Baby Ball in critical condition - how to switch from tube feeding to self-feeding

[LittleTreeGuy]

My opinion, if your room is a constant 74 degrees, no need to have a probe on the cold side of the tank. For your hot side, you can place the probe between the uth and the tub. it may not sit completely level, but it will work. It will work the way you have it just fine, but if there is a big mess of pee or water, it will run out that hole. be prepared for that.

I would get ride of that log hide. It's too big for a snake that size, and it doesn't provide the level of solitude that these snakes like. I would take a look at this thread: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...DIY-hide-boxes You probably have something laying around the house that you can make a better hide for your snake. If you can barely fit your fist in it, it's probably about the right size. I know it sounds petty, but I know that when I finally got the correct size hides for my bp, her whole demeanor changed for the better.

[Ellizaryn]

So it's been 5 days. I've kept the half of her tub facing the doorway covered with a white towel. I take a peek under the towel about once a day. I have not disturbed her apart from yesterday when I replaced her water. She is hanging out in the space between the top/side of the hide, the side of the tub, and the ceiling. It may be the tightest spot in the tank that isn't directly over the UTH, so she may just be happy there--but she hasn't moved at all since she was first introduced...I'm kind of concerned because she's usually moving around--heat regulating and such--and I'm not sure if she's drinking fluids. Thoughts?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I'm kind of concerned because she's usually moving around--heat regulating and such--and I'm not sure if she's drinking fluids. Thoughts?

I am sure she is drinking and apparently she is now exhibiting a normal behavior which mean staying in the same spot and not moving for long period of times.

Keep in mind that in their natural environment BP spend 80% of their time hiding in the same spot.

[LittleTreeGuy]

Most people will say a hiding or still ball python is a happy ball python. It could be that before, she wasn't moving because she liked to move, but rather she was out looking for a place she felt safe. If you move the towel, does she move her head, or flick her tongue at all? If that's all she does, my guess is that she's content where she is.

I've had my ball python going on 6 months and the only time I've ever seen her head near the water bowl was when she was dragging her rat through it. If the humidity is up in the 60 or 70% range, she's probably doing okay. Do you have a feeding day in mind?

[Ellizaryn]

I left Nagini is isolation for a full week. I kept temps and humidity steady, and a towel over the side of the tub that faces the room (so she'd still get day/night from the window but wouldn't see any activity). The first five days she stayed curled up on the roof of her hide, pressed against the ceiling of her tub. I replaced her water twice, but she never moved. Day six, she migrated to her hide (which is directly over the UTH) and started moving around the tub more.

I didn't have time to go to the pet store Monday, which was day 7, so I thawed a frozen fuzzy in warm water and presented it. She did not seem interested, but I left it there overnight to see what would happen.

The Tuesday morning she was out and pacing, acting like she wanted out or was looking for something, but the mouse was still there. I removed it and left her alone for the day.

Tuesday night around midnight, I removed her water dish and dropped a live, grey hopper (7-8g) in her tub and left her completely covered. About an hour after the scuffling sounds stopped, I opened her tub to return the water. No mouse!

Thank you all SOOOO much for your help! I've been so desperate to get my baby healthy. I have a few questions:

1) I have a second hopper. I've got it in a pet carrier with water and a bit of cat food. How long do you think it will live?

2) What's the best/most humane way to kill a mouse (if I decide to freeze it, or feed fresh kill)?

3) When should I attempt feeding again?

4) We're going out of town for Easter (Wednesday night through Sunday afternoon). Her temps and humidity have been stable for 9 days now. Do you see a problem with leaving her, or should I have a house sitter check in?

5) How/should I start transitioning her to f/t food, or is a steady diet of live fine/better?


Again, thank you again! I love this community and will continue to visit and contribute as my legless family grows.

[Caspian]

Just a note from what you said there - first, congratulations on her eating!

The note is that I don't believe ball pythons need any daylight. Naturally, they're nocturnal and spend the day hidden in a burrow or hole somewhere. Too much light makes mine very restless and uneasy - they noticeably prefer nice, dark tubs. However, I am no expert.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

First congratulation it's a huge step in the right direction considering where she was.

1) I have a second hopper. I've got it in a pet carrier with water and a bit of cat food. How long do you think it will live?

Hopper still nurse but also can eat some soft solid food (cheerios, wet dog food).

