New member with new ball.

[dball]

About a week and a half ago I bought myself a 19" female ball python. She was CB. She is my first snake. I did a bunch of research before I bought her, but the problem I have is much of it is very conflicting. For one everyone says different things about feeding. First I would like to say I have fed her twice and she eats well. Since she seems less active during the day I feed her in the evening around 8-9pm. I was told not to handle them before feeding as it can stress them out but I find with mine it gets her a little more active and aware if I hold her first. She does not seem to stress at all. When I first open the cage she will wind up a little but as soon as I pick her up she is extremely active and friendly. Before I put her back in I let her sniff the air holes of the container I have the mouse in. Seems to work. As soon as I put her in I then put in the mouse on the other side of the tank and she takes it right away.

I have read to feed young snakes every 5-7 days. The owner of the store says every 4 days is optimal. He has owned hundreds of reptiles and knows his stuff. He has owned his store exclusive to reptiles for over 40 years. Other guys at the store say every other day or 2-3 times a week. I am thinking of going every five days as I don't want to shorten her life AT ALL.

I was also told by some to feed her in a seperate container. How are you supposed to put them backonce they have eaten if they risk throwing up for 24-48 hours?

In your stickies it mentioned stargazing. Once in a while she will rest her head on the side of her water bowl head facing up. Is this a problem?


I didn't mean to make this a long thread but I want my girl to be as happy and comfortable as possible, with as long a life as she can possibly have. She gets her privacy since I am gone a good 10-12 hours every day. Though I stop in to check on her. I am a responsible person, I have done the research, and am keeping a log of her feedings, BM's, and how often she sheds and tank gets clean. Just want some others advice. Thank you everyone in advance.

[kath]

I would not advise you to feed her in her tank/cage because this creates the thinking of everytime the latch opens she is going to be fed and she may strike at you. It is always safer for you to feed her seperate from where she sleeps. Are you feeding her live or frozen?
Do you have a heating support system for her? Mine work on timers, a good investment.
As for the rest you sound like you're doing fine. She's lucky to have you.

[kronic2005]

You will not make your snake regurg by picking it up out of the other container, just be real careful not to push on the stomach and just set her back in the main tank. If you handled it for several minutes after it ate, and it got real stressed then it would regurg. Otherwise, you shouldnt have any problems, just make sure shes getting sufficient heat, and a cool spot to go cool down.:eb:

[dball]

Thanks Kath and Kronic for the reply. Much appreciated.

That was a large concern of mine the regurgitating thing. I was afraid touching her at all would cause this reaction. Glad to know it won't.

As for the heating system I have a heat pad under the tank and a heat lamp on top. The heat pad I have covering 3/4 of the bottom of tank. And I have the heat lamp on the same side as the pad. Right now I turn of the lamp at night. But I plan on getting either a dimmer or a blacklight type bulb for nighttime along with a digital therm at the end of this week. Right now all I have is the stick on therm. Wish I would've known those aren't sufficient but everyone even my friends that have had snakes say "oh thats fine". Asap I will pick up a scale as well.

She seems very happy and loves to eat. I have fed her dead once and live twice. Live she hunts it down immediately. She can be vicious with those mice. She IMO has a very healthy appetite. I just don't want to overfeed her though.

[kronic2005]

Your Under tank heater (uth) should not be covering more than half the bottom of your tank, most ball keepers keep them between 1/2 and 1/3 under the tank, this provides them with a sufficient cool spot. The lamp can be turned off at night with no ill effects unless your under tank heaters are not working properly, drops into the mid 80's at night wont hurt your snake their used to it in the wild, if its hitting the high 70's its getting to low. Its good to switch over to fresh killed or frozen thawed rats, live can be dangerous for your snake, and its kinda mean to the rodent. You wouldn't like to be squeezed to death would you, its an agonizing process to die like that. Just my opinion. But in other situations some snakes are real finiky and will only take live. If the snake wont take f/t or fresh killed and its been a while and your worried about its health/weight, then do what has to be done. Not saying that feeding live is right, but sometimes theres no alternative.

