Advice Please

[Bet]

Hello everyone! I am new to this site! Hope I am posting in the right area.

I just bought an adult BP from someone off of facebook. He said he has had him for 20 years. I know according to stats the snake may only live awhile - that's not the question

He told me he only fed it 2 mice once a month, and only live mice (he said if I thunk the mice it won't eat them). I want to feed it more often and feed it f/t. If it is that old, can I teach it to eat something different? And will it hurt it to start eating more often. Poor thing.

[Crazy4Herps]

Welcome to the forums!

Wow, that's an old snake! 20 years is not unheard of though. But I would definitely say feed it larger meals, and f/t. Aim for something that is about the size of his widest point every 3 weeks (probably something like a medium rat), but start out easing him into larger food. Ball pythons can be picky about feeding changes, so take it slow. If I were you I'd start out by getting him to take a few f/t mice, then after a little while switching to f/t weanling rats, then small rats, then medium rats (or whatever looks like it's an appropriate size). The key is to take it slowly. Overfeeding is more dangerous than underfeeding.

[RobNJ]

It may take f/t, it may not; it may take rats, but I wouldn't hold my breath...doesn't hurt to try.

You can definitely feed it more often, though I wouldn't suggest letting it slam 3-4 mice a week right away. At that age, all the snake really needs is maintenance feeding to thrive- as long as it's not dreadfully thin. Maybe try to get it on an every other week feeding schedule to start, if it works for a while, try to bump it up to every 11-12 days or so. Good luck, nice to see you taking on an older snake...

[Bet]

This is the only snake I have and I don't have a local pet store to buy just a few frozen to try out. I would hate to buy 50.00 worth of frozen mice online and find out he won't take them.

But... I went to Earl May today and paid 4.00 ea. for the mice I fed him - ouch if that is every week! And no... I don't want to breed mice

[Crazy4Herps]

This is the only snake I have and I don't have a local pet store to buy just a few frozen to try out. I would hate to buy 50.00 worth of frozen mice online and find out he won't take them.

But... I went to Earl May today and paid 4.00 ea. for the mice I fed him - ouch if that is every week! And no... I don't want to breed mice

Maybe if you could find another reptile keeper who orders frozen mice you could ask for one, or pay a couple of bucks for one?

[RobNJ]

Or try looking on your local Craigslist page, and/or put an ad on here and Fauna Classifieds feeder section...

[Royal Hijinx]

He may not change, and you have to be ready for that. If you move up prey size live just be careful since he is not used to taking down a rat.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I would start with fresh killed then try moving to f/t. You should feed him every 7-10 days (but some will only eat every other week) a meal that is 15% of his body weight (so a 100 gram snake should get 15 grams of rodent)

A cheap kitchen scale is all that's necessary for this. I got mine for $15



Making sure that you provide the right temperatures and humidity is the best way to make sure that your snake will eat.

[Annarose15]

I would start with fresh killed then try moving to f/t. You should feed him every 7-10 days (but some will only eat every other week) a meal that is 15% of his body weight (so a 100 gram snake should get 15 grams of rodent)

A cheap kitchen scale is all that's necessary for this. I got mine for $15

Making sure that you provide the right temperatures and humidity is the best way to make sure that your snake will eat.

The 10-15% rule really only applies to younger snakes. I would never feed my adult male a 150g-225g rat (he's ~1600g). Adult males typically only ever need small rats once per week (50-80g). However, I definitely second the need for a scale to track his weight and know the size of what you're feeding. I would personally attempt to switch from live mice to live rats first, and then try to switch from live to pre-killed, then F/T. This way, if you only succeed in the first step, then at least you are only having to feed one rat per week instead of multiple mice.

[DooLittle]

I would definately get him eating more if you can. I have corn snakes that eat more than that each month. Typically a grown male could eat a medium rat every two weeks, if that gives you an idea how much he should be taking in. As for f/t that would be easiest if you can get him to take them. Bps can be very picky. I would have my doubts that a snake that has been eating live for 20 years would switch. I suppose that could be different for each snake, but I have one that was a few years old when we got him, and flat out refuses anything except live. And not just live sitting in a corner, it has to be running around his tank (sometimes prodded into action). I guess he needs proof it still has a heartbeat, I don't know. Lol. Good luck with your new snake, you came to the right place to ask questions. Everyone here is very helpful.