Hey folks!! Got some awesome news!!!! He ate a thawed furry mouse on Friday night!! With very little coaxing from me even! He would lick it then get into strike postion and stare at it for about 15 minutes then i figured it wouldnt hurt if i took a long pokey thing and moved the mouse a little.. All it took was a little nudge and BANG! he took it with a vengeance! haha.. Im going to get some rat pups this week and get him going on those as the breeder told me he is big enough for those now.. I still havent handled him beyond his first night home but i was told if i take him out for 5-10 minutes every other night for a week and just go by his body language like breathing and how tense his muscles are and if he gets too stresed just put him back right away and then after awhile(like a couple weeks or a month) start taking him out for longer periods of time and just going by his body language and putting him back when he wants.. Does this sound ok to you guys?? Im so happy he ate within a week of him being with me!!!
RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. well even if you dont get them on a feeding schedule he should be fine cause its not like they eat regularly in the wild anyway. and even if he is captive bred he is still a wild animal and that should always be remembered and respected.
RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. If you got him to eat a mouse I would stick to mice for at least a few more feedings. Get him settled in and eating consistantly before changing the rodent type.
RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. hey im not sure if you already know this but try not to feed him in his habitat. He will associate your hand coming into his cage with food. I usually feed my ball in the bathtub just make sure its dry first.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. Thats a relief I've heard that and did think it was true good tho, this way its less of a pain.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. The only way it would be true is if the only time you ever went in the cage was to feed it. But if you are doing your job as a keeper you are in the cage almost everyday for various husbandry related matters. But you are only in the cage once a week for feeding. I have fed in the cage for over 25 years and have never been bitten except by hatchlings and a mean n' nasty rescue I took in that would bite you out of spite every chance he got. In the cage, out of the cage..... it didnt matter, if he could get you he would. Took me over two years to calm that snake down.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. Just my opinion, but I would tend to think that taking a bp out of his enclosure to feed, would be just adding more stress.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. Neither way is right or wrong or better than the other. It just comes down to what works best for each individual and each of their snakes. As Janice said, some snakes may stress and not eat, but just as many may not be bothered by it in the least. There is not a one sized fits all way of doing things, and certainly not when it comes to feeding. I just dont want folk lore and old keepers tales to be mistaken as fact. Like feeding in the cage will make a Ball associate your hand with food. That is poppycock.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. Poppycock? LMAO. There will always be myths and rumours, and lots of crap you will find on the internet. I have never hesitated to reach in and pull any of my snakes out of their enclosures. I've never been bit, but give it time, eventually I'll probably get nipped, when I least expect it, hehheh.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. alright well i learned something i honestley thought that was true
RE: Re: RE: Proper handling method?? n00b. just my 2 cents: my BP is about 6-8 months old now and at 90g, about 18". he does get kinda hissy when i pick him up, he'll coil up and stuff, but he's a weiner. never bites or anything. he's still small enough to pick up with one hand so i just try to get behind his head and grab the middle o f his body. i dont like to come from in front and grab him. dont wanna freak him out too much. just support him where he has the most weight, usually in the middle.
