First meal - questions

[Rafters]

Update:

The wife and I bought some "Gourmet Rodents" and thawed them out, in the bag, in warm water for a while. Then took them out and lowered them in with some thongs and dangled them.

Both of these guys immediately hit them and started chowing down with no hesitation.

For the smaller snake we fed him an "Adult Mouse" and for the larger one a "Small Rat". They are currently swallowing them.

Questions:
1) Should we have fed them inside of their normal cages? The back of the adult mouse bag says "It is always recommended to feed a reptile in a secondary secure habitat outside of it's normal habitat." Are we teaching these things to attack anything we put inside their cages by doing this?
2) The owner has apparently been in a depressive funk for a bit. The water bowls were dirty and had algae(I cleaned them yesterday and gave them clean water), these snakes seemed really hungry, and it looks like they have old dried feces (I think) in the bedding. We bought cypress bedding when we clean out their cages here in the next couple days. If these guys haven't been fed very much lately, should we maybe feed them again this weekend?
3) Anything we need to know about cleaning the aquariums they live in? We can clean them with soap as long as we rinse them really well, correct?

Any other info would be great. I'm also looking around online but I prefer to hear from people on forums so someone can speak up if any bad advice crops up.

Thanks!

[wrecker45]

Show some pictures with something to compare to give an idea of there size.

[Mikoh4792]

1) that is an urban myth. We can reverse the logic and say that everytime you take out the snake it thinks it's feeding time... so what happens when it's out to be handled? I feed all my snakes in their enclosures and see no cage aggression or feeding response related bites.

2) What snakes do you even have?

3) I just use this natural enzyme spray bottle called "healthy habitat" to wipe away any fecal/uric acid stains and then once every few months I will do a complete sterilization of the enclosure with a strong disinfectant. There a few to choose from. Some people bleach their enclosures, some just use soap...etc.

[Starbuck]

Update:

Questions:
1) Should we have fed them inside of their normal cages? The back of the adult mouse bag says "It is always recommended to feed a reptile in a secondary secure habitat outside of it's normal habitat." Are we teaching these things to attack anything we put inside their cages by doing this?
2) The owner has apparently been in a depressive funk for a bit. The water bowls were dirty and had algae(I cleaned them yesterday and gave them clean water), these snakes seemed really hungry, and it looks like they have old dried feces (I think) in the bedding. We bought cypress bedding when we clean out their cages here in the next couple days. If these guys haven't been fed very much lately, should we maybe feed them again this weekend?
3) Anything we need to know about cleaning the aquariums they live in? We can clean them with soap as long as we rinse them really well, correct?

1) You may feed them in the normal enclosure. That is poor, unnecessary advice to feed them outside of their original tank. While i personally think both methods CAN work; IMO why bother moving/disturbing a hungry/just fed snake? You can risk a regurge, or getting bit if the snake is still looking for food. As i said in the other thread, i just put the FT mice in the cage and walk away, and check back later. NEVER leave a live prey item in the cage unsupervised (but since these guys both ate F/T that shouldn't be an issue).

2) As it seems these snakes are both adults, i would not feed them more frequently than once every 7 days. If you could post a picture of the snakes next to a ruler or soda can, we can give you a good idea if they seem underweight, and what size prey to be feeding.

3) i normally clean my cages with only a damp paper towel frequently, and maybe 2-3x per year i go in with some simple green. You could also use a vinegar/water solution, or dilute soap. Just rinse/wipe down with water afterwards, and let dry thoroughly. While you are cleaning the tanks, you can put the snakes in a pillowcase tied shut, or some other secure container. Never underestimate their ability to escape! :)

Great to see someone asking questions and trying to do right by these little 'surprises'

[Rafters]

Awesome. Thanks everyone!

For Micoh. I think these are Ball Pythons. At least that's what they look like from what I can find. We're keeping them for the owner who was found incoherent on her bathroom floor where she had been laying for the past three days dehydrated and near death. So no one can tell me exactly what they are. But from what I can find online these look like Ball Pythons. Maybe a Python regius or something really close.

[Mikoh4792]

Ah I see. I did not know they were rescues.

Can you post pics of them please?

[kelzerman]

I feed some of my snakes in a separate cage. This is only because they are on substrate and I am worried about them ingesting it. Now I recently got a new retic and I am going to be feeding her in the enclosure. I do not use substrate with her because she is in a tub, and I do not need the substrate to keep up the humidity. Plus you don't want to handle a 10-15ft snake after feeding. They may still be in feed mode after the feeding. I have read that having a large snake out with the smell of food around could be trouble ;) NOM NOM!!

But from my experience I don't see a difference in those feeding methods.

[Rafters]

Ah I see. I did not know they were rescues.

Can you post pics of them please?

Sure. We're going to take them out in a couple days to clean their cages. When we do I'll take some pictures of them.

Thanks!

[Hotchkiss]

Awesome. Thanks everyone!

