Success! :)

[dchapman10]

Hello Everybody!


So I have had my first ball python, Caesar, for a week now. Everything has gone super well. It's been extremely difficult not to bug him, but I took everybody's advice and have left him be to settle in and not be so stressed. Here is the link to our first post from last week when I introduced the both of us. It has some of my thoughts and concerns (which for the most part have been resolved. Thanks!).

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?175841-Ball-Python-Newbie-Cincinnati-OH

He seems to be doing very well. He is hidden during the day (darn snake lol), and explores at night. He loves his hides as well! Since it has been a week, I decided to try and feed him. Originally, I was concerned because the breeder I got him from fed live food and I like to feed F/T. I had read stories where some balls will only eat live, and other stories where people had success switching over to F/T. I figured I would give it a shot! So I thawed out a mouse fuzzy. I know this is probably too little, but this is what I had today. I figured it would be okay though because I have heard from others that sometimes a picky eater will eat a smaller prey rather than a large. So I dangled the mouse in front of the hide and nothing happened. So I left the mouse at the entrance to his hide. Nothing happened for about 10 minutes. So I went to go get a heat lamp to warm it up a little more thinking it might not be warm enough. I came back and the mouse was gone. He then gave a big yawn . So his first feeding with me was a success. I am very relieved .

I plan on buying a digital scale soon because I am not sure how much he weighs, but I would like to keep track. I also know that the appropriate size food is generally 10%-15% the weight of the snake. I also plan on switching over to rats (most likely pups?..) because I have heard they are more nutritional.

I still have a question about feeding from my first post though. It was mentioned that F/T can be dangerous. I got online and tried looking it up and had no luck. The only thing I found is that the prey could end up being "cooked" if thawed improperly, and that the snake wouldn't be able to digest it. Is this maybe what was being referred to or are there other dangers that I should be aware of with F/T?

Thanks for all of the advice! Everyone on here has been great!

[SRMD]

Congrats on your first feeding!
Also good luck getting your ball on rats, my ball is a baby and he just turns his head at them no luck for me maybe you will have a better time with them.

If the mouse is thawed improperly and is cooked then the BP will not be able to digest and most probably regurge the meal, but i am sure this will not happen with you, if your method of thawing is water just make sure the water isn't insanely hot and don't leave it in too long, i use the pre-scent and blow drying feeding method.

I am not sure of any other dangers from frozen, maybe some would say the bacteria that builds up once thawed, but i am not sure sorry.

[dchapman10]

After posting this I thought of another question for everyone . Do you feed in the same enclosure or different? I know that they can be shy and stressed, so I thought it would be better to feed them in their enclosure. Could they get use to this though and think every time something comes into their home (like my hand) that it's food?

[SRMD]

Most people on this site, feed their BP's in the tank.
Cage Aggression is a MYTH! I have fed my BP in his tank now since i have him and he has NEVER tried to tag me.

as long as your hand does not smell like a rodent he is most probably not going to strike at you.

[I-KandyReptiles]

After posting this I thought of another question for everyone . Do you feed in the same enclosure or different? I know that they can be shy and stressed, so I thought it would be better to feed them in their enclosure. Could they get use to this though and think every time something comes into their home (like my hand) that it's food?

It's more likely that you would be bitten if you feed in a separate enclosure.

After the snake is done it's meal, you'd have to pick the snake up to put it back in it's enclosure. If it was still hungry, it could strike at you.

Cage aggression is a myth. Your bp will not see your hAnd as a rat unless it smells like one

[dchapman10]

It's more likely that you would be bitten if you feed in a separate enclosure.

After the snake is done it's meal, you'd have to pick the snake up to put it back in it's enclosure. If it was still hungry, it could strike at you.

Cage aggression is a myth. Your bp will not see your hAnd as a rat unless it smells like one

Thanks for clearing this up! It definitely makes sense when you think about it like that!

[DooLittle]

Yes, feed in tank. Bps will not get cage aggresive. I'm not sure on the f/t question though, I feed live or p/k. I do believe it can be a problem if thawed improperly and gets "cooked" inside as others have said. Also I believe it can be a problem if not thawed entirely and the middle is cold or frozen still.

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[copperarabian]

I feed mine in a separate container. I don't want a dead rat in her enclosure, what if I miss any of the rats fluids that come out and bacteria grows. I feed frozen thawed not live, but I prefer a separate container for myself

[DooLittle]

If you clean the enclosure frequently enough, you won't have to worry about anything a rat leaves behind. Ease of cleaning also probably depends on substrate. Paper towels wipe right out and any left over rat goodies are gone just like that.

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[Royal Chick]

I feed live because I just think it's cool to watch. When i did feed F/T I would warm it up in hot water from the tap for about thirty min and never had a problem. Also, I have always fed in their enclosur with no issues at all! Good luck!

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I feed live because I just think it's cool to watch. When i did feed F/T I would warm it up in hot water from the tap for about thirty min and never had a problem. Also, I have always fed in their enclosur with no issues at all! Good luck!