So, i have a "project" ball python that i've been working with while she's in quarantine (almost out, but i'll probably wait another week or so).
I picked up an unstarted hatchling at the beginning of May. She weighed 54 grams when i got her. I had an old enclosure from my honduran milk (who has now been rehomed for various reasons) that was the right size (possibly a little large) for a small bp.
I purposely picked up an unstarted hatchling because at some point I want to breed ball pythons on a very small scale, and thought it would be well worth my while to pick up a baby that I could start on my own and devote a ton of time and attention to if necessary to begin learning the process and acquiring the patience that is needed when dealing with (slightly stubborn) baby animals.
She had a week settling period where i only did basic cage matinence and a very brief handling session to make sure she moved alright and was okay physically. After that, i tried to start her eating, i offered her a live sm. adult mouse which she took after a half an hour of trying to figure it out. The next time she was fed, she took another live sm. adult in about 15 minutes.
A week ago, i tried to convert her to F/T. she didn't take and I wasn't surprised. TONIGHT i offered her another F/T sm. adult and she NAILED it and successfully consumed it.
Its been such an interesting process figuring out her likes and dislikes, she's much shyer than my other female was when i got her. She's gorgeous even if she's a normal. She has a broken stripe that goes all the way down from her head to the tip of her tail and just a few alien heads.
Hopefully this marks the end of the starting process for her, i'll count my luck when she takes F/T another 3-4 times in a row for me, but now that she's got whats going on i think she'll be a fantastic eater and grow up to be an amazing pet and breeder for me.
I've been wanting to tell everyone about her since I picked her up, but i wanted to be able to tell the story too.
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