First Time Owner Feeding Issues

[IDorko]

Hi guys!

So let me preface this by saying that I've researched everything as much as possible but I'm still going to give you the run down. Fudge was born in January, I got her last Tuesday (4/11). Totally love her! I'm trying not to freak out because like I said I researched everything to death but I wanted to see if I'm doing everything all right and if anyone can give me more tips. The thing is about Fudge, she was started with live and I'm trying to switch her to f/t. The breeder told me there shouldn't be any problems since she's pretty young and she was eating pretty well before. She was fed almost 2 weeks ago. I waited a week so she wouldn't get stressed due to her new environment.
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So I tried feeding her last night. I haven't handled her at all since I got her a week ago. I made sure her temps/humidity are right (thermostat, temp gun and thermometer/humidity gauge). She's in a 20 gallon, coconut substrate, has 2 hides, decorations, water bowl etc. So I have her setup pretty down pat.

I made sure it was dark when I tried to feed her. Thawed the mice right on top of her cage so she can smell it. Then heated it (blow dry) before I tried to give it to her. She's pretty active at night, explores etc but when I did the zombie dance with the mice, She had no interest. So I left it overnight with her and poked a hole in the mice head (ick). I just checked and it's still there.

Normally, I wouldn't worry. Since I know they can go without for a few feedings. But she's used to live and she's a baby. They need to eat more often right? She's maybe 9 weeks.

I'm gonna leave it for a couple more hours then throw it out. I'm trying to look for live feeders here where I live (Brooklyn) but having a hard time finding any. Worse comes to worse, I was going to give it to her.

Let me know what you think. I'm so sorry if this post is all over the place, I'm trying sooooo hard not to have conniptions here. A cow may be possible though.

[Zincubus]

Hi guys!

So let me preface this by saying that I've researched everything as much as possible but I'm still going to give you the run down. Fudge was born in January, I got her last Tuesday (4/11). Totally love her! I'm trying not to freak out because like I said I researched everything to death but I wanted to see if I'm doing everything all right and if anyone can give me more tips. The thing is about Fudge, she was started with live and I'm trying to switch her to f/t. The breeder told me there shouldn't be any problems since she's pretty young and she was eating pretty well before. She was fed almost 2 weeks ago. I waited a week so she wouldn't get stressed due to her new environment.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
So I tried feeding her last night. I haven't handled her at all since I got her a week ago. I made sure her temps/humidity are right (thermostat, temp gun and thermometer/humidity gauge). She's in a 20 gallon, coconut substrate, has 2 hides, decorations, water bowl etc. So I have her setup pretty down pat.

I made sure it was dark when I tried to feed her. Thawed the mice right on top of her cage so she can smell it. Then heated it (blow dry) before I tried to give it to her. She's pretty active at night, explores etc but when I did the zombie dance with the mice, She had no interest. So I left it overnight with her and poked a hole in the mice head (ick). I just checked and it's still there.

Normally, I wouldn't worry. Since I know they can go without for a few feedings. But she's used to live and she's a baby. They need to eat more often right? She's maybe 9 weeks.

I'm gonna leave it for a couple more hours then throw it out. I'm trying to look for live feeders here where I live (Brooklyn) but having a hard time finding any. Worse comes to worse, I was going to give it to her.

Let me know what you think. I'm so sorry if this post is all over the place, I'm trying sooooo hard not to have conniptions here. A cow may be possible though.

How many times did you reheat with a hairdryer and offer ?

Sounds like you did everything right as long as you heated and offered instantly whilst still warm , then repeat as many times as is required

The odd one can take 5 or 6 attempts and they tend to get more and more interested each time . If you say there was no interest , not even a tongue lick then I'd suggest leaving another week without handling or anything .. She's still probably settling in given how young she is .


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[IDorko]

How many times did you reheat with a hairdryer and offer ?

Sounds like you did everything right as long as you heated and offered instantly whilst still warm , then repeat as many times as is required

The odd one can take 5 or 6 attempts and they tend to get more and more interested each time . If you say there was no interest , not even a tongue lick then I'd suggest leaving another week without handling or anything .. She's still probably settling in given how young she is .


