New Member with some general questions.

[Vargronak]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading this forum for a while and wanted to start off by thanking everyone for the excellent advice/experience that is offered here everyday.

So I have had my normal female for about 5 weeks now and I absolutely love her. This is the first snake I have ever owned and I'm wondering why I waited so long! She has an excellent demeanor and after giving her a week to settle and eat her first meal has been handled just about everyday ( other than giving her 48 hrs after eating to digest he meal). She is about 18" now and has been feeding on f/t hoppers. She has eaten three meals since I have had her and has had a successful shed ( one full piece). But I picked up some small adult mice since the hoppers seemed a bit small for her ( her girth at the widest point ) and was just wondering from other people experience if she might get freaked out or refuse a meal for the first time because the prey is a bit bigger? Also I have read mixed things about what to do with a refused f/t mouse. Some people say it's ok to refreeze them one time, others say you should never do that, I personally don't think I should and it's not a money issue ( it's only $6.50 for 3 f/t mice ) and I'm at the pet store every couple of weeks anyways because my g/f and I have 4 hungry cats and a 155g aquarium. Also if she refuses the small adult should I have hoppers on standby? Also she has not hat a bowel movement since I have had her and I am a bit concerned. She doesn't appear to have the "sausage butt" but she didn't defecate after her shed ( but she has still been eating like a champ )

As for my setup, I have her in a 10g aquarium, aspen bedding and two identical hides that seem a bit small ( which she loves b/c she feels secure in them). The hot hide is heated by an UTH with a probe under the substrate to check the temp ( which is a constant 93 degrees f ). The cool side is kept at 85 degrees f. The humidity stays between 50-60% and I have a heat lamp that I only use when the humidity gets too high ( the lamp dries it out, just like a McDonald's heat lamp lol ). I also have the UTH and heat lamp hooked up to rheostats to adjust the heat if necessary. And of coarse I have a water bowl which I change daily. The top is a screen ( with clips ) and I cover half of it with tinfoil and a towel to keep the humidity in.

I'm sorry I don't have pics but I'm posing from work... I will try to upload some pics when I get home. But if anyone can see anything that I'm doing wrong or has any suggestions please let me know as my main concern is her happiness and well being.

Thanks,

Jeff

[The Serpent Merchant]

Some BP's may be intimidated by a larger rodent, while others aren't. If it is only a slight increase in size then I doubt that you will have any issues. You can give refreezing a try, I personally will only do it one time and even still I give the rodent a good looking over after it is thawed a second time (use good judgment: does it smell bad, look/feel wrong? if so just get rid of it. As you said they are pretty cheap)

I wouldn't bother having a hopper on standby the first/second attempts at a slightly larger rodent. BP's can go months without eating, a week isn't going to matter. If she refuses then she will be hungrier next feeding day.

I would strongly suggest that you get a thermostat for your UTH while rheostats will work they cannot adjust to changes in room temperature. Stay away from the thermostats/thermometers sold in pet stores as they are overpriced junk. Here are 2 good thermostats

Budget: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

High quality: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Checkout this thread on cage heating: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

[Vargronak]

Thanks for the info... I know that BP's can go a while without eating but it's just I don't want MINE to lol..... but I know that it's not a major cause for concern. I will most likely just get rid of the mouse if she doesn't eat it. And thank's for the links, I will be getting a thermostat within the next week because this will make it easier to regulate the temp since we are in air conditioner season.

[camel]

Hi Jeff, welcome to the site. As for pooping, I asked the same question as I was worried. As long as he doesn't have the sausage butt, then he will poop when he needs to

[PorcelainxDoll]

Babies poop less then adults because they are saving all the nutrition to grow

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[LLLReptile]

Your baby will likely have no problem at all with the adult mice; I usually see it with rats, as the differences in size can be a lot larger, but with mice it's seldom an issue.

Pooping happens when it happens. As long as there's no "sausage butt", as it was eloquently described, and she's still eating and acting normally, she'll be fine.

-Jen

[Vargronak]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone! I just waned to update and say that she at an adult mouse last night without any hesitation ( I definitely have a champion eater ) and I ordered a thermostat for my UTH. Still no poopies but she doesn't have sausage butt and dosn't seem the least bit of stressed so I'm not too worried about it.

Thanks for the help!

Jeff

[DooLittle]

Babies seem to poop less, as they are using most of their meal. You just wait and see what kind of presents they leave you at 1000 and 2000 grams, lol you'll get your fill of poopy. I wouldn't worry as long as she is eating, she should be just fine. Thermostat is a must, but it looks like Aaron already got you hooked up there. You may also want to consider switching her to rats. Mousers can be a pain when your snake is grown, and you have to feed multiples. Congrats on your new snake!

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[Vargronak]

Thanks DrDoolittle..... Giant poops should be fun... Yes I ordered the thermostat and it's coming in tomorrow which is great. Do you suggest that I switch over to rats immediately? And if so I'm assuming that I should be giving her small rats? I'm not sure what the right "type" of rat would be, like with mice there are pinkies, hoppers, adults etc. I will try to remember to post some pictures a little later on when i get home from work. Oh and also I keep forgetting to mention that her name is Gobbles

[The Serpent Merchant]

This site sells frozen rodents, if nothing else it can be used as a sizing chart. Small rats can be twice as large as adult mice.

Mice: http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp...el=frozen_mice

Rats: http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp...el=frozen_rats