» Site Navigation
1 members and 3,105 guests
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.
» Today's Birthdays
» Stats
Members: 75,111
Threads: 248,550
Posts: 2,568,821
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
|
-
BPnet Veteran
:roll: Hey all you snakey folks,
Well, after reading the posts in Stormyva discussion of the pros and cons of feeding live vs. pre-killed, I have decided to humbly put my tail between my legs and concede that it is indeed a better idea to feed pre-killed or thawed or whatever it is you call it when the rodent is DEAD...I can see now that it is just a better way of introducing prey to a captive snake. I DO have some important questions though....so are ya all ready to pump some knowledge at me? Okay..
What is the best way to introduce a P/K rodent to a Ball Python ? should I just lay it there in the feed box and leave the snake alone to discover it ? or should I use the "Jiggle" method of teasing the snake with the rodent held by a pair of forceps ?
What is the best way to thaw these mouse/rat pops...??? in the past I have had a nasty time of having the abdominal wall of the rodent break open and leak ( yarg :x ) intestinal fluids all over the place...
Okay, now as for my Columbian Redtail boa...when she attains full size can I obtain pre-killed frozen rabbits ??? is that possible...??? I am aware of how much damage a rat can inflict on a snake so I can only imagine the wounds a rabbit could inflict !!! I am 100% committed to getting my boa on pre-killed !!!
I appreciate all of your insights and knowledge that you can share with me on this and the many other topics that we will be discussing in the days, weeks and months ahead. You are all a great bunch of people and I feel priviledged to be a herper amongst you !!!
EyeLashViper
-
-
BPnet Veteran
-
-
BPnet Veteran
The Computer Method
First, put the frozen rodent in an airtight plastic bag (when I buy frozen mice from the pet store, they give it to me in a fish bag).
Then, put a weight on top of the bag and have it hang off over the back of your computer, with the rodent right located where the exhaust air comes out. Make sure there is some space between the bag and the computer, so you don't block the ventilation.
This is twice as fast as laying a rodent on a spare heatpad (2-3 hours), though I haven't tried other methods.
~40 Ball Pythons (mostly Freeway/Asphalt, Bongo, GHI, and Leopard combos)
3.8.3 Green Tree Pythons (mostly TM/TW blueline, a few Highland/Wamena)
1.2 Children's Pythons
1.2 Cay Caulker Boas
1.2 Black Fuli House Snakes
1.0.4 Amazon Tree Boas (1x tiger, 3x halloween garden, 1x garden)
-
-
BPnet Veteran
1.0 Ball Python, Norbert
0.1 Corn Snake, Nagini
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa, Peeves
-
-
Registered User
very ingenious, hhw! and jonah, thanks for the writeup, I learned a lot. I just switched to rats and I'm putting in my first rodent pro order right now I wish I had more than one snake... only filling up 18% of the package feels like such a waste.
Oh oh, and speaking of which, how many small rats do you think an average BP would go through before switching up to medium? rodentpro smalls are 4-6" and mediums are 6-7". Bongo is exactly one year old and 5" rats seem to fit him perfectly at this point. Should I order ten smalls and ten mediums, or just twenty smalls?
-
-
BPnet Veteran
When you have 6 computers stacked all over each other making one room as hot as a furnace, you think of ways to make use of that heat (I am a UNIX geek who runs all kinds of hardware most people have never heard of)
Now, if only I could tap into that heat to safely warm my enclosures as well...
~40 Ball Pythons (mostly Freeway/Asphalt, Bongo, GHI, and Leopard combos)
3.8.3 Green Tree Pythons (mostly TM/TW blueline, a few Highland/Wamena)
1.2 Children's Pythons
1.2 Cay Caulker Boas
1.2 Black Fuli House Snakes
1.0.4 Amazon Tree Boas (1x tiger, 3x halloween garden, 1x garden)
-
-
Registered User
I feel warm all over.... Just kidding I think the heat from hhw's puters is blowing over here.
Anyways.... jamminjonah I think has put together one of the best instruction sheets that I have seen on feeding f/t. There isnt much else that I can add.
I can say this though.....
You will probably find that your BCI will not even hesitate to take the f/t.... if you have warmed it up enough. Put your hand on the head of the rat. If it feels warm, not hot, to the touch then it should be ok. The BCI will probably snatch up the f/t rat as soon as it hits the feed tub and coil and constrict it as if it is live prey.
For the ball python... be persistent... dont give up with two or three failed attempts. Keep in mind that BPs are shy snakes, dont intimidate them with the prey item. Dont hit the snake in the face or head with the f/t rat. First try to offer the rat simply by putting it in the tub and leaving it alone. If that doesnt work try and simulate the movement of live prey.
Good luck... there are many other tricks so keep us posted on the how things are going!
Look, sometimes bad things happen, and there is nothing you can do about it, so why worry?
Simba, The Lion King
-
-
BPnet Veteran
Excellent job, Jonah!
Two minor additions to the info:
1. Some snakes react better to more movement, some to less. You will have to figure out what works best for yours. I've had snakes that wouldn't even sniff prey until I walked away, and I've had snakes insist on dinner and a show.
2. Normal body temp for rats and mice is the same as humans. Some snakes, including Tigergenesis', seem to prefer feverish rodents, but in the wild the rodents they'd be most likely to encounter would generally have a body temperature between 98F and 101F, so that should be your target temperature range, generally speaking.
3.1.1 BP (Snyder, Hanover, Bo Peep, Sir NAITF, Eve), 1.2.3 Rhacodactylus ciliatus (Sandiego, Carmen, Scooby, Camo, BABIES ), 1.0 Chow (Buddha), 0.2 cats (Jezebel, PCBH "Nanners"), 0.3 humans
xnview for resizing and coverting pics
Support Ball-Pythons.net by shopping our store!
-
-
Jonah strikes again! Awesome job!!
-
-
BPnet Veteran
when should you start feeding rats?
Thanks guys and thanks for the additions marla those are very good points.
-
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules
|