How does everyone feed there Bp

[The Golem]

No need to over-complicate feeding. Since this video I have bought an IR temp gun to make sure the f/t rat is the right temp and don't need to to use the domed lamp to heat the head anymore.




Also, maybe when they're eating larger prey they need 48 hours. But 24 hours after feeding if I leave the sliding door open the snake is perfectly happy to leave enclosure, climb down off the desk, wander around and be held.

[Ballpythoncrazy]

Some of my snakes eat frozen and some eat live. So what I do is, if I'm feeding live I take the snake out of its enclosure and put it in a separate container (this may stress some snakes out but mine don't seem to mind. They just get all excited cause they know they're getting food). If I'm feeding f/t I just open the tub, dangle the rodent in front of the snake, and when the snake takes it I close the tub and check back in 10 minutes or so to see if they ate or are in the process of eating.

Open tub.

Put food in.

Close tub.

If food was live, check back in 30 mins.

I also very much disagree with this person if you're feeding live you should NOT take your eyes of the snake or the mouse/rat when they're together. Obviously, once the snake has killed it you can leave it alone to eat. If you were to put a live animal in with your snake, and leave it alone for 30 MINUTES, who knows what could happen in that time. Let's say you drop the mouse in, close the tub, and walk away. If that mouse attacks your snake and does severe damage, you're not going to know it for 30 MINUTES.
I never take my eyes off my snake when I put a live rat in with it (this is why I feed the snakes who eat live in a separate container. So I can watch them). I once had a rat lunge at my snake and I reached in there so quick to grab that rat and get it out of there. I don't think I've ever moved so quickly in my life. If I had put that rat in, and left for 30 MINUTES I don't doubt that rat would've seriously injured my snake.

This is also why I'm trying to switch all my snakes to f/t.




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[Mr. Misha]

I feed mine live, so I choose to feed in a seperate enclosure for a number of reasons. First is that I can observe the feeding if something goes wrong. BPs aren't the smartest reptiles and won't attack pray that's chewing on them. I have lots of places for the rats to hide and five seperate enclosures so it would be a nightmare.

My second reason is sanitary. Rat poop and pee is disgusting and until you feed in a seperate enclosure, you don't realize how much they defecate (especially if the BP doesn't take it right away). I really don't want my BPs slithering all over that for a month. Plus, then you get rat poop on your hand when you go to handle your BP.

I know people on here write novels about how stressful and dangerous it is to move BPs in a different enclosure on feeding day, but it's been working out for me feeding five snakes for nearly three years every single week. I never had an incident where a BP lunged at me while in "feeding mode". They know that once I put them in their containers, food will follow. Then, I gently take them out and place them back. No regurgitations yet either.

Do I have weeks where some of them don't eat? Sure I do. But most of them eat every week and rarely skip a meal. If I wanted something that eats without question, i'd get into Corns or Boas.

I say do whatever is easier for you and your snake. If your BP takes F/T and it's the easiest way for you to feed, then zombie dance that sucker in the BP's terrarium and call it a day. Personally, I can't stand the thought of defrosting dead mice and hair drying them but that's just me.

Well this turned out to be a tad longer than I wanted... lol. Good luck on your perfect feeding day.

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[calmolly1]

I feed live. Bring feeders in room (snakes immediately come to front of cages.)

Pick up rat with tongs

Open door

Put rat in near snake

Close door and watch snake "hunt". Within seconds she strikes and coils.

When rat is dead I watch unobtrusively that she starts swallowing.

Turn off lights and let her eat. Once finished she always drinks some water then heads to her hide for 48 hours.


Molly & Steve
0.1 normal BP 'Precioucess'
0.1 BCI 'Luna'

[Giddy]

I feed my BP's F/T in a separate tub 'outside' their enclosure. I keep my snakes in a display tank on Cypress mulch and I don't want my snakes ingesting any substrate nor any blood'n guts on my substrate. Besides, when my snakes are feeding, I can do some maintanace.
My snakes never skip a meal and have never regurged. I don't handle them within 48 hrs after feeding.

[Cold_Blooded_Designs]

Open tub
Offer live rat
Make sure rat can't bite the snake
Move on to the next.
Then I go back through to make sure they are eating and record date so I can keep track of feeding.

[The Golem]

Open tub
Offer live rat
Make sure rat can't bite the snake
Move on to the next.
Then I go back through to make sure they are eating and record date so I can keep track of feeding.

That's probably the best advice in this thread. My BP's still less than a year old and growing fast, so the rats are moving up in size. Keeping track of the date and time, size & weight of f/t rat and weight of the snake is important, helpful and interesting.

[west coast ballz]

I agree with Viol8tr. My balls don't like frozen so I go with live. There is a risk of the rat biting the snake, which has happened once or twice. So I like to see the strike and coil so if the head of the rat is free to bite I use a golf tee to let him bite instead of my snake. This only seems to happen with my albino though. The others will just keep coiling until you can't even see the rat.

[JMinILM]

Live prey in their tubs. I stay in the room and keep an eye on them.

[auhsojnacnud]

I place the mouse in
I wait for the mouse to walk into the hide because my snake is surprisingly too lazy to go out for it.
when I hear a "SQUEAK!!!" I then know that the snake is eating just fine