Frozen?????

[Zatch125]

Hi i just got a young female ball python from a friend who got it from the reptile show i was told she ate live pinkies but i am a mouse breeder and that dosnt go over well with me i want to feed frozen but i have no idea how to switch her over this is the first snake i have had in a while so im kind new

here is a picture of her



Also .........

I need a name for her lol im open for any name im not to good at names so a lil help would be great!!!!

[candyraver]

Well,I highly reccommend feeding frozen/ thawed to any snake.
It's not uncommon for snakes to get hurt by their "prey".
Now a pinkie isn't going to do damage,but just wait till she "graduates" up to larger prey items if you went with live feeding.
So i'm really glad you want to switch her over.

First off,did you try to offer her a thawed pinkie yet?
I highly recommend the using of tongs for feeding snakes.
They won't confuse you with the food item then in that sense.
You could make the pinkie seem "alive" by moving it with the tongs.
Also,how are you feeding the snake?
I know,stupid question..
but I advise this,if your snake is in her hiding place..put the food item near the opening.
Thats how I first fed Cosmo,my corn snake.
I thawed out a mouse,placed it near the opening,he slithered out a bit& dragged the food item in to consume.
He eats outside his hiding place now too,but when I first got him& the first feeding I was advised to do that& it worked.

I know some snakes only eat if the item is warm as well,so you could warm the food item by just putting it over a heat lamp for a tiny bit.That may not be the problem you'll encounter though.

Theres...some pretty gruesome methods out there for getting some snakes to feed (think "braining" which I think would be immensely cruel to do to any living creature).

I do think that this snake may be quite easy to switch over though,since it's pinkies she's accepting at the moment.
Get some frozen pinkies,thaw out one& see how it goes =D

Also,I also don't reccommend the "starving" method.
Some snake keepers choose to starve their snake so that it'll finally eat whatever is placed in front of them,that's inhumane.

I also was given tips on rubbing the dead animal on a live animal.
None of this I think you'll have to do.
If you do need more tips,i'll gladly provide them.
I can tell you how to as well =]

But really,I would first just see if she will accept frozen/ thawed.Make sure it's thawed though.
If it's still frozen it won't go well with the snake,
may run into problems

As for names.It's a python & since I'm a big fan of Monty python,name her Monty!!
& Hey,girls can have boy names yeah?

Gorgeous snake btw!! Any idea on the length?
She won't be feeding on pinkies her whole life btw.
She'll need bigger food items eventually =D
If you ever need help determing what size prey etc,just PM me or send me an email: candycaboodles@hotmail.com

[Murphy]

Balls can be pretty tricky to switch over to frozen/thawed but it is possible. We have successfully switched all 3 of our to the frozen/thawed and really only 1 of them gave us a hard time. If you need help pm me as it would be easier that way.

~Jenn

[Dragonrain]

When I had my ball python I switched him from live to frozen thawed. It wasn't difficult at all for me. Make sure that the food is completly thawed out first. I use to put the mouse in a plastic bag and run it under hot water to warm it up. That way it will be warm like a live mouse, but it won't get wet because it's in the baggie. I didn't use tongs or anything, I just put it in his cage and he would attack it and eat it.

[Skratikans]

what exactly is the 'braining' method?

[Snakes Inc]

Believe it or not, it is more humane to feed live no matter what the Law says than to brain the poor blighters.
These animals constrict the pinkie and shut down all the liquid in the prey items body turning it into a liquid sold. No suffering at all as it is very quick.

[Dragonrain]

I was always under the assumption that you 'brained' the mice after they were already dead.

I never had to do that when I owned my snakes, but from what I read, it's when you expose the brains of the dead animal because the smell (I think it's smell) of the brains is like a gaint ice cream sunday is to humans, so it encourages the snakes to eat.

I have NEVER heard of braining rodents while they were still alive - that would be very cruel IMO, but I don't see how it's inhumane when the rodent is already dead.

[Snakes Inc]

The smell of blood is a draw card. Some people take pinkies, put them in a pillowcase and then hit the wall with them till they are dead. I personally have a problem with this so will rather not say what I think of this prose’s.

In my opinion either carbon dioxide the critters or feed live as trying to kill these chaps is usually more cruel than just accepting that the snake has been doing this since the beginning of time so leave it to the professionals.

[luvboyrats]

Yeah I agree people killing mice isn't any more human than snakes killing them that's not why you feed frozen to pet snakes. You feed frozen mice to pet snakes because otherwise if the animal doesn't eat the mouse immediately (believe it or not) the mouse can use claws and teeth out of sheer terror to do terrible even lethal damage to the snake.

