When to feed new bp?

[Ditto]

Hi! So I just got my first ball python about three days ago and I'm not sure when to feed him. He's a baby and was eating live but I want to switch him to f/t due to safety concerns. He seems to be settling in well (and surprisingly quickly!) so far! He hides all day and comes out a bit at night (but not much).
So when do you think I should attempt to feed him? And if anybody has tips for switching him to f/t better that'd be greatly appreciated!
Thanks! <3

[Zincubus]

I'd leave him alone to settle in for 7 days minimum .


They're nocturnal so he's behaving perfectly normally .

Read up on the hairdryer method for feeding thawed mice


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[alittleFREE]

Most people recommend waiting at least week before trying to feed as a general rule. This gives the snake the opportunity to get acclimated and lessens the chances of a refusal. To be on the safe side, I would give her a few more days before attempting to feed.

Some snakes will switch over to f/t no problem. You won’t know until you try. Wait for the evening/nighttime. Make sure the rat is thoroughly thawed then give it a good 10 second blast with a hair dryer to up its heat signature and get the scent particles moving. Immediately attempt to feed by dangling it in front of the snakes hide with the snake still inside. If the scent is strong enough, the snake should poke its head out to examine, and with any luck, identify the prey and strike.

If that doesn’t work, there’s other methods you can try (pre-killed, etc) to help switch your snake over - but I would give that a shot first just in case you got one of the easy ones.


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[bcr229]

Depends on the snake. I've had some eat the evening of the day they were delivered; it was my regular feeding day anyway and they were "begging" so I fed them. Others needed a week to settle in.

If your baby seems to have settled and is showing hunting behavior I'd go ahead and offer a live feeder now for its first meal or two, and then start the transition to frozen-thawed after that.

[PitOnTheProwl]

One week is about the normal.
Depending on the animal it may or may not switch.
Since I quit breeding feeders I have some of my 2015 holdbacks that weigh less than I would like because they will not continue to feed consistently on F/T.
This is one reason I have not bred in the past couple years and will not again until they are feeding consistently. Go figure, the ones that are not in breeding plans are eating great......