feeding live to a baby

[WingedWolfPsion]

A) I think you should take everything that individual said to you with a grain of salt, based on the few things you've told us they said.

B) Your snake looks thin for its size. It can easily eat an adult mouse, based on your photo. I would give it an adult mouse, particularly if that's what it's used to. It looks like it needs fattening up.

C) Put the live mouse in the cage with the snake. Do not lift the hide, or disturb the snake, just put the mouse in. The snake will stalk and kill the mouse, and then eat it. I recommend keeping the area quiet and preventing a lot of motion outside of the cage while the snake is eating--they can be very shy, and kill but then refuse to swallow prey if there is too much activity. (They want to keep their jaws free in case they need to defend themselves--they are very vulnerable when swallowing).

[deadsmiley]

i tried the adult mouse but he was afraid of it so i called every pet shop around and found a breeder about 20 min from home. fed him a fat rat pinky tonight, was sad to hear it squeal but happy to see him eat. thanks everyone.

[Lolo76]

The way I do it is I grab the mouse by it's tail At the very end and I hold it in front of my bp and she will stoke and constrict it.

Aren't you afraid of getting bitten in the strike? I've had a few snakes unexpectedly strike while I was holding the prey (over-excited), and their teeth were WAY too close for comfort! Not to mention it about gave me a heart attack, LOL. I use the method Rabernet explained above... drop in the mouse, close the tub, and let your snake do its thing. They hunt on the ground & from hiding places in the wild, so I figure it's best to keep things as "natural" as possible. As long as you're there to supervise, I believe the risk of injury to your snake is fairly minimal. I've been feeding live in this manner for almost 2 years, and so far I'm the only one who's been bitten (by the rodents).

[snakesRkewl]

I hold tails on a number of my snakes as that's how they've been fed their whole life and they feed very well that way.
I do also have numerous snakes that won't eat in front of me, so I drop and close the tub and watch from a distance.
Just a matter of knowing your snake and what it's likes and dislikes are.

*I can't believe he said broken ribs *
I may have inadvertently broken many snakes ribs when I first entered the hobby
good thing I feed smaller now

[littleindiangirl]

i tried the adult mouse but he was afraid of it so i called every pet shop around and found a breeder about 20 min from home. fed him a fat rat pinky tonight, was sad to hear it squeal but happy to see him eat. thanks everyone.

Just to give you an idea, we don't feed rat pinkys to any BP, we start them immediately on rat fuzzies. The snake your size can easily take an adult mouse.

If he took a rat, then try to get a rat pup that is as wide around as your snake. Prescent like Rabernet explained, and drop the rat pup in.

Don't hover around the enclosure if he is shy, leave him in there for a half an hour to an hour, and if he does not eat, take it out and wait a week.

[wolfy-hound]

Really? I started all my BP hatchlings on rat pinks? I think I was told at one point that pinks(without insulating fur) will show up even warmer, and of course they are non-threatening because they can't crawl around.
Either way, small prey item suited to the snake and you should be fine!

[Clint Bundy]

I have fed hopper mice to my babies. They dont have any problems with those. You can also use rat pinks. I have always heard as a rule a snake can eat and item 1 and a half times the size of the smallest part of its body. That is usually right behind the head. I wouldn't try it though. My hatchlings are well over 120grams now and are eating sub adult mice. They grow soo fast when they are young and well fed.

[snakesRkewl]

I have always heard as a rule a snake can eat and item 1 and a half times the size of the smallest part of its body. That is usually right behind the head.

They can generally eat 1 1/2 times their widest part, but it's not necessary nor especially good for their feeding schedule, so it's not advisable.

[SnakeKB]

I just fed my 110 and 130g babys adult mice. They took them easily. My 80g ate a hopper mouse real easy. I feed live by holding the tail with a pair of pliers. Squeezing just enough to hold the tail. That's my method that works for me.

[Justin Li]

Big as in wide, a prey item should be no wider than ur snakes largest section. It would be good to start feeding rats as they will refuse them if they are unfamiliar with rats, mine always ate mice and it is really hard to try and get her to eat rats