Eating?

[lcarney921]

Okay so I brought Rio home on Thursday, this is his third day here. He was fed on the 1st of the month and I am wondering when I should offer him his first meal. The guy that I got him from said to wait a week but he is only 20 days old as of today..should I wait a week to offer him food? I'm just confused because he gave me a card with his activities on it..7/20 he shed, 7/31 it says fuzzy (I think..I can't really read the writing) and then 8/1 it says hopper? I think? I haven't been handling him much if at all because I have heard you are supposed to let them settle in when you get them home for a week-ish..I am new to this so sorry for all the questions!!

[JLC]

Waiting a week to feed a new snake you just brought home is a general guideline...not a hard and fast rule. Some snakes take 2-3 weeks before they feel safe enough to eat. Some will eat right away. But most need at least a few days to feel settled and secure enough to eat. How many days you decide to wait is up to you.

In the meantime, make sure your husbandry is spot on. Have you read our Caresheet?

And consider these things:
1. It won't hurt the baby to wait a few more days to eat.
2. If you decide to try to feed him sooner, consider what you'll do with a potentially refused prey item. If you feed f/t, will you mind throwing it away? If you feed live, what will you do with a live rodent that hasn't been eaten?

Good luck with him!