First feeding

[Wyldmoonwoman]

I am going to feed my snake on Wednesday for the first time here, it was eating live mice before coming here...I am not sure what size mouse to get for a 5 month old snake...I don't want to get a too small or too big mouse...and do I just throw it in the tank? How long can the mouse hang out in there if the snake doesn't eat right away...any help would be appreciated or links to good snake care sites...I was kind of thrown into this snake thing and I am determined to do a good job with it...

[Jenn]

Hi Lisa,

Generally speaking the food should be no bigger around than the snake. I think most would agree that a mouse slightly smaller around than your snake would be just fine. BP's are active at night and therefore should be fed at night. And yes, just drop it in. Keep an eye on things though. If your snake doesn't strike soon she is probably not hungry, or stressed. Wait a week and try again. Just don't leave live food in with the snake unattended. Hope this helps.

[Ringo]

A 5 month old should be eating adult mice by now. But like Jenn said the feeder should be no larger than the widest part of the snake. Its pretty amazing what they can get down though. You should really switch to frozen thawed feeders to lower the risk of the feeder harming the snake. I purchased a bag of 50 adult mice from rodentpro.com and I havnt had a problem yet with my ball eating them. Hope this helps.

[JLC]

Here's what I do...

I put the live mouse in an escape-proof container that has lots of ventilation...and set that cage right beside my snake's enclosure. I also give the snake's enclosure a little bump and shift to sort of wake her up. (This is accomplished by removing the security clips I have on her tub...but any little thump/shift would do)

I leave the mouse nearby for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. This is called "pre-scenting" the room. The snake wakes up and smells the mouse and comes out looking for it...or at least pokes her head out of her hide and waits patiently for it to wander by. You can tell they are awake and searching because their tongue will be flicking quite actively.

Once I'm sure the snake is in "hunting mode," I loosen the lid on her tub, catch the mouse, and drop it in. I try not to drop it right on top of her...but sometimes she will try and come out of the tub and grab it right away! LOL Usually, I try to drop it a little ways away from where she's waiting. And put the lid back quickly!

If a rodent lasts any longer than five minutes inside her tub, I know she's not going to eat it and I take it out. You can wait longer than that because some snakes are slower on the uptake than others....but I would not wait more than 20-30 minutes, tops. If the snake doesn't eat in that amount of time, they can wait another week to try again.

Hope that helps some!

[Wyldmoonwoman]

So if the snake doesn't eat...do I keep the mouse alive for a week???

I have alot to learn! I am going to search for frozen mouse preparation

[JLC]

So if the snake doesn't eat...do I keep the mouse alive for a week???

That's what I do. I have a little cage all ready to go in case I need to have any extended stays.

You can check to see if the pet store you buy them from will accept them back in exchange for store credit. When I lived in Tucson, my regular pet store would take uneaten rats back and just credit me toward my next rat purchase. But the one here in San Antonio doesn't. They're all different and it's worth asking if you don't want to keep the critters yourself.