[Reticsrule]

kronic hit the nail on the head with most of his advice. however, i have to disagree on a thing or two. IMO it is MUCH better to feed the snake inside its enclosure. by feeding it in a seperate container you are going to be handling the snake while it is still in feeding mode. when your snake exceeds 4 or 5 foot (yours might not since it is a ball) a bite is not going to be fun. also, 80% of the people i talk to tell me that feeding a snake inside the enclosure will NOT make then think they are getting fed every time you open the cage. it is much safer for you and the snake, and less stressful on the snake to feed it in its regular enclosure.

[kath]

you're how old??? I've got some years on you, some more experience, I hope 80% of the people you were talking to were over the age of 12.

[Chalkie]

Reticsrule gets grief for every bit of advice he gives, it shouldn't matter about if he is 14 or 40 he seems very knowledgeable and gives his opinion and advice when he can which is why forums like this exist, if you disagree say so but don't say your older so you know best. Age really is irrelevant he may have had snakes for 10 years so has 10 years experience.
Retics i think its great that you have such passion for your animals.
In terms of feeding i feed all my snakes in there enclosure with no problems, my snakes have two personalitys, they are friendly when you put your hand in to stroke them and pick them up, and they are lethal hunters when i dangle a rat in. Just remember don't smell like dinner so use tongs when handling there food.

[reptiles4me]

I agree with Chalkie about the age thing. I "inherited" 6 snakes when a roomate moved out and decided he didn't have the time to pack up his "collection". That was 10 years ago and I had no clue what to do with these animals. If it wasn't for the help of my 15 year old neighbor, I hate to think of the damage I might have done listening to the "expert" pet shop employees and even vets.

I also feed mine in their enclosures and always have. I was bitten one time in the very beginning because I didn't know to get the rat smell off my hands. Maybe if the only time you go in there is to feed, or if you don't offer food on a regular schedule, they learn to associate opening the cage with being fed but if you go in there regularly to change water, remove poo, etc. they seem to realize/learn to get used to the cage being opened.

[dball]

I thank you all for your help. My snake seems very happy and she seems to cool down just fine. I will still move the heat pad over a bit though and see if it works ok.

One reason why I really am concerned about feeding her in her tank is the risk of ingestion of her bedding. Makes me nervous. She does not seem to associate opening her tank with feeding time. But I am a little concerned after a couple years this might develop.

As for feeding live, the only reason I even tried it was to see if there was a difference in preference. She within seconds takes live mice. I will switch to f/k here very soon especially before I ever give her a rat. I do understand the danger of feeding live. But if she takes the prey immediately is she still at danger?

I would like to say to (kronic) that I do not take pleasure in watching the mouse die. Although it is nature. In the wild their prey are not frozen thawed but I see your reasoning. I like all animals and hate seeing them be hurt. But it is part of nature like said earlier. I also can't help but think it is more natural for her to kill it herself. BUT before anyone says it I know and to believe her well being is far more important than my opinion.

One thing is I don't ever see her pee or find remnants of it. Is this a problem?

Also if I go to a snake expo or pet store and a snake their is infected with IBD would mine be at risk of catching it from something being on my clothes when I get home?

Again I would like to thank you all for your help, no matter what age lol. You have all been very helpful. I will get pics of her soon

[Reticsrule]

ive only been keeping snakes for about two years or so. however, i research them constantly and that is where i get my knowledge. a lot of people have been keeping snakes a lot longer than me, but have not done half the reasearch i have done and continue to do. and as you can see there has not been one person besides you, kath, that has recommended that he feed the snake in a separate feeding container and none of these people were under 12. thanks to Chalkie and reptiles4me for the help:thumbsup:

now, back to the original post. you said you are worried about her ingesting substrate. this is easily avoided by using newspaper. it is cheap and readily avaiable whenever you need it. the only downside is that it is unattractive. i really dont care what the cage looks like and therefore newspaper is probably the only substrate ill ever use. even if the snake takes the prey immediately there is still a risk of it injuring her if she does not have it positioned just right. i would switch her to f/t asap. a lot of people do not realize what snake "pee" looks like. it is called urates and is white and powdery when it dries. you most likely have seen this and just assumed it was part of her feces. good luck with her and post those pics if you get a chance!

