BP not good beginner snake - Page 5

Terranaut · 01-05-13, 10:04 PM

Yet another reason to avoid live prey.
Again I think the problem was your expectations of the snake and not the snake itself. Don't be discouraged. It's a lap snake so to speak. Get something with more vigor and you'll be happier. I like my royal but don't expect it to be a retic. It is what it is. I can guarentee someone out therewishes their carpet or king was a bp and would gladly trade. They just made your mistake but opposite. Check your classifieds.

EmbraceCalamity · 01-05-13, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terranaut

Yet another reason to avoid live prey.
Again I think the problem was your expectations of the snake and not the snake itself. Don't be discouraged. It's a lap snake so to speak. Get something with more vigor and you'll be happier. I like my royal but don't expect it to be a retic. It is what it is. I can guarentee someone out therewishes their carpet or king was a bp and would gladly trade. They just made your mistake but opposite. Check your classifieds.

True. The girl I was talking to about the kingsnake decided to get rid of it after getting a BP and preferring how docile it was in comparison to the king, who was a bit too "feisty" for her. I know I like feisty, which is why I'd never get a BP.

~Maggot

sws · 01-05-13, 11:47 PM

there's a trick i heard about to get BP to eat that helped someone i kinda know, dipping the mouse in chicken broth and after that she had no trouble getting her snake to eat(although she was switching from mice to rat but may work in this case idk)

Lankyrob · 01-06-13, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sws

there's a trick i heard about to get BP to eat that helped someone i kinda know, dipping the mouse in chicken broth and after that she had no trouble getting her snake to eat(although she was switching from mice to rat but may work in this case idk)

Just make sure the broth is salt free

alessia55 · 01-06-13, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by limey

I'm getting sick and tired of supervising such a long ordeal. Another reason BP's suck... I don't have all night to watch this feed. She went off Frozen/thawed completely at 6 months ish. Could never get her back on them. $50-60 of wasted F/T food. I'll say it again, I don't think BP's make good beginner snakes.

Was she 6mos old or did she go 6mos without eating? I'm confused. If I remember correctly, she was a new snake, so I'm guessing she was 6mos old. How long did she stop eating for before you gave in? You don't have to waste a lot of f/t rats in trying to get her to eat. Offer food every 2-3 weeks instead of every week if need be. Missing a week or two wouldn't do her much harm, and might even build an appetite.
The best beginner snake IMO is a corn snake. The next snake, with a little work, is the ball python. You do have to keep an eye on humidity and they may not feed as consistently as a corn snake (then again, some do). I'm biased since I love ball pythons, but I would still agree that they are good beginner snakes for someone who will put in the time to get the right enclosure and not get frustrated over missing a feed here and there.

shaunyboy · 01-06-13, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Just make sure the broth is salt free

^^^^^
you beat me to it mate

imo its ALWAYS best to check exactly whats in something before you offer it to a reptile...

theres plenty safe human friendly stuff,that can be bad for reptiles

cheers shaun

sws · 01-06-13, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Just make sure the broth is salt free

lol i have never needed to do anything to get my snakes to eat both my BPs eat no problem, did not even have trouble switching my larger one over to rats few months back so i have yet to use the chicken broth trick, might have to with the smaller one idk she was starved when younger though and once she is in her feeding tub is VERY food agressive.

Philmul · 01-07-13, 05:26 AM

Sometimes mine doesn't eat her meal so if after a few hrs she does not eat I feed it to my boa. The following week she is hungry enough to eat it

limey · 01-07-13, 10:19 PM

I wouldn't mind if it was missing a meal here and there. But she's missing meals more often than she's eating them.

Up until about 5-6 months old she ate reliably every week.

The last 3 months have looked something like this:

Week 1: Did not take rat (did not eat)
Week 2: Did not take rat (did not eat)
Week 3: Did not take rat or mouse (did not eat)
Week 4: Took mouse
Week 5: Did not take rat (did not eat)
Week 6: Did not take rat or mouse (did not eat)
Week 7: Did not take rat. Took mouse
Week 8: Did not eat
Week 9: Ate mouse
Week 10: Ate mouse
Week 11: Did not eat
Week 12: Did not eat

She is looking thinner than she should be imo.

limey · 01-07-13, 10:24 PM

/\ Can you see how this might be frustrating? It also wastes my time and money. I'm throwing away more food than seems necessary.