For Micoh. I think these are Ball Pythons. At least that's what they look like from what I can find. We're keeping them for the owner who was found incoherent on her bathroom floor where she had been laying for the past three days dehydrated and near death. So no one can tell me exactly what they are. But from what I can find online these look like Ball Pythons. Maybe a Python regius or something really close.
Python Regius is the scientific name for the animal commonly referred to as "Ball Pythons" So, Yes... Are they kept in seperate enclosures? What is their heating like?

[MizCandice]

I like bleach solution for disinfecting, its cheap and easy. If they haven had clean water in a while you may want to let them have a good soak in warm water, perhaps in a secure sterilite container while you clean the current vivariums. You good to be caring for them while their owner heals.

[Rafters]

Python Regius is the scientific name for the animal commonly referred to as "Ball Pythons" So, Yes... Are they kept in seperate enclosures? What is their heating like?

There is only one species referred to as "Ball Pythons"? I didn't know that. Their markings are slightly different. The smaller one has white dots in the lighter splotches of color on it's hide. Two white dots, one on either side for the smaller splotches. An additional white dot in the middle for the later splotches. The larger snake doesn't have these white dots. I was thinking maybe they were closely related species. The face markings are identical.

I don't really know snakes very well.

They each have their own glass aquarium. One looks like a 20 gallon tall aquarium, the other looks like a 20 gallon long. Both have a heat lamp. I've been turning off the lamps at night and have been monitoring the thermometers. The temps seem to range from 80 degrees at night to around 86 degrees during the day.

[Hotchkiss]

There is only one species referred to as "Ball Pythons"? I didn't know that. Their markings are slightly different. The smaller one has white dots in the lighter splotches of color on it's hide. Two white dots, one on either side for the smaller splotches. An additional white dot in the middle for the later splotches. The larger snake doesn't have these white dots. I was thinking maybe they were closely related species. The face markings are identical.

I don't really know snakes very well.

They each have their own glass aquarium. One looks like a 20 gallon tall aquarium, the other looks like a 20 gallon long. Both have a heat lamp. I've been turning off the lamps at night and have been monitoring the thermometers. The temps seem to range from 80 degrees at night to around 86 degrees during the day.
not all snakes of the same species have the exact same markings, And balls have very many different color and pattern morphs, Larger snakes tend to be females... But vary on a snake to snake basis. The markings are like features on a person, Not everyone has the same nose, eyes, etc... Glass tanks aren't very good for snakes (I use plastic, Hold heat and humidity very well) Are there any pieces of shed skin stuck to the snakes? Do they look generally healthy? When handled (If at all) Do they move around a lot? flick with their tongues a lot? when they move does it feel strong? and 20 gallon seems small for adult ball pythons. You should consider going to walmart and getting some larger bins... And heat mats (Don't want to melt your enclosures!) they don't need to be super tall as balls are terrestrial (they move along the ground, As opposed to arboreal meaning they spend their time in the trees) can we get some pictures of the snakes? Along the body, and Up close to the face (Especially the eyes and nose) Good on you for rescuing these wonderful animals. Sorry if I seem long winded for all this... I just want to ensure they are kept in proper conditions.

[Starbuck]

Lets please get pictures/confirmation that these ARE indeed ball pythons, and that the tanks ARE indeed 20 gallons before giving further advice?
YES generally glass tanks are not recommended for pythons or other species which require high humidity, as the lamps and screen top create a heated convection effect which sucks out moisture. The sooner you can post some pictures of the snakes and their cages, the sooner we can help you. :)

[mistersprinkles]

Ya seriously. I read your other thread too. You may not own a good camera but I can guarantee your cellphone will take a passable photograph to identify the size of the tanks and the species of snake.

[Rafters]

Hi, guys. Back.

The wife and I are going to clean out their cages here in a few minutes. We took some photos of the larger one.

http://imageshack.us/a/img43/9830/r7wa.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img607/268/hwv8.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img560/7200/28fu.jpg

Their owner is doing better in the hospital so we don't know how much longer we will be taking care of these guys.

Apparently she has only been feeding them once a month. Everything I find online says 10-14 days.

I measured the tanks and they are, as I thought, both 20 gallon tanks. The smaller one is in a 20 gallon tall and the larger one is in a 20 gallon long.

20 gallon High 24" x 12" x 16"
20 gallon Long 30" x 12" x 12"

[athms]

I feed in a separate cage just cause i like to and i can see him eat better

[kwhitlock]

Those are most definitely ball pythons.

[ilovemysnake]

beautiful balls.

[Rafters]

Done with the clean. I threw away all the old bedding, rinsed out the aquariums, scrubbed them down with a bleach/water mixture, rinsed really well, dried, put in Cypress mulch bedding, sprayed it all down with warm water, replaced all their sticks/hides/rocks. Took the snakes for a bath in a plastic tub with warm water and then put them back.

Gave them fresh water too. Wish she had a humidity detector for me to check the humidity levels. Oh, well. I don't know what else I could do for them for now.