Update on my adoptee and the rest too!

[nita]

Well, my new adoptee ate a fresh killed gerbil beautifully last saturday and I'm offering it a hamster and a gerbil this week. My little brother had a hamster he wanted to get rid of and since I could only get one gerbil last week I figure I would get one gerbil and one hamster for this week. The gerbil was basically an appetizer last week but I'd only had him for a week and a half when I fed it but didn't know anything about it previous to my adopting him.

Currently all of my BP's are now getting FK no more live!! YAY. Osiris will only eat one mouse a week, but my girls will take 2 or a med gerbil. I try to get gerbils or jumbo mice so I can just give one food item if possible but they are all doing well so I'm happy. They are currently weighing in at:
Isis - 286g
Demetae - 300g
Osiris - 184g
Adoptee - 1160g

By the way, when i went to the pet store to look for gerbils the lady asked what i was feeding, I told her a BP. She told me to just get mice that is what they feed their BP's. I asked how many mice since their BP in the display is just a bit smaller than my adoptee she said 2/ week!!! I informed her my 300g female eats that much and I would probably be feeding my adoptee at least 4 mice a week to provide a proper meal, pinky rabbits would probably make a good meal depending on the rabbit breed. Gotta love pet store people huh.

[mykee]

I really hope you have a good dependable supplier of gerbils and/or hamsters, because if young ball pythons get a taste for either of those two food items, they may end up eating nothing else. I would switch to rats immediately.

[nita]

The only problem with rats is getting them to eat frozen wich I havent' been able to do. My three that I've had since little will switch back and forth no problem. They eat whatever I give them and gerbils are always available here at the pet stores but it gets pricey, I'm hoping my rabbits will give me pinkies enough to feed my bp's.

[GreenNeutron]

Why not just feed restrained live rats? Those aren't too expensive each at the petstore, at least not compared to gerbils, and they get a lot more plump. (Don't really know why really, at least in my experience they make better pets than gerbils do!)

[latazyo]

how do you restrain live feed?

[GreenNeutron]

well it's actually a Mykee trademark method, so he can correct me if I get anything wrong.

you take hemostats and grip the mouse/rat behind the neck (kindof like a mother cat gripping a kitten, but maybe a bit less gentle, lol) and twist a bit, then when the snake strikes release the hemostats.

Mykee correct or elaborate if you feel it's necessary.

[latazyo]

oh, ok, I get it...I thought you tied it up in the enclosure or something

[nita]

I would feed live restrained rats but that would end up with me seriously fined since they are illegal in Alberta so the only way to get them here is frozen. Therefore I go with anything I can get and my BP's seem to pretty much be eating whatever I offer them.

[GreenNeutron]

As in domestic rats are illegal in Alberta? Wow... heh.. you learn something new everyday! Thanks for telling me incase I move there!

[nita]

yup, as far as I know all rats are illegal here. Kinda sucks as they are such good food for our snakes and all!! LOL. Great though if you got someone eating frozen food, then you are still ok.

[GreenNeutron]

Not to mention that rats are better pets than gerbils or hamsters anyhow, the two I have right now are the friendliest animals I've ever had! I guess they're just worried about them getting loose or something? *shakes head* I guess they have to check the boarders too to make sure no illegal immigrants get in? lol...

[Big Mike]

Sounds good Nita,

As said, I've heard that BPs can get hooked on Gerbils and refuse everything else. There are ways of switching them, so you can try that if it does happen.

It sounds like you are starting to learn about advice from pet stores...:(

[nita]

Yeah, I learned that lesson before I ever got an animal!! LOL. Thankfully I found ERAS first! I also prefered to look up info online as I can get a diverse spectrum and that makes it easier to weed out the false/bad advice from the good info. I just hate that people actually rely on these people for good information and they are being mislead, much to the animals misfortune, they are the ones to suffer. I can't imagine a BP being happy only eating 2 mice a week when they are over a kg in weight!!! Poor babies!

[Big Mike]

I was fairly surprised at an ERAS meeting late last year. Several members brought ball pythons and there were a few that were very small, & thin for their age...about a year and still being fed hoppers.

My little sister was showing off my BP which was maybe a little older and twice the size of the others...and I consider mine a bit of a runt.

Typical reason is "that's what the pet store said"

[nita]

I think I remember yours!! He was beautiful, and good size. Mine are still a bit on the small size but yeah, pet stores give bad advice. When I told them I feed 1 to 1 1/2 the diamter of the snake they said only breeders do that because they are power feeding and it is bad. I told them to do a bit of research, every book I've read says 1 1/2 times the largest part is good for a snake. I know mine are small and I've seen smaller for their age wich is scary! I figure if my Demetae can eat a large gerbil or 2 large mice. My new one can eat a lot more!!! Actually I fed the new baby a hamster and a gerbil this weekend and you still couldnt' tell to look at her that she had eaten!! I'm seriously thinking guinea pigs or rabbits!!! She also eats like a pro, right off the tongs, what ever I happen to be offering. I can't imagine offering her mice though, it wouldn't even be an appetizer, she barely has to stretch to take down a gerbil let alone a mouse!!

[Big Mike]

I have been thinking about finding some other prey...mine is still on mice. He eats two to four per feeding. I have about 80 adult mice in the freezer so that's what I'm feeding for now. I'd like to find a good source for rabbits or rats.

[nita]

We are getting bunnies for easter. When they start breeding the babies are snake food. LOL.