terrible.

When you pick them up just grab them near their midsection and place her/her on your hand or whatever. The are terrestrial animals so they need support for their long backbone. As long as you keep them supported ( which isn't hard to do) your fine. They usually get themselves comfortable.

i think hes a calm one.this morn i was moving his hide back because he moved it overnight and he woke up and i left my hand in the tank and he just slowly came over to my hand and checked me out he also has done that when i change the water and if im watching him he comes up too the front and says whats up lol

thats pretty cool. Mine spends most of her time in her hide. Shes about to shed too, which causes them to be a little more recluse. but I would assume that from what you said, your snake doesn't sound like a vicious killer out to bite your hand off.

I feed all my snakes outside in a separate feeding tub just bc i get a very strong feeding response...when they go in there they know its time to eat. My suggestion is to pick up a digital scale for 35$ mice/rats can be seen as small to some but when you put em on the scale theyre huge... My buddy was feeding his snake 30-40g rats at 3-4 months old bc he had no clue how big to feed... snake was pounding em with no problems but once he got a scale and found out how much they really weighed hes was very surprised.

i wish i could get all my questions on one post but i keep forgetting lol i think this is my last one though when you say give him 2 days before handling is that do whole days?so todays thursday so would it be saturday or sunday before i try to handle him?

I'd say saturday night, or anytime sunday should be fine. Just don't handle it too much until like monday.

well im going to start with 5 minute sessions pretty much daily besides the days after feeding then i will add time after a while.i have my beardie for long handling sessions shes spoiled and wont go to sleep unless i take her out and lay down with her she wants to be out with me all day long lol

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Originally Posted by beardieguy

ok the mouse was pretty close to his girth.maybe ill try feeding in the tank not sure yet.i change his water everday so i dont think he will get tank aggression if keep going in to change his water.also i didnt really know how to get him out of his tank.im still a little nervous about taking him out and im sure he knows that but first i kinda pet him gently then i waited 15 seconds then i picked him up from the middle of his body with one hand.was that the right way to take him out?and he curled his neck back when i was putting him in and it made me jump a little any pointers on the fear situation lol

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How big is your BP (length and width) and when did you get him? When I got my bf for the first time, i handled him a bit, then about a week later my order from reptile supply came with all the stuff for his tank, so I set it up and let him be for another week. Once that week was up I fed him, and few days later tried grabbing him but he hissed and was VERY jumpy. I couldn't put my hand in the tank without him snapping and jumping. He never struck at me tho. Well, that hissy and jumpy snake is so tame right now that I can just open the tank, take off the hide and put my hand in front of him and he will slither on thanks to a trick I learned from bearheart from here, so credit goes to him. Get an old T-Shirt or white beater that you don't need anymore, cut out a small piece (kinda like a bandana) and tie it around your hand during night. After 3-4 nights cut that piece of cloth in half and put them in your snake's hides. This will associate your scent with his hide(aka security) It did wonders, and now if I put him on my bed, the second he spots my hand he will quickly slither over and hide under it or get on me. By the way, I'm not sure how long the scent stays but you can use that old T-shirt or white beater and every month or so make a new piece of cloth and put it in his or her hide.

sound like a good thing to try but my bp hasnt even been in his hides yet.i was going to buy a bigger one for 25 bucks but i got some moss instead and put it in the hides so im going to see what happens i might take the top off one hide and see if he lays there then maybe cover it when he starts using it more.hes about 22inches long and about inch wide maybe wider.i have had him since sunday so almost a week.he ate with no problem so i think hes pretty adjusted to his tank but he wont hide inside his caves just behind them

Hi,

I'd give him another week to settle in and start using his hides - I know its hard not to handle them but its for the best in the longrun.


dr del

Yeah there are always alot of ? As far as feeding in an enclosure that is all the way up to you and what you are comforable with. I feed all of my snakes in there enclosures and have no issues with them, i stick my hands in there and clean and mess with there bedding and i get no aggression from them even on feeding day. I believe after time they begin to know your smell and in no way associate you with food. As far as using his hides just give him time.