Everything sucks and i can prove it

[Freakonaleash]

i completely understand where you are coming from vengeance. gerbils are just as readily available in my area anyways... i probably have 100 pet stores within an hours drive of me. and i didnt say i tried everything to switch him to rats. i just happen to know that the previous owner of the snake fed freshly killed gerbils to him. all i did with the rat was kill it, and set it in the tank. he showed no interest at all (and this was not the first day, it was two weeks later, i tried feeding a dead rat first, THEN i put in the fresh killed gerbil that he ate no problem)... he flicked his tongue at it and left it alone. but when the rat was replaced with a gerbil... like i said, he just ate it right up. so really as far as gerbils go , the availability is high around here, and the cost is im assuming low... some people here talk about gerbils like theyre worth theyre weight in gold... or chronic. what i have here seems to be working, so thats just what im sticking with. and thats a good idea marissa... buying a few gerbils and keeping them to fatten em up, im sure i could feed a gerbil better then the pet stores do.
and vengeance you have to understand where im coming from as far as being pissed at sapphire and mykee.. i have chosen to decline two of theyre tips (feed rats, and house in tupperwares) because i dont think that will work for me... i went on and on and on in my last post or two about alllll the tips i have gotten from peeps here that i did follow to the T. but i say no im gonna continue feeding gerbils, and im going to have a nice looking aquarium set up rather than a tupperware... and suddenly im being attacked for "slowly murdering" my snake. this is ridiculous, this isnt what i came to this website for. if i were slowly murdering my snake... my veterinarian would tell me so....
anyways, i feel like im doing all that i can do to take care of the snake and thats all that should be asked of me. just because im not doing it the "preferred way" doesnt mean its wrong. thanks for the support Matt K and Marissa, and thank you for your understanding Vengeance. Its nice knowing not everyone thinks im doing this completely *** backwards

[dave68]

Well said freak, I'm behind you 100%. Keep up the good work!
As for the negatives,didn't your mothers ever tell you "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"

Dave

[dave68]

what's up with this? post not moving!

[Cake]

Im behind you too Freak, as long as your BP is getting enough food and is eating regularily then good for you. When it takes 2 gerbils to fill his belly and he will eat 2 then where is the problem?

[marisa]

Like I said, my Gerbils get LARGE over time. I wish I had a proper scale for weighing them so I could tell you in grams how big they can be....anyways....but yes get some live ones from the pet store for future use, feed them over a few months and fatten them up. Use a good high qaulity diet. What they eat, your snake eats.

I myself HATE aquariums. Will it murder your snake? No not unless you yourself are a total idiot. :P If the humidity and temps aren't correct, then yes you'll have issues for sure....as tanks suck for keeping in heat, giving proper airflow and holding humidity...... I prefer rubbermaid or custom enclosures for all snakes humidity loving or not. I suggest building the custom you spoke of a.s.a.p. and you're ball will thank you. You will love it too because suddenly your work is cut in half when it comes to heating and keeping up moisture.

Marisa

[da_illest]

i personally still think it should be on rats mainly because, to me, their cheaper, more readily available, and when and if freak decidedes to sell his snake due to un-known reasons, the new owner will have one hell of a time with it... if you plan on keeping the snake freak, DO NOT FEED ANYTHING LIVE bigger then a pinkie or fuzzy unless RESTRAINED, if you do (like you did with the rat) you shouldn't own a frikken pet snake man... the thing is in your care which means your responsible... kill the gerbil first at least... i've read about you feeding live rats and then chilling there while the thing bit your snake... i've noticed with bp's that once scared, like your snake was in the corner, it takes them a long time to get their security back up... they are very timid snakes... so long as your feeding dead i think it's alright, it's your pocket in the end... one day though, when your snake is big, and your not doing financially well (it happens to all of us), it's going to hurt you real bad to buy a few gerbils a week to feed... you should get a gerbil as a pet, and scent dead rats.... in which case, if your snake goes on a hunger strike for too long, throw in the gerbil....

[dave68]

Hey da illest you should re check that post as it was not Freak who was feeding live rats, he only posted a reply to that said post.

Dave

[sapphire_moon]

Ok let me explain a few things.

I said "slowly killing" because he had stated that he was STILL having trouble getting his temps right, and the snake was suffering because of it (and i was in a bad mood as well)

And because he did make it very clear that he is not (was not) willing to scent rats, and made it seem like he had tried every method available to switch.


Also because before he even CAME to this forum (which I told him of) I talked to him on yahoo messenger. Telling him everything I myself was told was proper when I started coming to this forum (temps, hudmidity, digi thermometer, substrate, how to watch for mites, acclimation period, *he had just gotten the snake*just stuff like that) and he though I think listened, was rude, and persistent that he would do things his way unless he changed his mind.

So, I am so sorry to have caused any one any un-nesessary stress.

And I thought gerbils were high in fat?

And they may eat gerbil like creature in the wild, but they aren't in the wild now are they?

[marisa]

Sapphire moon you are SUCH a "know it all". Its laughable. Most of your posts are lovely and a good addition here. Others come out of the blue and basically rip people apart. How many snakes do you even own? 5? That gives you enough experience to say feeding gerbils is not keeping a snake properly? We are ALL learning. All of us.

