New BP

[blaz]

Hi there I got my BP last week and I am having some concerns I was hoping some of you could help with. I know this will make me sound like a complete newb but I am. So here goes.
First I am wanting to switch my BP to FT. I offered him a FT rat fuzzy on Monday after I got him and he didn't take it. I didnt worry too much and on Tuesday I got him a mouse which he ate quickly and easily without even a bulge. I got him out today and noticed he has a well defined ridge going down his back. After a little google I am guessing he is loosing weight so I thought I would get him a small rat to see if he would eat. He didn't eat he struck once but only scared the rat who in turn bit him so and he retreated so I took the rat out. I am wondering if the rat is too big. or if there is any other advise anyone can offer. Below I am going to link a pic of him with the rat and the ridge on his back.
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[Capray]

Congrats!

He looks pretty great, weight wise, I really wouldn't be worried. Definitely get smaller rats, but it sounds like he prefers mice..

[FireStorm]

The rat was definitely too big. He probably needs a rat pup, or an adult mouse (or 2, if he will take them).

[FireStorm]

Also, are you feeding him in his enclosure, or moving him to another tub? You may have more luck switching him over if you feed in his enclosure.

[blaz]

I am moving him to a tub to feed him. The night after I posted I got him to eat 2 mice! But that brings me to my next issue. I am having trouble getting him out of the terrerium I have him in. I still fear him a bit I guess. Wheni open it he always tenses up so I usually stork his back to let him know I'm about to pick him up. Today when I touched him he raised his back up in the air about an inch. Any idea why he did that? And should I worry?

[Willie76]

Congrats, he is a BEAUTY!

He can sense your fear. Besides, what's the worse that's going to happen? He nips? I promise you, it doesn't hurt (that bad). Confidence is a tricky thing, but the more you do it the more confident you will become. It just takes time. All my snakes "tense up". The thing you have to remember is to be slow and gentle, yet confident. I don't know if you've seen the movie, E.T. but there is a scene where the boy Elliot screams when he sees ET in the closet, then E.T. screams, then the boy screams and back and forth they go...When you're calm and confident, your snake will sense this. Even if he does tag you, continue with picking him up. Eventually he'll see that no harm will come to him and that trust will be formed...

As far as food, what is his weight? A decent rule of thumb is 10%-15% of his body weight once a week until he's 500 grams. So if your snake weighs 160 grams, a decent meal would be a mouse or rat around 24 grams (+/- a few grams won't hurt). I have always fed in their enclosure as many do here as well. It is a myth they will become cage aggressive or always associate you with food. Though their brain is not large, millions of years of evolution let's them know what's food and what isn't...

Now, switching over to F/T. For some this can be tricky, but not impossible. Do you have a pair of hemostats? If not, get a pair. Reptile Basics has them very reasonably. I usually thaw prey in a ziploc in warm water for about an hour. After about 30 minutes, change out the water with fresh warm water and let it finish thawing the remaining 30 minutes. When the hour is up, I fill the bowl with a bit of hot water and bring the bowl over to the enclosures. I grab the rat by the hind quarters and dip it's head in the hot water for about 10-15 seconds then open the doors and do the zombie dance/wiggle just above their head. If after a few minutes they haven't struck, I immerse the head back in the hot water for another 10-15 seconds and re-present and do the dance. If they still haven't struck, I lay the rat on a hide or log in front of them, close the door and leave them be. Since they're already dead, you can leave the room and let him investigate it for himself. I will check back a couple hours later, or if I feed before bed, I leave it in overnight. If they still haven't eaten I remove the prey from their enclosure and wait until next feeding time. They will normally get the hint pretty quickly...but if it has been 3 feedings and they still haven't taken F/T, give him a smaller live and try F/T the next few weeks....

Patience and time are our friends....

Oh and when shopping for feeders, this chart has helped immesly:

[blaz]

Willie, That was a ton of information and very helpful. Thank you! He was 183g a week ago. I havn't weighed him since but will next time I feed him. Also I do have some long tweezers that I am going to use to get him on F/T.
You are so right about the confidence and I feel like I knew that but definitely needed to hear it again. Thanks so much.