Ball Python Feeding

Hatchling feeding

Not a novice to pythons and Boas but I am having some trouble getting 2 hatchings to eat. they are about a month old, one has shed but still not feeding. The snake is still plump from the yolk so I am not stressing it now but I have tried the bag trick, temperatures are good. I have tried FT and Live, Hoppers and rat pups of appropriate size. Any thoughts? another week or two and I might Assist feed them.

When should i feed her again…

My brother just got a bp and gave her to us. He just fed her two days ago, but fed her a small mouse (pinkie size). She is approximately 4ft and I know the rule of thumb on sizes. Just wondering when I should feed her a normal feeding since she didn’t have a big enough one.

Second feeding terrarium?

I’ve heard that it is a good idea to have a second tank for feeding your pet ball python. This is to make it less likely to recognize your hand as prey when you are really just reaching in to handle him for awhile.

I’ve been researching a lot on ball pythons lately in preparation for my first purchase of one this summer, but haven’t come across the answers to my questions on this second terrarium.

1. How much is required in the feeding terrarium? (Can it be bare?)
2. How long should the snake be left in the feeding cage to feed?
3. Should the feeding cage be heated?

Any more details on the feeding terrarium?

Thank you.

First feeding

I fed Buggaloo for the first time yesterday. I thawed a medium sized rat in warm water, then used tongs to wiggle it in front of him. He stuck and coiled for about five minutes, but never ate the rat. After he released it, he became really tense and began striking the sides of his tank in what appeared to be in the direction of me and my sister.

I left the rat in the tank overnight to see if he might eat it, but it was still there this morning. I reached into the cage to grab it and wiggle it again, but he struck my hand instead.

Should I be worried? Should I have done anything differently? Why is he striking? Why would he not be eating? And when should I try feeding again.

One more question for the day

What grace period would you recommend between fedding and handling? I’m pretty sure the snake would get irriated being handled with a rat sitting whole in it’s stomach xD. But I haven’t the slightest idea how long it takes for that rat to become no longer a nuisance.

Feeding

Can or should u feed a snake while it’s shedding?

Do you feed your Ball Pythons live prey or frozen/thawed?

A lot of new snake owners like to feed live prey to their animals because it’s fascinating to watch the snake strike and kill it’s victim. Let’s face it, humans are a violent species.

However, there is a lot of risk in doing this, because the snake doesn’t always get the rat by the head and when it coils around it, sometimes the rat is in a position to bite the snake. A rat can do some serious damage to your beautiful snake.

In some cases it’s very difficult to get your snake to switch from live to dead prey, but it’s worth the effort.

So the question is, do you feed frozen/thawed or live prey? Why?