2) What's the best/most humane way to kill a mouse (if I decide to freeze it, or feed fresh kill)?

Which can be done with some dry ice for 1 prey you would need very little and you could also need a very small container. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...and-Humane-too

3) When should I attempt feeding again?

5 to 7 days

4) We're going out of town for Easter (Wednesday night through Sunday afternoon). Her temps and humidity have been stable for 9 days now. Do you see a problem with leaving her, or should I have a house sitter check in

Nope she should stay home anyway, taking her would be a step backward, causing stress and having to re-adjust all over again when back.

5) How/should I start transitioning her to f/t food, or is a steady diet of live fine/better?

It is easier to switch a consistent feeder than it is one that is not so I would recommend 5 consecutive successful live feeding prior to switching.

Also remember switching can take time with some animals which means tough love (no live prey if the animal refuses to eat) and this can be an issue since your BP is so small and given her history.

When you switch offer the F/T as followed:

Simply let the prey thaw near the enclosure (this is called scenting) , once thawed warm the prey up with a hair dryer. Grab the prey behind the neck, and move it like a live rat would move. If not eaten off the tongs in a reasonable time frame leave the f/T in the enclosure overnight, some prefer to eat them this way.

If not eaten do not offer food and offer a F/T again the following week, if that one is not eaten offer live.

[ReptiMoto]

1) I have a second hopper. I've got it in a pet carrier with water and a bit of cat food. How long do you think it will live?

2) What's the best/most humane way to kill a mouse (if I decide to freeze it, or feed fresh kill)?

3) When should I attempt feeding again?

4) We're going out of town for Easter (Wednesday night through Sunday afternoon). Her temps and humidity have been stable for 9 days now. Do you see a problem with leaving her, or should I have a house sitter check in?

5) How/should I start transitioning her to f/t food, or is a steady diet of live fine/better?


Again, thank you again! I love this community and will continue to visit and contribute as my legless family grows.

1 My guess is a week (with cat food and water). Mice need exercise, like a wheel, and proper nutrition, like seeds etc. But you probably won't need to keep it alive for more than a week.

2 Cervical dislocation (this is the method I use and you can look up a video online). Or if you really don't want to kill it yourself you can buy some dry ice and kill it by CO2 poisoning. There is a thread on how to do this. I personally use cervical dislocation because you don't need to buy anything and you break the mouses neck. This method is just as humane as CO2.

3 In a week or if she is very active you could feed her every 5 days to get her up to size

4 That's up to you. I feel comfortable with my temps and have left for a week with no problem. You may need to keep some moss in there for humidity. But if you feel more comfortable with a house sitter then then that's fine too. (Someone probably has a better answer to this question then I do)

5 Pre killed is the next step. But if you have easy access to live food you should get her up to a stable weight before trying to switch her. Also you should try to have her eating rats before switching her.

Thats just some of my input I have learned over the year. If you have any problem with switching to F/T there are many many threads out there. Good Luck

[Ellizaryn]

Nagini ate her third live hopper Tuesday night. I left her lid open so I could watch. I dropped the mouse into the far side of the tub and Nagini was out of her hide and on top of it in less than 30 seconds. It then took her 20 minutes to kill it, and then she spent about a half an hour moving it around with her jaw and tail until it was head first. It was very slow, and the mouse fur became very sleek, maybe wet? Twice she let go and nosed at her own body and around the tub like she was looking for something. Once she got the head in her mouth, the mouse went down fast. The whole thing took about an hour. Is that normal?

I was very happy I was there because she got a bunch of aspen lodged into her teeth and throat. After swallowing, she started yawning and rubbing her head against the side of her tub. I gave her a few minutes to see if she could resolve it herself before I opened her mouth and removed the blockage with her feeding tongs. She immediately returned to her hide and has seemed fine ever since.

I was concerned about the aspen. I asked my vet about choking hazard, and she and the people here insist say they've never seen a problem. She's going blue-eyed now so I don't know if an upcoming shed had an impact on her behavior. I don't want to see a repeat of the choking incident though. Tips?

[Ellizaryn]

Hi everyone,

My baby is healthy and getting fat. She's happily eating live adult mice and I'll start migrating her to frozen in the next month or so. Tonight will be her sixth feeding and she's out of her hide pacing and acting hungry. I don't know if anyone is still following this thread, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed and say goodbye for good. You're legitimately lifesavers!