Live Feeding Help!

[unholyterror16]

Hello,
My ball python will only eat live, I tried frozen and he didn't eat for 8 months, today the rat scratched him and it drew blood, I was just wondering if there is something that I can do to make sure the Rat doesn't attack him,
Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

[Artemisace]

You could try getting a pre-killed or if you've got the stomach for it you could kill it yourself. It's not fun, but our snakes have to eat, I have a normal male who refuses anything but live and he's never been hurt that bad by the rats. Maybe the prey item is to large. I'm no expert, but hopefully someone more experienced will chime in

[BrandiR]

I don't think you can really make sure it doesn't attack the snake, but you can take steps to make it less likely. Make sure the rat is well fed prior to being fed off. When you place into the tank/tub, don't dangle it by its tail and drop it in. Hold it and place it in there so it doesn't get all freaked out. Don't leave it unattended with the snake and have something handy (chopstick, pencil, whatever) to stick in its mouth if it attempts to bite.

In my experience, the rat isn't on the war path as soon as its placed in the enclosure. I've had a couple of bites and they usually happen during constriction and there isn't much I can do about it because of positioning. I've never had a severe one that left marks after the next shed.

I could be wrong but I don't think you need to worry too much about a minor bite during feeding. Obviously, there are areas (eyes!) where a minor bite could become a major problem but for the most part, you probably aren't going to have any serious issues as long as you're paying attention. The pictures you see of snakes all chewed up are cases where the rat has been left unattended and unfed for extended periods of time. Those are not the results of a responsible routine feeding.

[Phantomtip]

I keep pens right there by my snakes because I'm usually recording weight and what I just fed them so if a rat decides to try aand bite I can pop 1 in its mouth really fast. Also I get my live rats from a store that breeds and feeds their rats well. I just gently turn the cage I have the rat in over on its side and the rat goes exploring till my girl grabs it. I do the same with my boy too. As long as the rat isn't stressed then it will stay calm and explore. Don't grab it by its tail, or dump it into the enclosure from a height that it falls and scares it and its fine. I've never had a bite to my snakes. I've been bitten but not them.

[Mr. Misha]

BrandiR pretty much answered everything.

I just want to add in case you want to try to feed freshly killed. You can always get the live rat and euthanize it via dry ice.

I usully put the rats in a closed plastic box then put a cup of hot water, then, I carefully add a small amount of dry ice and it will euthanize the rats within a couple of minutes.

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[Powerline Reptiles]

So, ok. I feel your plight. First off, if your snakes will take F/T food, switch them over. It's more time consuming, but a heck of a lot safer.

That being said, some snakes WILL NOT take F/T food and I don't condone assist-feeding snakes that are taking another prey source readily. So this is how I do things.

I put my live feeders in with the snakes and stay in the room the whole time. If the prey item is able to do more than crawl around (larger than pup size for rats or hoppers for mice) I don't leave them in with the snake for more than 5 minutes. If the snake doesn't take it, so be it. We'll try again in a few days. If it does, (you'll hear the bang of the strike) I open the tub quickly and check the position of the feeder's head. If it's safe, no worries, and I'll shut the drawer and leave it alone. If the feeder is in position to take hold and fight back, I will hold the head at bay with my feeding tongs until the rat either dies or is no longer in a position to bite. If you can take it emotionally, it's certainly helped save our snakes from a few nasty bites in the past.

Also, if you're snakes get bit, treat the wound with neosporin and just keep an eye on it. Keep the cage extra clean during the mending process. Keep in mind that snakes heal differently than we do, so the cut won't heal in a few days. Minor injuries are usually gone in a shed or two.

My albino female is NOTORIOUS for getting mixed up with live mice. We're just as careful as we can be and take care not to leave them together for very long.