new ball python owner - Page 2

MothGirl · 02-19-20, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Why did you flip the hides? I'm surprised the snake ate for you after doing that.

They are ambush predators who thrive by staying hidden and striking unsuspecting prey as it passes by. Moving forward just leave the hides as is.

i did it the first time because tbh someone said so. and she did eat just fine. but the second time since its been more than a week since, there was no flipping. i took her from the hide so she knew something was up. shes only ever been fed in a seperate tank and apparently thats bad so while i AM feeding her in the same tank, i am picking her up a little first. plus otherwise she kinda just stays in her hide and doesn't even pay attention to being fed. not going to lie, she's pretty dumb but i love her so much. she does seem A LOT more happy in her tank than before though. she's a lot more explorative and will stick her head out like a dog laying half out of their dog house and just watch while i'm home. shes not just completely hiding all the time.

craigafrechette · 02-20-20, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MothGirl

i did it the first time because tbh someone said so. and she did eat just fine. but the second time since its been more than a week since, there was no flipping. i took her from the hide so she knew something was up. shes only ever been fed in a seperate tank and apparently thats bad so while i AM feeding her in the same tank, i am picking her up a little first. plus otherwise she kinda just stays in her hide and doesn't even pay attention to being fed. not going to lie, she's pretty dumb but i love her so much. she does seem A LOT more happy in her tank than before though. she's a lot more explorative and will stick her head out like a dog laying half out of their dog house and just watch while i'm home. shes not just completely hiding all the time.

Your snake, you can do what you want to do. But feeding that way is not only going to eventually lead to refusals, it's also a good way to get yourself tagged.

Think about it like this...nobody pulls them out of their termite mounds when they eat in nature. They know how to eat, they've survived thousands and thousands of years without us intervening to feed them.

MothGirl · 02-20-20, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Your snake, you can do what you want to do. But feeding that way is not only going to eventually lead to refusals, it's also a good way to get yourself tagged.

Think about it like this...nobody pulls them out of their termite mounds when they eat in nature. They know how to eat, they've survived thousands and thousands of years without us intervening to feed them.

i dont understand what you mean by tagged? this is my first reptile, mind you.. its not that i'm doing things based on preference, is that i'm legitimately trying to be the best caretaker for my reptile and if she doesnt eat, well i get worried... i know its not a big issue but its weird.. i've yet to wrap my head around the fact they only eat once a week so missing food for days is "ok".. only reason i took her out of her hide is because she didnt seem like she knew what was happening. i simply wanted her to know it was feeding time since she's used to being taken out to a completely seperate container to be fed [the breeder did this] so i'd assume taking her out of her hide but still in the same tank would be a much lesser evil, so to speak. i've only ever fed her twice now and shes still understanding she gets fed in the same tank. almost like taking her out of her hide like that is training wheels to ween her off of expecting to be fed from the alternate container so she knows somethings up at least.. if any of that makes sense. more of a "i did this because of this reason, but i hope to not need to in the future" type thing. not as an "i do this every time" thing

craigafrechette · 02-21-20, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MothGirl

i dont understand what you mean by tagged? this is my first reptile, mind you.. its not that i'm doing things based on preference, is that i'm legitimately trying to be the best caretaker for my reptile and if she doesnt eat, well i get worried... i know its not a big issue but its weird.. i've yet to wrap my head around the fact they only eat once a week so missing food for days is "ok".. only reason i took her out of her hide is because she didnt seem like she knew what was happening. i simply wanted her to know it was feeding time since she's used to being taken out to a completely seperate container to be fed [the breeder did this] so i'd assume taking her out of her hide but still in the same tank would be a much lesser evil, so to speak. i've only ever fed her twice now and shes still understanding she gets fed in the same tank. almost like taking her out of her hide like that is training wheels to ween her off of expecting to be fed from the alternate container so she knows somethings up at least.. if any of that makes sense. more of a "i did this because of this reason, but i hope to not need to in the future" type thing. not as an "i do this every time" thing

Gotcha. I completely see where you're coming from. Your reasoning makes perfect sense.

As long as she's eating and you have a plan in place keep doing what you're doing. You're definitely off to a good start.

Oh, and sorry...tagged = bitten.
Snakes use scent and heat to track their prey. So, if the snakes smells prey close by and then picks up the heat signature of your hand, they may be inclined to strike, mistaking your hand for it's meal.
BPs aren't typically a species with a super strong food response, but it's a good practice to try to follow just to be safe.

Keep up the good work!

MothGirl · 02-21-20, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Gotcha. I completely see where you're coming from. Your reasoning makes perfect sense.

As long as she's eating and you have a plan in place keep doing what you're doing. You're definitely off to a good start.

Oh, and sorry...tagged = bitten.
Snakes use scent and heat to track their prey. So, if the snakes smells prey close by and then picks up the heat signature of your hand, they may be inclined to strike, mistaking your hand for it's meal.
BPs aren't typically a species with a super strong food response, but it's a good practice to try to follow just to be safe.

Keep up the good work!

that really means so mucuh! thank you!