New baby BP

[Maggies_Secret]

I just picked up a baby ball python today from Petco. Hes under 12 inches. I have had an adult BP before, never such a tiny one!

How long before I should handle it?

When should I try feeding first?

and it wont stress him out if i put him in a different container each time i feed him right?

How often and what should I feed him?

I was basically given no help at petco, in fact the lady helping me was too afraid to pick the little guy up lol I do know though to keep him in a smaller cage until he gets bigger.


Thank you!

[The Serpent Merchant]

welcome to the site!

It's actually for the best that they didn't tell you anything at PetCo as they don't know what they are talking about anyway...

Wait a week then try offering food. If he eats then you can start to handle him after 48 hours of digestion. If not I would hold off handling until he is eating.

Feeding in a separate container will stress him out, it is better to just feed him in his cage.

You should feed him a rodent that is about the same width as the widest part of the snake. Hatchling BP's generally eat hopper mice every 5-7 days.

What are you housing him in? what are you using to heat the cage/measure temperatures? What are the current temperatures/humidity in the cage?

Checkout these 2 threads:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

[Kaorte]

Congrats on your new little BP!

I would wait to handle him until a week has passed from the day you brought him home.

Feed one week after the day you brought him home.

No need to move him for feeding. He could become stressed from being moved. Also, if you move him to another container you just give him more opportunities to bite you.

Feed every 5-7 days. A hatchling should probably be eating hopper mice or small adult mice.

What size cage did you get? Are you having any temp or humidity issues?

[SlitherinSisters]

Welcome to the site, you'll find a lot of great info and help here!

My advice...

Don't handle him till he's eating well. Definitely don't handle him till he eats his first meal.

Feed him at least once a week. You can feed him every 3-4 days if he's thin. You should never look at a ball python and think it looks thin/skinny. They should be fairly chubby.

Don't bother moving him to a different tub to feed him. There really isn't a good reason to do that. They won't become aggressive from feeding them in their enclosure.

As for what you should feed him, either a rat or mouse. You want something that is just slightly thicker than the snake. You want to be able to easily see the bump from the prey. No pinkies, ball pythons aren't small enough to need those.