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glassitis

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Hi guys,this is my first post here.I have looked this place over and it looks great!
Well I have been wanting a baby ball python or atleast a small ball python to start fresh with,so we can get to know each other basicly!
Well I have been reading and reading everything I could find about ball pythons and once I got my paycheck I went shopping for a snake.

Well I found a ball python in each city I went to but most were either to much money or just diden't apeal to me,or the place just plain sucks...dirty cages and nothing is clean kind of pet store.
Then I got to Concord NH and went to PetCo.
The difference between PetCo and regular petshops is huge,everything through the hole store was cheaper and perfectly clean,all pets looked healthy and they had pretty good prices.

I ended up bringing home a baby ball python,captive breed I assume because it is so damn freindly!
It isen't a real baby though,it's around or maybe a little over 2 feet long,it looked realy healthy,no bugs,just got done shedding and the guy told me it ate 4 days ago.

Well to day I bought I mice to give to him just to see if the little guy was hungry and it was the coolest thing I have ever seen!
I took the snake out of the cage and put it in a big plastic tub and then I put in a live good size mouse about as big around as the biggest part of the snake.
The snake saw him right of and launched ate his face!
It grab his hole head and in one motion just roled it right up,the snake squezed hard enough to make the mouse poop blow out of his a$$!
It was truly awesome.

The one thing I was worried about was getting a snake but not being able to get it to feed,I guess I won't have to worry about that for now!
Love the little guy already!
 
Great to have you here and into the BP hobby. Congrats on your little one!

You should try to switch over from live mice to frozen thawed mice as soon as possible. First, pre-kill the next mouse and use a pair of tongs to wiggle it around in front of your BP to make it seem alive. After it takes fresh killed a couple times, start getting frozen. You can buy frozern at PetCo and thaw them in water. Feeding dead is much safer for the snake and just as exciting IMHO.

Later
 
Thanks...

Thanks.
Wwll I tried a pre frozen mouse a couple days ago and the snake just diden't want it,I don't know if its just becuase of the color or what.
But he ate a nice sized black mouse today,it was alive and started trying to bite the snake but I stopped that,the snake does have a little mark but nothing to worry about I don't think,looks more like a rash or sratch then anythin.
I probably should get some cream or somthing to putt on this before it gets infected,I don't think it even needs that though,theres realy nothing there.

The ball defently prefers live prey,so I just need to work around this,keeping the mouse alive but unable to bite...hmmmm.
Thanks
 
I am in the process of switching the bp's at work over to F/T. I started with dangling a live mouse, then the next week started stunning the mice. The following week, all took pre-killed. I will try F/T this week. So far this tactic has worked for most stubborn feeders.
 
:)
Thanks guys.
Sounds like it could work.
I just want my ball to feel just like he would if it was in the wild,unless he likes it better with people!
I mean in the wild I am sure a snake would eat somthing dead if he found it but most of the time they take down prey one way or another.
I see how this might cause them to be more wild and maybe more agressive,but mine still likes being handled and seems to get even more friendlier ever day!
I would think a mouse that just got strangeld by a python wich is still realy warm,would be more apetising to a snake,it is already warm so digestion probably starts right off,I just think all snakes prefure live prey but will settle for prekilld or dead prey.
I am sure in the wild alot of snakes must get bitten buy mice or rats but since this an't the wild I can see how you woulden't want this to hapen.
Thanks
 
hate to break it to you, but snakes dont eat an already dead animal in the wild. They kill it themselves.
 
hate to break it to you, but snakes dont eat an already dead animal in the wild. They kill it themselves.
Click to expand...

I hate to break it to you but your wrong....
 
I'm with Al on this one. BP's are opportunistic eaters. They will eat whatever they can, whenever they can in the wild. With regards to your 'closest to nature' comment, it's your responsibility as a snake owner to ensure that your snake receives the best care, and is safe. Feeding live food items is not responsible, your snake could sustain serious injuries with live food items.
 
I've seen garter snakes eating road-killed frogs off of the roads in Florida.

And how many of us feed frozen/thawed mice and rats to our snakes?
 
Hi Josh,

Congrats on your ball python, they are a great animal to work with...I have found that our ball pythons prefer their dead prey to be warm, almost hot...they really seem to key in on the heat of the prey item...there are lots of different things you can try...I switched our male over from live to dead by allowing him to hang off my arm over the prey item...once he struck i would lower him gently to the ground...our female likes them placed in her enclosure to eat at her leisure...she usually takes an hour to eat; she'll tongue flick it, sniff around, generally just take her time....try a variety of things and find what works :*)
 
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