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Thanks for the reply! I tried 3 times, the blow dryer was on standby near by so I reheated every time. I didn't want stress her out so I stopped trying and left it on the hot side of her cage..I was hoping the warmth would keep the mice delicious for her. I was actually wrong in terms of age, she's closer to 12 weeks. There was no tongue lick at all, it seemed like she was more interested in exploring her cage. She was climbing and everything. EVERY night.

I definitely don't plan to handle her until after she had a successful feeding. I'm trying not to Mother hen her so that's why I resorted to asking for advice haha.




I'm really really happy with her. I know she's young yet but when I first got her right out of the box, She was inquisitive. She wasn't tightly balled up, she was moving and looking around. So I really really want her to be healthy. Sorry about babbling. I'm just worried.

[Craiga 01453]

I think you're on the right track. It's only one offering, so don't stress yourself out yet.

What size prey was she eating previously? and mice or rats?
Make sure you are offering the same prey (assuming she was being fed the right size prey prior to you taking her home) and make sure your prey is the right size. What is her weight? I'm assuming she's still pretty small, so a small mouse or rat fuzzy would probably be your ideal size prey.

You may need to experiment with defrosting techniques and feeding techniques, as some things work miracles for some snakes/keepers and don't work at all for others. For example, my BP won't eat prey that I leave out to defrost. He will only eat prey I defrost in hot water and feed him as soon as it's defrosted and warm. If they prey sits out at all, he will refuse it. Odd, I know, but that's BPs for ya!

I probably wouldn't worry about braining yet either, I would leave the prey intact on your next attempt. Maybe resort to tricks like that later if need be.

[IDorko]

I think you're on the right track. It's only one offering, so don't stress yourself out yet.

What size prey was she eating previously? and mice or rats?
Make sure you are offering the same prey (assuming she was being fed the right size prey prior to you taking her home) and make sure your prey is the right size. What is her weight? I'm assuming she's still pretty small, so a small mouse or rat fuzzy would probably be your ideal size prey.

You may need to experiment with defrosting techniques and feeding techniques, as some things work miracles for some snakes/keepers and don't work at all for others. For example, my BP won't eat prey that I leave out to defrost. He will only eat prey I defrost in hot water and feed him as soon as it's defrosted and warm. If they prey sits out at all, he will refuse it. Odd, I know, but that's BPs for ya!

I probably wouldn't worry about braining yet either, I would leave the prey intact on your next attempt. Maybe resort to tricks like that later if need be.

She was eating small mice. I'll try the water trick next time. I just figured she wouldn't like wet mice since she was eating live before. But I'm trying to put human logic to a snake haha. And God yes, I'd like to put off braining again because lemme tell you I was dancing in place, gibbering 'ick ick yuck icky yuck' to myself. It was a little disconcerting LoL.

I haven't gotten the chance to buy a digital scale yet. It was low on my list of supplies but I'll be sure to get one soon. I figured since I'm not handling her yet, I can put it off. Do you have a recommendation? I'm gonna mosey on over to Amazon.

[Craiga 01453]

She was eating small mice. I'll try the water trick next time. I just figured she wouldn't like wet mice since she was eating live before. But I'm trying to put human logic to a snake haha. And God yes, I'd like to put off braining again because lemme tell you I was dancing in place, gibbering 'ick ick yuck icky yuck' to myself. It was a little disconcerting LoL.

I haven't gotten the chance to buy a digital scale yet. It was low on my list of supplies but I'll be sure to get one soon. I figured since I'm not handling her yet, I can put it off. Do you have a recommendation? I'm gonna mosey on over to Amazon.

Ok, sounds good. I would stick to small mice then. I'm guessing she is definitely under 200 grams still, so small mice (12-17 grams) should be great. As far as wet mice, I just give them a quick pat with a paper towel and in they go. My guy strikes every time with this technique, but has ignored the prey that is not "freshly" defrosted every time, hahaha!!

