Feed Question.... Where in the enclosure do you feed?

[JerseyChris]

Hey all, as a kid I had a normal ball and a chain king but this was a long time ago so basically relearning.. I just picked up a 7 month old Banana Pastel from a local breeder last Wed. Got him all set up in a tub which I learned a lot from reading here... He has been eating f/t and that is what I planned to feed anyway.. Last night I decided to try and feed him his first meal.. I removed his hide and dangled the mouse in front of him for a few seconds and he didn't seem interested nor did he strike so I left it near the entrance of the hide with the tail visable so I can see if he touched it. Went back in 15 min later and the tail was not there.. So was happy to see he as least moved it but was unsure if it was eaten.. I wanted to give him some time to finish it off before I pulled his hide off again.. I went back and checked and hour later and it was gone.. Since this worked I assume I should do this the same way again? My question is do you usually drop the food in the hide or leave it out in the middle of the enclosure?

[tttaylorrr]

welcome to the forum!!!

I decided to try and feed him his first meal.. I removed his hide and dangled the mouse in front of him...

big no-no. the hide is their security, so you took away the only security the snake had before it has to essentially fight for its life to get a meal. don't remove the hide before feeding. i usually scent the room the snakes are in with the feeders so they can smell them and get ready with their noses sticking out of the hides.

Since this worked I assume I should do this the same way again? My question is do you usually drop the food in the hide or leave it out in the middle of the enclosure?

i have a 3 y/o male who basically never strikes his prey anymore except for once in a blue moon. i dangle the feeder a bit in front of his hide (maybe 10 seconds) then just lay it there with the nose just inside the hide entrance. i'd still try to simulate a live feeder by wiggling the mouse, but if there's no interest right away, just leave it in the tub for an hour and check back later.

[CALM Pythons]

Hey all, as a kid I had a normal ball and a chain king but this was a long time ago so basically relearning.. I just picked up a 7 month old Banana Pastel from a local breeder last Wed. Got him all set up in a tub which I learned a lot from reading here... He has been eating f/t and that is what I planned to feed anyway.. Last night I decided to try and feed him his first meal.. I removed his hide and dangled the mouse in front of him for a few seconds and he didn't seem interested nor did he strike so I left it near the entrance of the hide with the tail visable so I can see if he touched it. Went back in 15 min later and the tail was not there.. So was happy to see he as least moved it but was unsure if it was eaten.. I wanted to give him some time to finish it off before I pulled his hide off again.. I went back and checked and hour later and it was gone.. Since this worked I assume I should do this the same way again? My question is do you usually drop the food in the hide or leave it out in the middle of the enclosure?

There is your first mistake. Ball Pythons are not hunters, they are opportunistic feeders. Do not remove the hide or disturb them at all or as they get nervous easily. They prefer to strike their prey from their hide door then drag it in sometimes for privacy. I leave mine at their doorway every time.
Congrats on the new Noodle.

[JerseyChris]

Thanks for the advice... makes perfect sense about the hide.. I am just so used to removing it often to handle him I was not thinking about the difference with feeding time... Next time I will put the head in and leave the tail visible to see if he grabs it.. Do you have a certain amount of time you recommend waiting to remove his hide to make sure he ate it and not just possible pulled it in and refused?

[Craiga 01453]

I basically just copy what the other two said. They are both spot on

[tttaylorrr]

Do you have a certain amount of time you recommend waiting to remove his hide to make sure he ate it and not just possible pulled it in and refused?

i usually wait an hour once i set the feeder down. if it hasn't moved it gets removed and tossed.

[JerseyChris]

i usually wait an hour once i set the feeder down. if it hasn't moved it gets removed and tossed.

That is about the amount I wanted before.. I will do that again... thanks

[CheriL]

My boy seems to know it's feeding time and I can hardly keep him in his tub to dangle the mouse. I try to get him to strike away from his hide actually to keep the mess off the hide. Doesnt always work cause he keeps his bum in the hide and stretches for the mouse. Hope I don't have feeding troubles in the future but so far I open tub, hold snake back, dangle mouse, insta strike, then watch the process. Last feed I moved up a size in feeder mice, he started taking it backwards, couldn't manage it so he spit it out. I picked it up by the tail, with tongs, and held it over him and he opened his mouth and just started swallowing.

[JerseyChris]

My boy seems to know it's feeding time and I can hardly keep him in his tub to dangle the mouse. I try to get him to strike away from his hide actually to keep the mess off the hide. Doesnt always work cause he keeps his bum in the hide and stretches for the mouse. Hope I don't have feeding troubles in the future but so far I open tub, hold snake back, dangle mouse, insta strike, then watch the process. Last feed I moved up a size in feeder mice, he started taking it backwards, couldn't manage it so he spit it out. I picked it up by the tail, with tongs, and held it over him and he opened his mouth and just started swallowing.

I am sure I will figure more out as we go as this was the first feeding I have done... The breeder I got him from said he never refused a meal and I can see that. He is 7 months old weighs 240 grams

[CALM Pythons]

Thanks for the advice... makes perfect sense about the hide.. I am just so used to removing it often to handle him I was not thinking about the difference with feeding time... Next time I will put the head in and leave the tail visible to see if he grabs it.. Do you have a certain amount of time you recommend waiting to remove his hide to make sure he ate it and not just possible pulled it in and refused?

If its pulled onto the Hide its eaten. No need to lift the hide so much. Lift their Hide when you plan to take them out and when you clean. You can positively condition a snake and it makes things easier and calmer for you both... If you lift that Hide when you feed you'll soon lift it to take them out and you might get nailed. Im very conscious of what I do and have done the same for years so they know that routine. It saves you both from a accident.