First feeding

[Tripppysmurf]

Hey guys and gals. I am at that stage with my new snake for feeding time. I set the baby mouse in the snake cave with the ball python and now she is just sitting there with heer head in her coils while the baby mouse is just chillin like it is no business to have a snake that near it. Maybe I expect too much but who knows right.Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[dr del]

Hi,

How long has it been in there? If it has been there more than 15 minutes or so I would remove it and put it in a tank of its own assuming the snake knows it's there but is just ignoring it for whatever reason.

Did you pre-scent the room to let the snake know it was coming and things?

Could you run through the process you went through for the feeding and we'll see if anything jumps out.

**edit**

One thing that jumps out is you said you placed the mouse in the cave with the snake - they prefer to ambush from cover if they are feeling nervous so it might have been better to let her know it was coming then place it at the opposite end of her tank.

**end edit**



dr del

[frankykeno]

We normally place the live prey as far away from the snake as possible in their enclosure. This allows the snake to get a bead on it's prey and set up it's strike in the way it prefers (some like to hit from their hides, others strike downward from atop the hide, some come out from behind the hide, some just stay still and wait for the rodent to wander near).

Most feeder rodents have little response to predators having been bred for so many generations in captivity and having no exposure to predation. Most of our rats will walk right up to a snake and sniff it which pretty much ends things right there for the rat.

[Tripppysmurf]

Well actually she ate it already. I am sop happy! I put it in there and since it did not work I took ehr out of the cave and removed the top and held her over the mouse by the tail and she gobbled it right up. She has been hiding in her hot end hide since the feeding

[dr del]

Cool,
It's always a happy day when a snake eats in my book.

Now comes the hard part - no handling for 48 hours till it's digested it.

I seem to be suffering from smiley overload - must be jebbus's way of telling me it's bedtime.


dr del