I would say wait maybe one more day past it's usual feeding schedule, not actually starving by any means. Then offer a snake that has been thawed and gently warmed (wrap it in a towel and rub it with your hands never microwave) and use a safety pin or tooth pick to poke holes in the head. This is gross but it makes blood and other matter come out and creates a smell the snake will notice. If this doesn't work feed it a live mouse and try again next time you need to feed, only next time use tongs to dangle or move the mouse to make it appear alive on top of the other methods. I do not recommend jumping straight to tongs as there is some risk of a snake actually latching onto the metal tongs and injuring its mouth.

[Snakes Inc]

Agreed. I prefer feeding dead myself due to safety reason for the snake but in the case of hatchlings, live pinkies may be the better option.

[Ravnos]

I've dealt with so many cases of snakes horribly ripped apart by their food, that I just can't justify the risk. Sometimes hatchlings do need a little encouragement of a live pink, but honestly, even a baby ball python should be taking something larger than pinkies. A food item as big around as the widest part of the snake is generally the guideline. I prefer to try thawed/warmed multiple times before I resort to any other options, but then, I always have something else around here that will take uneaten food.

My best advice with switching a snake over to f/t is simply: Don't give up. Keep trying. Sometimes it can take a few attempts. Snakes can go a remarkably long time without eating, so don't worry too much about letting him miss a meal to get him good and hungry for what you're offering. Use a good set of tongs, and slowly wiggle it in front of him. Ball pythons are usually shy about anything getting too close to their head, so be careful you don't scare him with it.

[chrisglover1979]

I have recently had problems feeding my adult corn snake! He wouldn't take at all for 5-6 weeks on all sizes of mice!

I took him back to the rescue centre I adopted him from and they suggested several things

1) Don't handle him for a couple of days before feeding so his body temp can reach a good temp.

2) Try different flavours ie Chicks and rats, then stay with type and supplier once succesful.

3) Heat food up. In your case I think this is the most relevant. Pythons, and Boas have heat sensors at the front of their head so are more sensitive to the heat than colubrids. There are several methods around to heat but I have found leaving the animal in boiling water for ten minutes fairly effective. It is important to make sure the rodent/chick is properly defrosted first due to bacteria growth.

Since my problem, Bishop (my corn) has eaten a few chicks without a problem, I'm not sure a baby ball is big enough for chicks but rat pups maybe worth a shot if you cant get them to take mice.

Hope it helps.

Chris

[Snakes Inc]

Feeding tips

When your snake stops eating you need to take into account the following,

1. Is your Snake going into Shed
2. Has your snake been moved recently
3. Are your Temps correct
4. Is the Husbandry correct for you snake (size of viv, hides, greenary)
5. Is it winter time or breeding season
6. Is your snake showing any signs of illness/stress


Ok so now we have the basics covered, when offering there are a few things that you can do to entice your snake to take the food

1. Warm up the food (hair dryer, hot water, etc)
2. Brain the food (slit head)
3. Leave food in viv, cover up and leave for 24hrs without looking,
4. Place snake into a tub and take it for a 15- 20 minute drive
5. Scenting food (with other foods, suppliments)
6. Placing on a jacket (place skin of a chick over food)
7. Offer different food types (gerbils, rats, mutis, chicks etc)

There are many more …..,


Ok once all these methods have been tried, and you snake is still not eating then it may be time for a visit to the vets to give you snake the once over (this may only be necessary if it shows signs of illness or has stopped eating from one of the obvious reasons.

There are 3 other methods you can use to try to gety your snake to feed, but these are only to be done as last resorts and usually after being advised to from a vet.

1. Live food
2. Assist feeding
3. Force feeding

Of these methods live food would be the preferred and less stressful method,

If you are going to feed live, you must do it in the privacy of you own home, without an audience and do not go advertising that you are doing it, Also DO NOT leave unattended, and only leave live food in for 15 - 30 minute period, and remove sooner if you see the food attacking the snake

If this still does not work, then it may mean you have to assist/force feed you snake, but this MUST be at the last resort stage, once you snake hasn’t been eating for over 6 - 12 months, and would be advisable to get some one who knows what they are doing to assist you, as it can be very daunting for you to do it, But i must warn you this will be very stressful for the snake as well.

[I luv my Pedro]

I am having trouble IM'n you. I read your post about switching to frozen and I really need your advise I have a ball python that will only feed on live. I am allergic to the live ones.The smell of the cage gets my asthma going. I would LOVE to have him switch it would be alot easier for me and my breathing. Please help!! my yahoo is jasmin1135 if you wann IM me. Thanks in advance!!

[Snakes Inc]

Switching from live is a little ‘training’. A freshly killed rodent not moving is the first step. If the snake does not show interest use a tool to create the idea that the dead rodent is moving about. The animal will strike and constrict the dead prey. Do this two or three times then move onto a rodent that has been killed about an hour or more so the smell changes. Do the moving thing and after that do the same with a defrosted specimen.

Remember that a defrosted animal does not have the same smell as a live one. The idea is to trick the snake into thinking that a dead rodent is alive and well.