DeesBalls · 01-07-13, 10:28 PM

ill take your snake

alessia55 · 01-07-13, 10:47 PM

Offer food less often. Its OK to wait.... it'll build appetite. I would offer food every 2-3 weeks instead. You waste less, and she'll get hungry enough eventually. Not a big deal...

DeesBalls · 01-07-13, 11:09 PM

as everyone said, different snakes are good "first pets" for different people- i say corns would be the best, since they usually dont have the picky ness of feeding like BP's do, and they are so easy to set up... they are cheap, and bunch of awesome colors...

ball pythons are great "next step" snakes i think- for those who have patients and the time to be a patient with them.. some new people think they should just eat right away, where a intermediate or something keeper like that may look their husbandry and tweek it a little bit since it may be off... guess this is hard to explain, but makes sense in my head, lol.

seriously, if you ship to OHIO, id take.

EmbraceCalamity · 01-07-13, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by limey

/\ Can you see how this might be frustrating? It also wastes my time and money. I'm throwing away more food than seems necessary.

People have already told you they can go 6-8 months without eating and to stop worrying, so I don't see why you insist on trying every week and getting worked up when she doesn't take it.

~Maggot

limey · 01-08-13, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmbraceCalamity

People have already told you they can go 6-8 months without eating and to stop worrying, so I don't see why you insist on trying every week and getting worked up when she doesn't take it.

~Maggot

You are assuming, Embrace Calamity. One must not assume. I'm talking in the past tense... I have offered her food every week... in the past.

I'm not so much getting worked up mate, it's difficult to convey your message by writing sometimes. In person, I'm very chilled. On a forum, I write more "to the point", but that doesn't mean I'm getting worked up. Just getting my message across.

I guess when others come on here and say "I disagree" and "they are perfect for beginners", I feel like people are trying to tell me I am wrong. I don't think anybody is necessarily right or wrong, we are talking "case by case basis" here. They aren't right for everybody. Just like most people couldn't manage handling the pack of timber wolves I used to work with a couple years back. It's not always cut and dry.

I'm trying to get others to realise why some ball pythons may be a frustrating pet for some newcomers to the hobby, as mine was, and why they could potentially put people off snakes a bit.

Example: I did 2 months research and read a couple of books before even considering getting a snake. I did okay when I finally got one, but still had some annoyances. Imagine what a straight nOOb would feel like after owning a BP like mine - somebody who just walked into a pet shop and bought one with no knowledge at all. Then people wonder why there are so many snakes given up, abandoned, neglected or given away... I guess I'm straying from the point here.

Beginner in my mind is something that takes very little effort to upkeep. The average guy in the street (not me) wouldn't think you have to do considerable research before getting a pet snake. Many people would just get a few tank essentials and just get one. Those people are your typical beginners. And those people might have their snake die on them or end up not knowing what to do and giving it up to a shelter. Everyone told them to get a BP, and they failed at it's upkeep. Why? Because keeping one might not be as simple as a beginner assumes. And that is why I don't believe this is a beginner snake. My opinion.

Like I say, if I wasn't moving, I really wouldn't have considered getting rid of her.

The main reason she has to go is because I'm planning on driving across the country and may/may not be allowed pets wherever I end up next. My husbandry has been almost spot on for a first time keeper... no hiccups, no health problems, she seems to be okay for the most part. You need a stable situation to keep a pet. My life situation is not ideal. Therefore she'll go to somebody locally that I know will take good care of her.

Perhaps also, like has been said already, I was just looking for something different, you may be right. And perhaps I was slightly disappointed in this species. But I've learned from it, and she's alive and okay and that's the main thing, right?

You are all entitled to your opinions, I understand. Some of you have been nothing but pleasant with me, and to those people I say thanks!