Obnoxious newbie questions.

[doganddisc]

I asked a ton of questions at the reptile show where I got my snake yesterday, but it seems I didn't ask enough questions because I still have more. I know these are pretty general and I have been trying to find answers, but I'm either getting mixed answers or finding nothing at all (I think I just don't know what to look for). If anyone would be so kind and patient enough to give me a few pointers it would be greatly appreciated!

1. Feeding: I was stupid and did not ask when the last time he ate was. I did, however, ask if he has eaten before- he has and he's a good eater, according to the breeder, which is one of the reasons this particular breeder encouraged me to go with this particular snake after hours (literally, HOURS) of looking at all the same snakes over and over. A friend told me that I should wait a week before I feed him and should be giving him one fuzzy rat when I do feed him.

So my questions for feeding are: 1) Should I wait a full week to feed him? and 2) what should I be feeding him? He weighs 254grams right now. And 3) If I should be feeding him fuzzy rats, would an adult mouse be okay instead?

2. Handling: To be completely honest, I am terrified that I'm going to get bit. I know once I get it over with and actually do get bit, I'll be better about it because I'll realize it won't hurt that much. But ever since I had a bad experience with a red tail boa, I'm very nervous about picking up snakes. This guy has been wonderful- he does the typical curl up into a ball pose when I reach in for him. I still have an irrational fear that he will try to eat me. Once he's out, I'm fine- it's just pulling him out of the cage.

So for handling, would it be okay if I'm completely ridiculous for awhile and wear gloves to take him out of his cage? Once he's out, I have no problem. It's just taking him out that terrifies me.

Also, my room is filled with rodents- I breed mice and own rats and guinea pigs. He lives on the other side of my room but I know he can smell all of those animals. Would this temporarily cause a bit more aggression/eagerness? I haven't noticed him being super eager to come out and he doesn't *look* hungry, but I figure it's best to ask regardless.

Thank you guys! I appreciate how welcoming this community is!

[Bushido]

Buy a $7.00 snake hook from Petsmart if reaching in to grab him scares you.

[SRMD]

wearing gloves taking him out would probably increase your chances of getting bit, he needs to get used to your scent.

[Rob]

Don't own an animal you are afraid of.

[doganddisc]

Don't own an animal you are afraid of.

So much for being friendly and helpful.

--

Wouldn't using a snake hook present the same issue of the snake getting used to my scent?

Guess I'll just suck it up and reach in to get him. Thank you.

Can somebody please at least point me in the right direction regarding what to feed? I was searching for some kind of feeding chart or table or calculator or SOMETHING pertaining to feeding what to a snake weighing x grams but came up with nothing.

[Andybill]

A good rule of thumb is feed him prey items the same thickness as the snakes thickest part of its body. Or if you have a scale feed it a prey item that is 10-15% of the snakes weight. Rat pups are my preference for my little guys. I feed only rats aside from my 2 mouser boys...

[Kodieh]

It's something like a rodent weighing 10% of the body weight of the animal. I would recommend investing in a food scale with a bowl so you can get his weight, in grams, so that you know the size of rodent to feed.


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[swansonbb]

I think the general rule when they're small is 10-15% of their body weight. You might consider investing in a digital scale. You might get tagged at some point, but you'll probably lose your fear of it long before that happens. You can find just about anything you need to know on this forum. Enjoy your new friend!


Edit: Looks like a few people beat me to it. Also, I'd suggest describing/posting pictures of your housing so we can help you make sure you've got the right set up.

[The Serpent Merchant]

1. I would wait 7 days, BP's can go a long time without food so waiting a week will be fine.

2. A BP's bite (espicially young BP's) don't hurt at all. The best thing that you can do is be confident. If you hesitate you are only giving him more time to get you.

A snake hook/gloves while completely unnecessary are ok to use if that makes you feel better.

[doganddisc]

Thank you!! I have a digital scale that I use for weighing pregnant mice, so that works perfectly.

- - - Updated - - -

1. I would wait 7 days, BP's can go a long time without food so waiting a week will be fine.

2. A BP's bite (espicially young BP's) don't hurt at all. The best thing that you can do is be confident. If you hesitate you are only giving him more time to get you.

A snake hook/gloves while completely unnecessary are ok to use if that makes you feel better.

Extremely helpful, thank you! I think I'm just going to suck it up and reach in for him.