[dball]

Thanks for the reply. I have been told by alot of people not to feed her in her tank. Not just Kath. I don't know what I am going to do yet. Yesterday night I pulled her out and saw her eyes and skin getting a lighter tone to it so obviously she will be shedding soon. When she does I will take pics for you guys and post them. Next time I feed her I will try fresh killed when I feed her and see if she likes that. She is a good eater so I don't see there being too much a problem.

We will see. Any other advice with anything helps. I think for now I have everything under control. Now I just need to see what she likes the most. I am going to try to feed her out of her tank to see if it goes smoothly. If it doesn't I'll switch to newspaper and feed her the way I have been.:thumbsup:

[reptiles4me]

If you're hesitant to switch to newspaper because of the way it looks, you can try carpet. Home Depot sells the indoor/outdoor low pile stuff for pretty cheap. I got enough for 2 pieces for my 40 gallon breeder for 15 bucks. Soon as he "goes", I remove the dirty carpet, clean the bottom of the tank and put in the clean piece.

[kronic2005]

Weather you feed in your enclosure or out of your enclosure, it doesnt really make a difference. As long as your situation is working for you right? I like to bring mine out on the tops of their rubbermaids and lay down a F/t Rat and watch the action begin. I do use substrate, cypress mulchm, just a preference of myself and what i think the snake enjoys. Sometimes i do feed in the enclosure, and if i do i make sure none of the mulch gets stuck to the rat during the process. Like reptiles4me said, if your going into the cage regularly to handle, change water, spot clean whatever the occasion, your snake will learn that the top being opened is not just food. A snake will only bite you thinking your food if you smell of rodents.

As reticsrule said, There is ALWAYS a chance the rodent may injure your snake, even when the snake has bit and constricted it. Rats have dangerously sharp large teeth, and quite a bit of jaw pressure to.

[dball]

thanks for the quick responses everyone. I am a little hesitant with newspaper, yes because of the appearance. I have her on aspen now and it is very easy to maintain. Plus it looks more natural.

Like I stated before I would NEVER try to feed her a live rat. No way. I just didn;t think a mouse was that dangerous once bitten and constricted. Looks like its time for a change.

Since her eyes just started getting a bit discolored should I still see if she'll eat tonight?

[Reticsrule]

some people will tell you not to feed your snakes when they are about to shed. however, i feel that if it wants it it will take it and if it doesnt then it will refuse it. neither of my boas have ever refused a meal because they were in shed. they both attack it with the same power that they would on any normal day. so my advice is to give it a try and see if she is interested. if she isnt then you will know not to feed her in the future when she is about to shed.

[djcoreyd]

Despite all the stories that have been told it is perfectly safe to feed your snake in his/hers enclosure! They have a very good sense of smell....so if you have a tastey smell on your hands when you open the tank you will get tagged! But if not you are fine....I have bred/kept many, no tons of snakes over 10+ years and never was bitten when entering their enclosure. When first entering they want to smell you and will dart forward to inspect your hands, if you are uneasy with this then bring you hand around behind him/her and stroke or pick them up so they understand that it is play time and not dinner.

Now just an example on why you should not feed in a seperate container; other than-(yes they could regurgitate if picked up the wrong way when transfering back to enclosure) They are still in kill mode for up to 20+ minutes after downing a kill and in that time they may not care what you hand smells like, but rather interested in the 5 pinky shaped apendages you are flaunting in front of him/her...mmmmm tastey! Finger lick'n good! If you get what I mean...

Cheers and congrats on joining the herp world!


If it tastes like chicken :medgrimac it isn't!