New ball python owner here

[Heather26]

I got her from a pet store, they fed her every Wednesday. I fed her after I had her for 6 days and she ate like a champ. She is eating live mice. I was told they tried several times switching her to frozen, but she won't touch them. When should I try to introduce frozen again and at what point do I try switching her to rats?

[bigsnakegirl785]

Hello and welcome. :)

It's all up to you what you decide to do. You can go ahead and try the f/t (mouse or rat, either will work; depends on whether you want to take it slow or jump right in) next feeding, and if it doesn't take it you can wait until it's established and eats several meals on a regular schedule for you. I'm guessing going straight into f/t rats and waiting it out will be your best best, though. Any more experienced bp owners just let me know if that isn't the case; it worked for mine but it may not be best for the majority of ball pythons.

[TheFrogman]

Hello Heather, welcome. Lets see some pictures please, we love pictures

[Donnie]

Hello and welcome

[Heather26]

Thanks for the info.!

[Heather26]

I don't have a lot of pictures. She actually has a scar on her back from being bitten by a mouse (that happened before I got her). Maybe it's why she strikes so quick now, I'm not sure.

[Heather26]

Here are a few pictures of her. She's the best pet I've ever had, without question!

[Hotchkiss]

Here are a few pictures of her. She's the best pet I've ever had, without question!
Setup looks good, I know most people will say trash the analog therm/hygro but I've never had an issue with them.

[pdomensis]

Looks nice.

[mclund]

She actually has a scar on her back from being bitten by a mouse (that happened before I got her).

A good indication that it should be eating F/T. The setup looks great and from the pictures the snake looks like it has good body weight. Hard to tell from the pictures, but I believe it can easily handle small rats. You may have to push it a little to switch it over. Stay on a feeding schedule, offer frozen thawed. If it turns it's nose up, skip feeding that week. Repeat the process the next week, same day. Be patient, a healthy Ball python can go for months without feeding.

A few other tips:
Completely thaw rodent to room temp, and then place it in Hot water for 3-5 minutes. Not Boiling, around 90 degrees.
Prior to feeding try not to disturb the snake, cage cleaning, water change etc. Do those chores on an off day.
Offer the rodent with tongs, never use your hand. Your hand will be body temp and the snake will seek out he warmest target. It's a sure way to get bit.
If you are up to it, offering a stunned rodent is not a bad alternative for really stubborn feeders. While not pleasant it ensures no damage will come to your snake.

Best of Luck!

Matt

[Heather26]

Thank you for the replies. I feed her every Wednesday so I'll be feeding her tonight. I usually take her out of her cage to feed her, just because that's what the people at the pet store told me they had been doing. She didn't seem to have an issue last week. I put her in a big plastic bin, tossed the mouse in and she struck it within 10 seconds. She has been great to handle and isn't the least bit head shy. I'm not sure of her weight. What should she weigh to give her the small rat?

[Heather26]

Here are a couple more pictures that may better show her size.

[mclund]

[QUOTE=Heather26;896738] I usually take her out of her cage to feed her, just because that's what the people at the pet store told me they had been doing. QUOTE]

It is not a bad practice. The whole theory on removing the animal to feed, is so that they do not get conditioned to think every time you open the cage, it is time to eat. If you interact with her on a regular basis, you have less chance of that happening. It has other benefits as well. No chance of them ingesting anything like substrate or plants. The process I described was geared towards switching her over to frozen thawed and getting away from feeding live rodents. Once she is consistently feeding on F/T, you should be able to resume removing her to a bin for feeding. I feed all of mine in their cages, but I'm working with 35+ animals, half of them venomous. It really isn't a good option for me.

[lady_bug87]

There's no real need to pull the snake out to feed it. Remember if you do that you'd end up having to pull it out of the feeding bin just after it eats...

I wouldn't worry about it ingesting substrate they usually spit it out and in the chance they eat it proper husbandry will ensure that its digested without issue. These animals pass BONES and fur a little reptibark won't hurt it,

And to minimize substrate sticking to prey dry it well (f/t) or use a lid from a deli cup as a plate

You can try f/t rats right away. The little guy looks healthy

[Heather26]

I think I will try f/t, but I may wait until she gets a little bigger before I try a rat. She had a decent size mouse last night and seemed to take quite a bit longer to get it down. You all are really helpful. Thanks!

[Heather26]

By the way, Matt, you're brave to have venomous snakes. There's no way I would be able to handle that!

[mclund]

I think I will try f/t, but I may wait until she gets a little bigger before I try a rat. She had a decent size mouse last night and seemed to take quite a bit longer to get it down. You all are really helpful. Thanks!

One more thing to think about. Rats and mice have a different odor, you may be doing yourself a favor by switching to small rats now. I can't say for sure, but you may be presented with the same challenge if you wait. The snake will definitely be able to handle them. Don't worry about the time taken to consume the rodent, it is really not relevant.

[mclund]

By the way, Matt, you're brave to have venomous snakes. There's no way I would be able to handle that!

I don't know about brave, but thank you. 7 years and no venomous bites and I still have all 10 fingers...lol

[Donnie]

I don't know about brave, but thank you. 7 years and no venomous bites and I still have all 10 fingers...lol

10 fingers :shocked: I'm happy with 8 and 2 thumbs :p

[mclund]

10 fingers :shocked: I'm happy with 8 and 2 thumbs :p


Yes, but are they opposable?:D

[Donnie]

Yes, but are they opposable?:D

Na, were not that developed over here ;)

[Heather26]

I will try a rat next week and see how she does. I finally weighed her last night and she weighs 242g. I'll keep track of her weight and keep trying rats unless she starts losing weight. Does that sound ok? Also, I hope you all keep your fingers and thumbs and whatever else you may have :)

[lady_bug87]

Sounds good

I think you'll do fine