questions and good news

[TONYDM41684]

Questios first..

My bp has gone some scales hanging down off of her belly, I think that it is from her moving around on this blanket I have, one of those itchy ones, when I would go to pick her up she would stick to it. Bad thing or will it go away with next shed?

My bp also is 27" or so and is not thin at all but not really that big around. Will that change as she gets older? I read that when you start feeding rats then they really put on the roundness and stregth.

Last, I put my bigger stronger light over the cool side hide because she is always over there and hardly ever goes to the warm hide. Normal?

Good News..

After getting advise from everyone my bp has eaten her first prekilled last night. After seeing Steve Irwin feeding his large snakes I feed mine use tongs, cooking tongs girlfriend pissed off, anyways I killed the mouse and took it by the tail and moved it around the feed tank and she took both of them. Also put damp towels over the exposed screen and keeping my humidity up to 55%-60% with one spay from 45%-50% with numerous spays, girlfriend pissed about the towels two. Anyways thanks everyone.

[elevatethis]

If your BP is under a year old or so, its still growing a lot lengthwise so they may not put on too much girth, and that it totally OK for them and nothing to worry about as long as they keep eating. Also, if your bp is 27" long, you should be about ready to switch them over to small rats. Small rats are very good for growing BPs, I was apprehensive about switching my bp over, and when she took her first small rat down I was truely amazed. Now she pounds them down like they're goin outta style. Just give it a shot and see what happens.

As far as the heating situation, I'd say that switching the lamp up on her was a bad idea. Too often, as keepers, we try to intervene due to what we think will be good for them. Truth is, they know what is best for them and if your bp wants to get warm, he'll go under the warm lamp. Thats just how it works. Now your bp is probably all kinds of confused that his cool safe hide is now heating up.

[gozetec02]

I know those blankets those are bad news for snakes. Also when you pick her up she may slide back wards on the blanket and rub her scales on it. All snakes have belly scales that are angled backwards to provide traction. They move by locomotion they a set of scales down and flex thier muscles which moves them up a little and this goes on all the way down their body. Its not all that bad but it might hurt them, but i am not to sure.

As far as the size.
Are you sure she is a she and not a he?
What are you feeding her? At that size they should be getting small rats or weaned rats.

[TONYDM41684]

Ok she has a long thin tail and a larger head but her spurs are the same size as my friend's bp that is a little over three feet. I don't know the pet store said they thought that she was a female but you know how pet stores are! She is nice sized around eating two small mice once a week. I could feed her more but don't want to get her too fat, My friend power feed his feeding two mice every four days or two twice a week. She has double her weight and doulbe her length is that normal. A 15 month old bp 3.5 feet and nearly two pounds??? Also we can't get small rats hear the smallest is two big she is very healthy and is nicely rounded. But I heard the if you are feeding them weaned rats whats the point they feed on milk right milk is full of fat and the rat aren't as healthy for them.

[JubJub]

Hmmmm, wow. Interesting. 3.5 feet at 15 months is from what I heard big.

I read on one of the posts that power feeding might not be a good idea. Take for example the guy on Super Size Me! for an example. Power feeding might be stressful on their internal system and increace their aging rate. Only a theory though. DOn't know the fact behind that, but it would be a logical guess. I.E. someone that weighs 400 pounds probalby isn't gonna live to 80.