Ball Pythons are not very smart LOL

[Zincubus]

This is after several minutes of contorting himself and the rat. He started out with his mouth completely on its side, and he's now working his way closer to the nose of the rat. at least he's not a picky eater, he has always taken what is offered right away.

It's good that he eats so well .. and a drop feeder by the look of things ..

Are you gonna continue feeding in a separate tub ??


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[FollowTheSun]

It's good that he eats so well .. and a drop feeder by the look of things ..

Are you gonna continue feeding in a separate tub ??


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Yeah he seems to be a good feeder once he gets it in his mouth correctly. He strikes immediately when I dangle it. I would rather not tub-feed to be honest. I think he would feel more secure in his own home. I have not had him long and the previous owner fed him that way. I'm transitioning him. Last time he took one rat in the tub with me dangling, and the other in his home a few minutes later with me just leaving it there.

Our other BP is a big 1600 gram female and she is also a drop feeder (had not heard that term before). She will basically eat anything, any time. We had to transition her from live rats, so I'm super proud of her feeding progress. She was also very nasty when we got her, and now will only bite sometimes. We just set her food in her home when she's not looking at night, to discourage striking and aggression.

[RickyNY]

I'm just trying to spread the word

My son's mate recently spent a fortune on a hatchling morph Royal
.. too fancy a name for me to remember but he said he was worried as it hadn't eaten for him ...
I asked if he'd tried the hairdryer trick and he'd never heard of it ..
Next day he's texted me and the little guy had eaten first attempt with heated mouse ...

That was extra -satisfying as I've known him for years and I knew he'd been so worried




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I've used your method and I use it still for my Royal. The boa and carpet could care less.

[Zincubus]

I've used your method and I use it still for my Royal. The boa and carpet could care less.

Oh yeah .... it works best with Royals for sure ..


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[Zincubus]

Yeah he seems to be a good feeder once he gets it in his mouth correctly. He strikes immediately when I dangle it. I would rather not tub-feed to be honest. I think he would feel more secure in his own home. I have not had him long and the previous owner fed him that way. I'm transitioning him. Last time he took one rat in the tub with me dangling, and the other in his home a few minutes later with me just leaving it there.

Our other BP is a big 1600 gram female and she is also a drop feeder (had not heard that term before). She will basically eat anything, any time. We had to transition her from live rats, so I'm super proud of her feeding progress. She was also very nasty when we got her, and now will only bite sometimes. We just set her food in her home when she's not looking at night, to discourage striking and aggression.

It looks like you were feeding in a tub ... that's why I asked

It's something that was popular in the old days and I certainly don't suggest it at all


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[FollowTheSun]

It looks like you were feeding in a tub ... that's why I asked

It's something that was popular in the old days and I certainly don't suggest it at all


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Yep, perfectly reasonable question given that the photo showed him in a tub.

[FollowTheSun]

In case anyone is still following Spot's feeding "saga" I wanted to update I'm relieved that he finally ate today! I was thinking maybe the baby rats were just way too small and they were confusing him. As I said, he came with those when I got him, and I was trying to use them up.

So this morning I covered his cage, made the room dark, and gave him a bigger rat. He grabbed it by the front arm for the strangulation and I was thinking it's not off to a great start. But I just left him alone and gave him 30 minutes. When I peeked in again he was just swallowing the tail. :-)

I do wonder still how they make it in the wild if they are this finicky and kinda not-very-smart with feeding.

[dr del]

I do love these little boogers ( obviously ) but I have been known to use the phrase "sharp as a marble" to describe them.

I always superheat the nose of the F/T meal to give them a more obvious clue but sometimes they just keep chewing on the first bit they struck.