"And they may eat gerbil like creature in the wild, but they aren't in the wild now are they"

DID ANYONE SAY ANYTHING about this? I mention they eat a similar prey in the wild. I did NOT say you need to recreate nature in your home. So please, spare me your pathetic attempts at making your know it all attitude look better.

Gerbils are high in fat eh? So please so me the link to a python regius study showing what they need nutrionally. Thanks. Guess what? There isn't one. So all the "Rats are better" "gerbils suck" arguements are dead in the water until these dietary studies are complete.

I said it five times before and I'll say it again, your post was pointless and did nothing but give unfactual information about gerbils. You claim he was not keeping it properly because he feeds it gerbils. You have NO proof to back that up, and your rambling reply had nothing to do with the fact it is NOT true that he is hurting or not caring properly for his snake by feeding gerbils.

Your personal experiences with him have NOTHING to do with him feeding his ball gerbils. Nothing. They are FT. Why do you even care if he wants to spend more? It's not your business if he can afford it or not. He understands its impossible to switch them in some cases, and knows they can be costly. He explained that CLEARLY in his first post.

You really need to stop thinking you are an expert. You have even been in forums for species you do not own telling people what they should and should not do. How about relax, enjoy your herps and if you have something to say about your personal experiences, share it. Plain and simple. We don't need a husbandry police force on ssnakess.com jumping on people left right and center for no reason, especially if what that "forum police" says is backed up with no facts.

Marisa

[Freakonaleash]

Da illest, its all good man, you just mistook one of my posts for someone elses. But no i have never put any kind of rodent in my tank that was still alive (to be 100 percent accurate, i have never let a live rodent LOOSE in the tank, i kind of dangle them by the tail to get the snake to come out, then when he comes out i go kill the rodent) . i do have that much sense. and sapphire, yes you did help me out a LOT in the "beginning" (the whole snake thing was a real spur of the moment kind of thing, but that isnt to say im not 100 percent committed to him), and yes i would have been lost without your guidance, i didnt deserve half the things you and whats his face said about my caring for the snake. just because it isnt how you do it. he seems happy, healthy, and is very very well tempered. so this just makes me think im doing a good job and encourages me to keep doing what i am doing.
but, i have put ventilation holes in the aquarium for air circulation, taken out the fir bark and used newspaper, gotten the warm side to stick between 90-97 , cool side 80-85, and the humidity is at 65% , so really i think he has near perfect conditions /shrug.

just to clear this up, i did not mean to START a fight with anybody, at all. and i do appreciate all the help/advice i have been given since i joined this forum. some people just arent very kind with it... its either theyre way, or the snakes gonna die it seems like... and this isnt true. i am doing everything possible to take excellent care of my snake (in the 1 month 1 week i have had him i have taken him to the vet twice) without having to do anything overly gross (i.e. rubbing dead rodents against other dead rodents) or anything overly ghetto (i.e. having a snake in a tupperware in my bedroom). i am a one-snake owner, so is it so bad that i want to have a nice looking set up? something i can be proud of when i show to my friends? if it works..(temps/humidity safe) why shouldnt i be able to? and my snake JUST LIKES GERBILS, its what he has been eating for YEARS so thats what im feeding it (very successfully so far i might add). i dont want to fight with anybody, i just want to be able to ask for advice and stuff without people saying, we gave you advice and you said to hell with it, cause thats not how it happened....

[nita]

Honestly unless there is a concern I wouldnt' be going to the vet every month, that might actually be stressfull.

On the availability of rats, well here it is a pain to get them. They are illegal in Alberta and yes you can order them but then you have to be able to pick them up at the airport so they dont' thaw out (a 45min - to 1hr drive for me in a family with only one vehical and we work opposite shifts), but every store carries gerbils, wich is why my snakes have eaten them. Mine also switch back to mice and if I can get them on rabbits I will do so too. My sis breeds rabbits and so do others I know and my daughters will soon again have 3 rabbits and the babies will be killed for snake food. As long as you have a steady available food source of rodents then feed it what you want, preferably dead.

[sapphire_moon]

actually, I don't know it all (which would be entirely impossible anyways since information is always chaning), and I never once said, "my way is the only way and you have to do it my way."

Though I do admit I was at points extremely forcefull/rude in some of my posts. And I am very sorry to all I was rude to. Although I have seen some of your posts "rip people apart" as well.

And your right, I usually am calm and try to be informative as possible from what I have learned from many of you here, and am still learning daily.

And I never SAID gerbils WERE high in fat, I was asking a question!

I THOUGHT they were high in fat, which was why I was so strongly set against it, and why I thought the snake was not properly being taken care of (that and the way I read a few posts of his I thought he was still having alot of problems with the temps.)

And yes I do go to other forums, and I do usually state that when I give information that it is always best to confirm what I have said with someone of more knowledge.

Just because I don't have a particular species doesn't mean that I haven't read up on them.

[snakehunter]

Freak, you would happen to be a maggot would you?




maggot=slipknot fan

[killaclown]

Hey when my BP was stuck on eating umm well nothing i starded feeding him live mice and he took then right away then i got him to eat fresh killed now i have him on frozen

[reptiguy123]

Hey freak, good luck with your ball ya rich *******!