Ball Python Feeding Question

[CharleeBabyGirl]

Hello Ya'll! Naga is my first snake ever. I've had her since August and she has grown so much! I bought her because I've always wanted one, having no idea that her care would become a little bit of an obsession of mine. Many people have told me she's beautiful and sweet and they'd "take her off my hands for me" and I just can't seem to even think to part with her!
We moved out of my apartment a week ago, causing us to go to a different petco than the one I normally buy her mice from, though, and the employees at this one have been giving me a hard time about feeding her a live mouse, because A) She's a little small (Only about a foot long) and B) Because "live feeds make them aggressive". I always have to explain she won't eat a dead mouse (fresh killed or frozen and thawed.) And I always explain that I feed her in separate tank that she has never lived in, watch her eat, and always ask for the smallest feeder mouse they have. I feed her once a week. My question is, is it OK to feed her live mice? Is there anything I am doing wrong here!?

[bumblebee1028]

Plenty of people feed live with no aggression problems. I personally feed frozen/thawed, as it's easier for me. Also, as others will probably tell you, you're actually more likely to have aggression issues if you feed in a separate tank - transferring a snake from one tank to another while in feeding mode isn't really a good idea. Also, it's a lot less stressful for the snake to feed in their "home."

So no, if done correctly, feeding live is perfectly fine! Hope that helps

[Crazymonkee]

Feeding live does not make them aggressive. I feed live, as do many other people here. As noted... there is no need to feed in a separate container. Feeding in his/her home has more pros than done so you might wanna consider feeding in the enclosure. You are more likely to get bit while moving the snake around while it's in feed mode. And the snake is less stressed. It also does not make a snake aggressive.

[satomi325]

No problems feeding live.
And there is no association with aggression and feeding live.

I feed all of my snakes live in their own enclosures and have not been bitten.

However, there are some responsible feeding tips that you should be aware of.

1) Feed the appropriate size food. I like smaller and more frequent meals than larger and less often.
For example, weanlings and small rats are safe and harmless(to some extent). They're also not as conscious to danger as an adult would be. Adult rats can pack a nasty bite and are much stronger at fighting back, which is why "smaller and more frequent" is the way to go.

2) Keep the feeder well fed and hydrated. They're less likely to see your snake as food. Hungry feeders are dangerous feeders. They will eat your snake if left unattended for extended periods of time. This is the reason for most snake killing incidences. Irresponsible keepers will leave a feeder in with their snake for an extended period of time. And when that feeder gets hungry, they go for the only other edible thing in the area: aka the snake.

3) Don't dangle the live feeder. This puts them in panic mode. A freaked out feeder is a dangerous feeder. Gently place the feeder into your enclosure. Calm feeders are good.

4) Keep a tool, such as tongs, on hand to assist your snake in case the feeder tries to bite down. I use a chop stick to stick in the feeder's mouth if its in a bad position.

5) Don't keep the feeder in with your snake longer than 30 mins max or so. Some people have a shorter time frame. If he doesn't eat within that time frame, take out the feeder and save it for next week.:

[Shera]

Nothing wrong with feeding live, but if you don't breed your own feeders, it would probably be easier for you to make the switch to f/t. Having to go out and buy a live feeder each time must be a pain, I buy bags of 25 frozen rats at a time, so feeding is really easy. That would be my major reason for making the switch, and also I have kids that wouldn't much like me feeding live lol. I would think their smallest mouse once a week might be a little small for her though, how big is she? My pewter girl was hatched Aug. 6 (got her in Sept) and she is over 600g and eating small rats (~70g).

[ROACH]

Hello Ya'll! Naga is my first snake ever. I've had her since August and she has grown so much! I bought her because I've always wanted one, having no idea that her care would become a little bit of an obsession of mine. Many people have told me she's beautiful and sweet and they'd "take her off my hands for me" and I just can't seem to even think to part with her!
We moved out of my apartment a week ago, causing us to go to a different petco than the one I normally buy her mice from, though, and the employees at this one have been giving me a hard time about feeding her a live mouse, because A) She's a little small (Only about a foot long) and B) Because "live feeds make them aggressive". I always have to explain she won't eat a dead mouse (fresh killed or frozen and thawed.) And I always explain that I feed her in separate tank that she has never lived in, watch her eat, and always ask for the smallest feeder mouse they have. I feed her once a week. My question is, is it OK to feed her live mice? Is there anything I am doing wrong here!?

You don't need to explain yourself to them as of why you want to feed live! Just tell them what you want and if they ask why, tell them its none of their business! I hate it when pet stores try to tell me what is not good when I've been doing this longer than some of the employees have been alive! I breed my own rats now, but recently have been going to the local Petco to get some mice and larger rats....luckily there is an employee there that I know and she has snakes at home also. Feeding live is not a problem as long as you watch them to make sure there is no harm to your snake.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Feed live if that's what she eats.................. just be responsible about it.

[steve_r34]

August and a foot long don't sound right ... small mice once a week shouldn't be what the snake is eating ... under fed snakes will become aggressive b4 a live feeding snakes do .. u might wanna up ur prey size to 2 small mice .. what's the weight on of ur snake ?

[ViperSRT3g]

When Feeding
If I am feeding my snake, I don't touch them prior to warming up the food. Once food is warming up, (I feed F/T) the snake gets no contact unless absolutely necessary. This allows them to concentrate on the food that they can begin to smell pretty quickly. After that I feed with a pair of tongs and dangle it in front of his face so he can strike it.

When Handling
If I want to handle my snake, I tap on the top of his hide a few times to let him know that his hide is about to come off slowly. After lifting the hide off of him slow and steady, I give him a few rubs on his side to let him know it's me and that he's about to be picked up. From there he's all excited and will begin to explore the place. (I need some sort of snake pen for him lol)

These actions (or lack thereof) establishes behavior conditioning, allowing a sort of pre-command to let them know what is happening before any action takes place. This reduces their confusion, and results in a more behaved, and less confused snake. This means there will be far less cage aggression as they will know when it's feeding time and when it's petting time.

Just some tips that I've posted elsewhere.

[dgring]

it will not make your snake aggressive just go the right way about it.