Seeking advice for new BP owner.

[RedRabbit]

He wasn’t unattended... his tank is in my room so I was keeping an eye on him. But I took it out, snapped it’s neck and tossed it in the freezer for later.

2. Feed in tank... as in his regular tank?

3. I’ve had him maybe 2-3 weeks now? I waited just over a week before trying to feed for the first time, and then have tried every 4-5 days since.

4. I take the rat out of the freezer and transfer to plastic bag which I then submerge in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes until it’s fully thawed, then transfer to hot water for 20 minutes or so until the rat is a little warmer than room temp... then I’ve been using a separate feeder tank which I warm up with a heat lamp while the rat is thawing, put my snake in and then hold the rat by the tail, twitching him for about 15-20 minutes before giving up.

5. I have a 20-gallon glass aquarium with a screen lid. I’ve covered about 2/3 of the lid with plastic (it’s actually a picture frame I just set on top) to try and prevent too much evaporation. I have a heating pad on one side as well as a heat lamp set up to a regulator that keeps the temp on that side between 85 and 95 (it can sometimes get up to 104 during the day though, my thermometer has a memory so I can check it if I’ve been gone). This generally keeps the other side of the tank around 70-80, though it can get a bit warmer during the day. But my BP usually hangs out on the warm side anyway. I have two small water dishes on either side of the tank, a plastic hollowed-out tree thing that is his favorite hide on the warm side, and a cardboard box as hide #2 on the cool side. He rarely prefers that hide. I use Repti Bark substrate, but added a coconut husk mat under part of it near the heating pad because I was hoping that would help retain water and increase the humidity. I also have some vines and such scattered around for him to climb/explore as he goes around his tank.

6. Yes, I agree. What else can I do?




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1. Good to know that you were supervising! I think we just got particularly worried when we read that the rat had crawled in the hide with your snake, since it'd be hard to see what's going on in there.

2. Yes, actually! There is no need to move your snake to a separate location for feeding time; that idea was based on the myth of "cage aggression," and in reality there is no evidence of this being a thing, but unfortunately the faulty practice is still out there, so I'm sorry that you were misinformed, and be assured that it's happened with many other new owners as well.

3. Waiting 1 full week before your first feeding attempt was good, and spacing out the next feeding attempts was correct on your part too. Good job. However, as others have mentioned, another important part is resisting the temptation to handle your snake until however long it takes for him to establish his feeding routine - i.e., has fed without issue for 3-4 feedings in a row. It means basically a whole first month in which you can't play with your new pet, which is painful I know, but it works out better for your snake, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to play with him afterward.

4. See #2 regarding the separate feeder tank. Also, warming up the rat with a blowdryer for 10-15 seconds (with a focus on the head of the rat) right before offering can do wonders!

5. I don't use a glass tank so I'll let others chime in on that front, but in general, that heat lamp is both zapping your humidity away, and making things too hot if it's reaching 95, let alone 104. You also don't want quite such a large range of variation for the cool side either; you'll probably want to aim for 75-80, or even 78-80 if you can narrow it down more exactly. I like that you have some decor in there with him for enrichment and to clutter up the tank a little; just make sure the materials are non-toxic and pet-safe. I'm not so sure on that cardboard box for hide #2 though; the shape of a box won't make your snake feel very snug or secure, which is probably why he doesn't want to use it much, plus if he pees or poops on/near it, then that cardboard is going to get soggy and gross pretty quickly.