my first feed

[cad252]

ok i am feeding my ball python for the first time today. i know im suppost to feed him in a seperate container an that the mouse is f/t but do i put him back in his home after or leave him in the container? cause i know im not suppost to mess with him the day off an the day after.

[Lankyrob]

IF the container will fit in his viv then put it in there and feed him then you can just shut the viv and walk away - he will climb out after eating and probably go and hide. IF the feeding box wont fit then gently lift the container up to his viv and let him slither out himself - this can take a while!!

What i do is put a plastic picnic plate into my BP's viv and tease feed him so that he comes onto the plate to eat - that way no risk of him eating substrate and i can lock the viv with the plate inside and recover the plate the next day.

Let us know how you get on!

[infernalis]

Set the container in the snakes home, take off the top and let the snake exit on it's own.

works for me. ;)

Edit - Dang it rob, you beat me to the punch line again.

[Lankyrob]

Lol - timing is everything!!

[cad252]

thanks...i will

[Jendee]

awww :rolleyes: I remember my "first" feeding, its so exciting then.

I would think a quick move from feeding bin to cage wouldn't hurt anything. I say the rule for not handling after a feeding is for seriously hanging on the couch with your animal lol
I think the guys have some great ideas though.
I used to put mine in the tub when I was young and still living at home for feedings my mother hated it lol Now I don't worry about feeding in a separate container, nobody has gotten the least bit nippy in there cages I just throw it on in. I'm thinkin though if your animal is on a schedule they know when feeding day is due, maybe this is why I have no problem with animals biting me from there cages..idk I just have seemed to find it a myth more then anything, also seems to have a difference on where you live Im noticing. :) congrats on your first feeding hope it goes well...so exciting lol

[cad252]

she isnt taking it she more curious about the container than the mouse

[Lankyrob]

That is one problem with moving them to a different container in my opinion. IS the container secure? IF so cover it with a towel and leave it an hour or so. If not you could leave the mouse on a plate overnight in the snakes viv - he is more settled there so may feed more readilly.

[Jenn_06]

why not just feed the BP in its cage? that would keep her from being curious about a new place and not eatting.

[derekcm87]

I agree with Jenn. I feed ALL my snakes in their enclosure and have no problems doing it that way. If I recall wed. episode of snakebytes visited the same issue. Maybe check it out. Feeding in a seperate container then putting the snake back is just more stress that needed and increases your chances of getting bit due to them still being in feed mode when you transport them back or open the lid as infernalis and lakyrob suggested. Many people do feed in seperate containers and do well and I am not saying that they are wrong by doing so but my personal preference is to feed in the enclosure.

[cad252]

im wondering if the guy feed her live mice an thats why she isnt taking it.. cause she has stopped checking everything out an still wont take it an i have done everything i could think of to get her to take the dead mouse..

[cad252]

im going to go get a live one an try if it doesnt work then ill put her back in her cage an try it again

[derekcm87]

Oh I may add that I DO feed in a seperate plastic container for one of my mexican black kings I have that only seem sto want to eat f/t if she is placed in a seperate container inside their cage. So in a case like that I do feed in a seperate container and do what infernalis and lankyrob said and just place the other container in their cage so if they do make their way out they are inside their escape proof cage.

[Lankyrob]

Dont give in so quick, the snake could go weeks without eating - mine went 12 weeks recently, no ill effects.

The more things you try in a short period of time the more stressed the snake gets, the more stressed teh snake the less chance it will eat. Main thing is to be calm and accept that things might not work straight away.

Is there a safe way to leave the FT mouse in the enclosure overnight? That would be my first thought of many ideas before even considering live feeding - to my mind the risks way outweigh the reward with live feeding.

[Lankyrob]

Just to add - if you do feed live, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER leave the prey item unattended with the snake. if the mouse or rat attacks the snake there will be damage and the sooner you intervene the better.

[derekcm87]

I remember a thread where alot of us were giving our advice on how to switch to f/t. I dont remember the name of the thread though. Maybe that would be useful to post here to save all the retyping of everything if anyone knows which one im talking about.

[derekcm87]

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/food-thought-forum/85341-feeding-f-t-techniques.html

Heres the thread I was thinking about.

[cad252]

i got the mouse but decided the mouse was to agressive so we killed it she got a lil interested but no takes.. i talked to the person i got her from an he said to leave her in tupermaid with the dead mouse for 24 hours in a dark hot spot an see if she takes it.. so we will see 24 hours from now.

[derekcm87]

i got the mouse but decided the mouse was to agressive so we killed it she got a lil interested but no takes.. i talked to the person i got her from an he said to leave her in tupermaid with the dead mouse for 24 hours in a dark hot spot an see if she takes it.. so we will see 24 hours from now.

Good decision! And in my experience that trick works 99% of the time. But personally I would wait a few days before trying to feed her again, You may be stressing her out with all the feeding attempts. Good Luck!

[cad252]

if she doesnt take it ill put her back in her home an try again next friday

[mykee]

"i know im suppost to feed him in a seperate container "
Ahhh, says who?

[cad252]

thats what i was told by the guy i got her from

[cad252]

im new to this im trying but it is so fustrating that she wont eat.. i dunno what to do?!?

[Lankyrob]

Best advice is relax.

Some feed in the snakes vivs, some feed in separate containers, some feed directly on the substrate, some feed on plates in the enclosure. You are doing nothing "wrong".

Pick a day each week for feeding the snake. Keep to a set routine about how you are going to do it. If the snake wont eat, it wont eat - thats life. As long as it is looking healthy, not losing weight, drinking water and you have no other concerns then dont worry.

Dont try to feed the snake again until the next scheduled feed day - if you keep trying day after day it will just get stressed and associate the prey item with stress - then it wont eat anyway.

We all have snakes that have gone months without eating - Shaunyboy had a snake hatch and straight from the egg didnt eat for NINE MONTHS - is now a happy and healthy snake.

Until the snake has eaten on two consecutive feedings - dont handle it or disturb it apart from changing water and spot cleaning. In time it should sort itself out and be fine.

Keep us updated.

[cad252]

She also has some flaky skin on top of her head. Could she be about to shed? I know I sound stupid for not knowing any of this.

[Lankyrob]

Possibly, has she got a humid hide? If not may be worth gettting one in there to help the shed process.

What is the humidity generally in the viv? You may want to bump it up a little during the process.

[cad252]

Round 60 at night it drops toa lil under an day is a lil over

[Lankyrob]

Sounds good to me - keep us updated

[cad252]

Thanks for all the advice..I will

[mykee]

Post #24 by Rob; brilliant.
Write it down.
Memorize it.
Learn it, and repeat it daily.
Never forget it.

[Lankyrob]

Post #24 by Rob; brilliant.
Write it down.
Memorize it.
Learn it, and repeat it daily.
Never forget it.


Thanks Mykee - that means a lot coming from you. :)