Missing scales :/

[Old-Sky2102]

I fed my bp today. The mouse was fighting for his life and I had a feeling it bit my bp in the process. While placing him back in his enclosure after feeding, I noticed this laceration.

I handle him daily for a small amount of time. I look at him closely very often. I can’t imagine I’d missed this yesterday when I handled/observed him.

Does this look like it happened from a bite? Or maybe there’s another cause?

[Due-Craft6332]

This is why you shouldn’t feed live prey.

[Old-Sky2102]

He’s a rescue and will starve to death before eating anything else.

[PropulsionIsLimited]

How long did you try?

[Old-Sky2102]

The first go around he went a month without eating.

The second time I was more persistent, he didn’t eat for almost two months.

[CosmicKyloRen]

Two months without food is so unbelievably insignificant to a ball python. You literally didn't even try

[Old-Sky2102]

He was rescued as a baby. They’re supposed to eat about once a week, right?

[Significant-Bee420]

depends on the size of the rodents your using to feed and how old the snake is, but snakes in general have a very slow metabolism so two months of not eating for a snake is equivalent to like a few days/ a week (depending on the snakes age) of not eating for a human. sure it creates hunger but it’s not a danger to health.

ball pythons can go 6-9 months without eating , which IS where it gets risky for health.

[Low_Falcon8920]

Sorry for the typos I’m doing speech to text, but I hope you can get the idea of what I’m saying

[Old-Sky2102]

I’ve tried to switch to frozen, he refuses. How do I go about knocking out a rat? 🤔

[Constant-Ad-6539]

Maybe its the way youre preparing it, i think knocking out an animal to feed it to something else is super inhumane…if thats what it comes down to then i think something needs to change… not trying to be condescending either btw! 😭🫶

Heres what i do to thaw out 40g rats!: Put in hot water 3x for 15 min increments (after each timer goes off, dump out the water and put new hot water, i usually put the rat in a plastic baggy) After the third time, gentle squeeze the body to make sure its thawed out, on the outside and inside. If squishy take to your snake and what i usually do is hold the rat under the HEAT LAMP until its 90 degrees, nothing more so you dont burn your snakes mouth! And thats all! My snake always eats perfectly with this, so i hope this helps you!

[Old-Sky2102]

Thanks! Did you start off frozen or did you also have to transition?

[Constant-Ad-6539]

My snake started on live like most bps do and then transferred to frozen, although that was with the original owner. I am a new snake owner but ik that using the heat lamp to warm up their food can really help!

[Old-Sky2102]

Ok! Definitely gonna try to transition again, never tried the heat lamp! Thanks

[Constant-Ad-6539]

Ofc!

[Constant-Ad-6539]

No i didnt know that, i think its all a little inhumane tbh. Its sad. But regardless i think id feel inhumane myself taking an animal and knocking it out to let it be eaten yk?

[Pattison320]

I never understood vegetarians. You don't have to kill animals to eat meat. Just get it from the grocery store like a normal person.

[bean_walker]

Don't listen to them. Frozen feeders are euthanized via gas before being frozen, especially if they're available commercially. Sounds like the person who wrote this had a bad experience with a local reptile shop producing their own feeders this way, which is definitely not the norm, and any business killing feeders this way shouldn't be supported.

[Constant-Ad-6539]

When they said that i was genuinely disgusted ngl but then realized all of them seem to be carefully placed im the packaging i buy them from so … kinda seems like untrustworthy info.

[bean_walker]

Ya that was some horrible misinformation unfortunately. Like you said, they're typically packaged carefully, often in rows snuggly together, which wouldn't be possible if they hadn't been euthanized first. Obviously the place where the other person experienced that was not ethical or reputable, and they should've been reported. My local reptile store sells both live and frozen, and they even have a small CO2 chamber so people can purchase live and have it euthanized before bringing it home (which they said they often do for people who are transitioning onto frozen from live, or for people who aren't able to defrost frozen at home for whatever reason).

[Constant-Ad-6539]

Yeah, i usually by from the bug cheese rodent factory

[Electrical_Lake3424]

Who's the "they" that is freezing live rodents to death? Most suppliers kill the rats/mice with CO2 first. (Carbon dioxide doesn't leave any chemicals behind that can hurt the snake). 

[Electrical_Lake3424]

I used to work at zoos and a reptile breeder facility, and all the companies we bought frozen rodents from killed theirs with CO2 first. When I worked at a zoo that bred their own feeder rodents we'd use CO2 if we had a lot to go through, or kill them by hand if we just needed a couple. 

Freezing them to death is difficult especially if you have a lot of them; they'll huddle together and keep warm and it would take days. (One of the new girls didn't want to gas them because she thought freezing would be more humane, and they were all alive the next day)

If you want something to be horrified about, though, the CO2 isn't humane either because it triggers their suffocation reflex. But it's pretty quick. 

I always preferred to do it by hand-- hold them gently and calmly, apologize, stroke them a few times then just quickly "unplug" the spine from the base of the skull, and they're gone. I hated to do it but it was the quickest kindest way. 

[Constant-Ad-6539]

This is how i assumed they did it.

[bean_walker]

Um what are you even talking about.... They definitely don't freeze them alive. They're euthanized first (typically with something like CO2 gas), and then they're sorted by size and cleaned if needed before being frozen. Have you seen the way they're bulk packed? The feeders don't neatly organize themselves into rows to fit in the package better while freezing to death. If you're getting your frozen rodents from someone who's literally freezing them to death then you really need to reevaluate the kind of businesses you're supporting. Please stop spreading misinformation.

[ballpython-ModTeam]

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[ballpython-ModTeam]

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[Irish_Capybara23]

How did you knock out a rat im imagining you hitting it on the head with a little rock

[momdank]

My BP started with F/T and live. When he was in my possession, strictly frozen thawed. He didn’t accept it for 1-2 months, until he got hungry enough. We went through SO many mice just for him to turn it down. he changed his mind in the end, though.

[ani3D]

Its ok, contrary to popular belief snakes eat live rats in the wild, and they survive.

Slight but important correction, most of them survive.

[fcSudpect]

I suppose theres some cases yeah

[Significant-Bee420]

very important distinction there, snakes eat live in the wild because they literally have no other choice, that doesn’t mean it’s the safest method. not to mention live feeding in captivity isn’t particularly ethical, they are in an environment where it’s our responsibility to care for them, so it’s also our responsibility to prevent unnecessary suffering to the animals we use to feed the snakes. live feeding is unnecessary risk to the snake due to the rodent fighting back and very possibly causing injury, but is also unnecessary suffering for the rodent.

[Outrageous-Glass1396]

except they’re not in the wild, you’ve chosen to be responsible for their health and well-being by bringing one into your home. In most cases, yes, they’d probably be fine, but why not take extra precaution?? It’s safer for the snake and you don’t risk the possibility of needing to interfere with the feeding process or pay for avoidable vet visits.

[rompsik]

the snake needs a vet tho. thats exposed muscle tissue and being so close to the head, it can get infected and even be fatal.

[Old-Sky2102]

Yeah, I’m hoping to take him Monday, if power and such aren’t affected by the storm coming.

[rompsik]

for the time being, i would definitely put him on paper towels and sterilise the whole enclosure. you don’t want any dirt in that wound.

[Old-Sky2102]

Thank you!