First feed!!!

Artemis · 06-14-04, 08:17 PM

Well, i was really worried and kinda down about feeding my new bp, named Omega (hubby saw him curled up in the tank in the shape of the greek letter of the same name). He is still a hatchling, and even though mice are bad the fuzzy rat just looked too big- so I got a frozen fuzzy mouse and brought it home. Left it out of the fridge to thaw a bit, then put it in hot water for about a minute, and lowered it in with the tongs.

No sooner had i dropped it down in there and started wiggling it around then ka-snap- he totally nailed it.

He is in the process of getting it down right now, but i was so excited I had to write. One less thing to be super worried about!

THanks for all the help and advice from everyone. He still hasnt shed, so apparently im really bad at telling when that is supposed to happen, (either that or he takes food when he is in shed, which given what ive read is the least likely of the two)

Yay, the snake ate! just had to share!!

Artemis

sapphire_moon · 06-14-04, 08:28 PM

Congrats! find smaller rats and get them! lol

mykee · 06-14-04, 09:12 PM

Excellent, now the next thing you have to worry about is finding some 20-ish g rat fuzzies. Don't worry, he can take them. Good luck.

Artemis · 06-14-04, 09:15 PM

=) Yeah- I know the mice will be too small. First feed being f/t was a big success for me. I was worried he wouldnt take it and I would end up having to start him on something live.

Honestly- Im still trying to decide between rats and gerboas. If I bought gerboas and breed them small scale, which would be pretty easy from what I understand of keeping them, then that would be closer to the snakes natural diet (like if it was really in Africa). I know rats are cheaper, but if i just made an initial investment in the gerboas to breed, the monthy cost of keeping them would be pretty relative to buying rats every month.

Rats are cool too- I just cant imagine keeping them in my house

Artemis

mykee · 06-14-04, 09:21 PM

If there's even a choice between rats and gerboas, take (I'm guessing) everyone's advice and do the rat thing. If it's a matter of "like it was really in Africa" then get him out of a rubbermaid or aquarium and give him some serious acreage with stale water, bugs and predatory animals.

Artemis · 06-14-04, 09:34 PM

hahaha- well I was trying to think in terms of nurtrition more than nostaliga. In my head gerboas seem less icky (can you tell rats arent my thing

and therefore healthier for the snake. But yeah- I guess I could suck it up and deal with rats in the freezer =).

Im still running around chanting "my snake ate!" like a little kid. It was really amazing to watch him turn it the right way around. He struck it in the side, and then he sorta wiggled it around in his mouth (at first I thought his teeth were stuck in it!) and then he turned it round to the tail end and ate it. Then he came down off his perch (he actually likes his little bendable fake bamboo branch perch, and didnt even come down off of it to take his meal) and went to chill in his hide.

One more question- how long should I wait before I offer again, another week, or offer sooner?

Artemis

Artemis · 06-14-04, 09:53 PM

Double the pleasure- I had wanted to catch him drinking and he came out just now to do so. Took a big long drink with the tip of his snout just barely in the water. The little bottom part of his mouth pulsed just a little bit and I could tell he was drinking. COOLNESS =)

Artemis

mykee · 06-14-04, 10:09 PM

Yeah, with 20+ balls for years, if I had a tail, it would wag incessently every time one of my bp's eat. It's great to see them hungry.