I like that you're trying to get into the snake mentality, it helps with all animals to try to think like they might, to think about their primitive minds and apply that knowledge to our every-day care for the animals. It will help as you continue to learn your snakes body movements, mannerisms, etc... Their body language is the only way they can "communicate" with us, so we need to learn from them in order to provide the best care for them. It'll also help to learn the warning signs and avoid being needlessly tagged.

Yeah, braining is gross and should be closer to a last resort.

I can see a scale being low on the priority list, there's a lot to buy when getting started. Any kitchen scale will do the trick. Mine is a Mainstays brand from Walmart (under $20). I suggest a big "plate" so you can put a large enough Tupperware or container on it to fit your adult snake while still being able to read the display. A scale is good to have because you can weigh your animal to determine the appropriate sized prey, you can track your animals growth, monitor your animals weight if/when they go off feed, and have good records for your vet should that ever be a concern.

Good luck! Once you get things dialed in it gets much easier and you'll have many years with your awesome new animal!

[cron14]

I have a BP who I'm trying to switch to F/t (have had him for 2 1/2 years) so I've had to feed live for a while. If you need live feeders check out Petland, you have to ask, or look up Brooklyn Zoo and Aquarium. Not sure where you live in Brooklyn but I hope this helps.
Note: Brooklyn Zoo and Aquarium workers were always friendly to me but they have a horrible reputation. Animals are not kept in great condition and I took my business elsewhere once I found an alternative live feeder.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Hi guys!

So let me preface this by saying that I've researched everything as much as possible but I'm still going to give you the run down. Fudge was born in January, I got her last Tuesday (4/11). Totally love her! I'm trying not to freak out because like I said I researched everything to death but I wanted to see if I'm doing everything all right and if anyone can give me more tips. The thing is about Fudge, she was started with live and I'm trying to switch her to f/t. The breeder told me there shouldn't be any problems since she's pretty young and she was eating pretty well before. She was fed almost 2 weeks ago. I waited a week so she wouldn't get stressed due to her new environment.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
So I tried feeding her last night. I haven't handled her at all since I got her a week ago. I made sure her temps/humidity are right (thermostat, temp gun and thermometer/humidity gauge). She's in a 20 gallon, coconut substrate, has 2 hides, decorations, water bowl etc. So I have her setup pretty down pat.

I made sure it was dark when I tried to feed her. Thawed the mice right on top of her cage so she can smell it. Then heated it (blow dry) before I tried to give it to her. She's pretty active at night, explores etc but when I did the zombie dance with the mice, She had no interest. So I left it overnight with her and poked a hole in the mice head (ick). I just checked and it's still there.

Normally, I wouldn't worry. Since I know they can go without for a few feedings. But she's used to live and she's a baby. They need to eat more often right? She's maybe 9 weeks.

I'm gonna leave it for a couple more hours then throw it out. I'm trying to look for live feeders here where I live (Brooklyn) but having a hard time finding any. Worse comes to worse, I was going to give it to her.

Let me know what you think. I'm so sorry if this post is all over the place, I'm trying sooooo hard not to have conniptions here. A cow may be possible though.

The two main issues are in bold.

Yes some will switch easily when they are young IF provided with an optimal setup and IF already a well established feeder with you. (that means feeding for you with consistency already)

That mean do this to a T https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101 and offer live for 3 to 5 meals before attempting to switch.

[Bmocken]

I would definitely let another week go by as much as it will suck and try live as suggested.

[IDorko]

The two main issues are in bold.

Yes some will switch easily when they are young IF provided with an optimal setup and IF already a well established feeder with you. (that means feeding for you with consistency already)

That mean do this to a T https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101 and offer live for 3 to 5 meals before attempting to switch.

Not that it matters but I miscalculated and she's actually 12 weeks. I'm going to try this method. I moseyed over to Amazon and bought all the necessary supplies. I also called a few local pet shops and Petland carries live feed so I'll see what happens. Thanks!