First Feed

[Loki]

Ok guys this is my first ball python and i am going to feed him for the first time i know i should get separate enclosure (a box in my case) to feed them in and i am going to feed him/her frozen food i know about the tricks i can do for hem to eat that (brain exposure , chicken brothe, ect) but my question is how long after my snake (loki) eats it should i let it sit before i put it back in his/her's cage.

also i have a glass cage and i have 2 identical hides on each side with a day temp gradient of 90(hot side) - 80(cool side) and a night gradient of 85(hot) -75 (cool) the thing is that loki always spends his time on the cool side i mean hes always in a temp of 85 - 75 but he never moves to the other side i have 2 digital thermometers 1 on each side both on ground level (about 1/4" under his aspen bedding) is this normal or what.

Thanks,

[JLC]

If you know your temperatures are accurate, then it's fine for the snake to choose wherever it wants to spend most of its time. That's why we give them a gradient of temps...so they can choose what they want.


You really don't need the nighttime drop in temps. Anything under 80 increases the risk of them developing an RI. (Respiritory Infection) Just keep the daytime temps all the time...and maybe bump them a couple of degrees.

As for feeding, there's no reason to feed in a separate box unless you really just WANT to. Before resorting to extreme "tricks" like chicken broth to get your snake to eat...try just leaving him in his own, familiar environment, so he can "ambush" his prey from his own hides.

If you do manage to successfully feed in a separate box, I would wait until the snake has completely settled down (no longer in "hunting mode")....then very gently scoop him up and place him back in his own home. That's the risky part, because if you do it wrong, you can make him regurge. But if you leave him in the box too long, then he won't get the heat he needs to begin digesting.

Good luck with it!

[Loki]

Thank for the input ill try feeding him in his cage i just read that if you feed him in their cage they might associate the lid opening or your hand as food but as long as i feed him often and dont starve him like other bad owners do i dont think he will bite me and on the size of the food they say to get something about the same size as the thickest part of their body right?

Thanks, :-)

[JLC]

Thank for the input ill try feeding him in his cage i just read that if you feed him in their cage they might associate the lid opening or your hand as food but as long as i feed him often and dont starve him like other bad owners do i dont think he will bite me and on the size of the food they say to get something about the same size as the thickest part of their body right?

Thanks, :-)

That's just an old myth. If you open the cage for regular cleaning and changing of the water, it's highly improbable that the snake would think you're offering dinner every time.

The size of the prey is a bit misleading as well...especially where ball pythons are concerned. They tend to do much better with slightly smaller sizes of prey. If in doubt, err on the side of smallish.

[tigerlily]

I had heard of the same myth when I started out. I now feed in the enclosures, and can say they have a stronger feeding response, and no aggression. As long as you open the enclosure to change water and clean, you should have no problems.

Usually slightly smaller than the widest part is better. Sometimes they'll balk at the size alone. Anyway that's my experience on the subject.

Good luck on your first feed, and let us know how it goes.

[Loki]

Thanks for all the good input im also going to get a ceramic heater instead of my current red light for heat along with the ceramic heater ill buy its own rheostat to control that too (i also he ave a UTH connected to a rheostat) i have to use both because my room is in the basement and its colder.

Thanks, :-)