Is it possible that a ball python might WANT to be held all the time??

[JodanOrNoDan]

Snake is thin. It is hungry.

[treaux]

He is tiny! Definitely try to get him on rats after he starts eating for you (it's best to start by feeding him what he was already having to make sure he is comfortable with his new environment).

I can tell you love him, but try to think of him a little more objectively when it comes to his habitat. Typically a BP that is out and roaming often is uncomfortable and searching for a new place to hide. They don't like to go for long walks on the beach just because. When they are travelling, it's usually in search of food, the correct temperatures, and safety.

Also, as was said before, get a thermostat ASAP as it's very easy to cause burns to your snake with an unregulated heating element.

Good luck with your new buddy! Keep us updated on how he is doing.

[Bogertophis]

Snake is thin. It is hungry.

I agree, & as I suspected from the behavior described initially. Fed "3 small mice" for a BP this size? What is meant by "3 small mice"? -hoppers? NOT enough
and wrong size food for this snake. Hungry snakes are restless...they want out, they look up hoping food is "incoming"...and if you handle them they may "hug"
you hoping to find the right scent there someplace, sooner or later...it's what they do. Time to size up his prey, & (OP) I HOPE you're feeding f/t (dead) prey???

[BPmom]

Yes well we thought the same thing which is why we waited about a week before I couldn’t handle seeing him in it and went out and bought everything. We didn’t know we were getting him, he needed a home and we agreed and he was here within a day. They never really came back to advise/show us how we should handle and care for him so we’ve been getting everything online ever since!

I will I’ll run out and grab one now. What should it be sent to if the ambient temp is between 78-84 ?

[BPmom]

Yes, the hoppers! They fed him 3 every two weeks. We thought he was always hungry but also though that if he was eating three small mice, it would be enough. We were told he doesn’t take well to the thawed dead rodents but they also had him in a small container and told us not to use a heat lamp in a 20 gal tank when it’s not even 70 degrees in the house. Trust me, I get nervous with the live as well but they had him for 2-3 years and they said he was doing fine on that. He ate for us no problem from the start!

He just took 3 mice on Thursday evening. Is it too soon to feed him again? And should I be getting more mice this soon or will 3 mice and a rat within 5 days be over feeding him? The last feeding before this one, it only took him 5 days to digest his meal.

[Bogertophis]

You want the UTH about 90-92* max. If his hide is right over top the UTH, I'd move it over to one side, so all the heat rising from the UTH isn't just
over-heating the hide. Snakes typically choose to hide over being the right temperature, if & when they can't do both at the same time...so when the
hide is too hot, he won't realize until he is injured. You want to offer snakes at least 2 hides, one without heat and one with heat (regulated so it's not
too hot) so they can always hide at the right temperatures. It's obvious that you care about this snake & you're doing the best you can under the circum-
stances (being unprepared), so I'm glad you found your way here where we are happy to help you sort all this out.

[Bogertophis]

Next feeding: you'll probably get more than one opinion about this, but if he was my snake, I'd wait a week, maybe 7-10 days, before the next meal.

At that point, I'd get ONE live fuzzy or hopper mouse and one frozen large adult mouse that you'll need to thaw completely* before you offer him the
live food...that's just an appetizer, you want him eating the right size, but that would be dangerous when live, and he is hungry enough that after he
is pumped up enough to take the one live hopper, he just may be more than willing to take the f/t one. From his behavior, I'd be surprised if he didn't
take it. Ultimately you'll want to switch him over to the appropriate-size f/t rats, but one thing at a time...don't overwhelm snakes with major changes
all at once. For now, be content to see if he'll take an adult f/t mouse, and while he might take more than one, don't go there just yet...let him adapt.

*thaw in cold water, about 30 minutes or so (until soft/squishy- yes, feel it by hand to be sure it's not still frozen). If the water is very cold during the
thaw, you can change it to speed up the process, but only when it's almost "ready" do you want to use very warm water, to bring it up to the temper-
ature that's appealing for the snake to pounce on. You can blot it dry, & many like to use a blow-dryer too -no, not for the fluff & style - only to
warm it quicker. Use tongs to offer it after he gulps the fuzzy/hopper...even blunt ended kitchen tongs (or BBQ grill tongs) can be used, you don't want
your warm & wiggling hand to be mistaken for food. Hopefully, he'll grab & eat...and then we'll go from there.

[BPmom]

FYI... heat lamp is on only to get a better view of inside the tank. This was only used when we first got him on some very chilly days***



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[BPmom]

[BPmom]

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