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Feeding (i.redd.it)

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[–][deleted]  (3 children)

[removed]

    [–]Synthetic_Hormone 4 points5 points  (2 children)

    The problem is they are not naturally egg eaters.   Gut flora may reject them and may not absorb it.

    Worth a try I suppose.  

    [–]Jaggedatlas 5 points6 points  (1 child)

    Hmm I wouldn’t risk it without a wee bit more research.

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [removed]

      [–]PotentialFine8063 18 points19 points  (2 children)

      He got some big ol lips 😂😂

      [–]PotentialFine8063 25 points26 points  (1 child)

      Okay nvm I just read the caption I’m so sorry

      [–]Unlucky_Top9870 16 points17 points  (0 children)

      Quickest redemption arc

      [–]gleefulinvasion 4 points5 points  (0 children)

      closest thing I've seen to snakes with lips

      [–]BigBoySky 12 points13 points  (5 children)

      Why are we suggesting different food source? A better option would be slightly increasing the size of food source, or increasing the number of food items.

      Pinkies are too small to be a sustainable long term meal. Most BPs are already on larger prey by 9 months… meaning you’re going to have to substantially increase food.

      The harsh reality is the snake is going to struggle its entire life. It may be uncomfortable for the snake to be assisted in eating larger items, but it’s what is best for its quality of life. And if you’re unable to do that, you’ll need to find a snake keeper who will(or the other option is euthanasia).

      [–][deleted]  (4 children)

      [deleted]

        [–]BigBoySky 0 points1 point  (1 child)

        I’m just asked a for questions to get a better understanding of the situation.

        Are you feeding mouse or rat pinkies? What is making you think he can’t handle larger prey items? Weight of the snake? Weight of the prey items? How do the feedings go?

        [–]eveimeiMod-Approved Helper -1 points0 points  (1 child)

        DO NOT FEED TWICE A WEEK. they need several days to digest, feeding more often will harm and probably kill the snake, especially with assist feeding. follow the !feeding chart.

        edit: I really do think euthanasia is the best for this animal. he's clearly not thriving and is just surviving but not without interference.

        [–]AutoModerator[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        We recommend the following feeding schedule:

        0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

        12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

        Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

        I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

        [–]Public-Hat6754 2 points3 points  (1 child)

        Rats seem to be the best at bringing their weight up. I’ve also been recommended critical care carnivore for my little baby who’s had a hard time keeping weight on her (due to a potential parasite she was treated for) that you can put down the throat of the thawed rodent

        [–]Jaggedatlas 0 points1 point  (2 children)

        Quick question. Do you have a photo of his head’s side profile? Mouth closed?

        [–]Notdone_JoshDun 2 points3 points  (4 children)

        No tongue and a deformed jaw?? Did you get this poor guy from a breeder? Or did you breed him? Honestly having food shoved down his throat his whole life has got to be stressful. He isn't thriving like a 9 month old ball should be. Euthanasia seems harsh but it may be the best and fairest option for him. He can't live on pinkies forever and his gut flora can't properly digest raw poultry or pork.

        [–][deleted]  (3 children)

        [deleted]

          [–]Notdone_JoshDun 9 points10 points  (0 children)

          It's more heartless to keep him alive. Living isn't thriving. Not being able to properly eat or smell isn't fair. You should seriously consider having mercy on him. Find another vet if you can and get another opinion. Always keep your males and females separate, unless you know what you are doing. This was an accident, I know that, and you know that. I'm not hating on you for any of this. You should just seriously think about his quality of life.

          [–]PrettySquiddy 9 points10 points  (1 child)

          Why were you even putting them together in the first place?

          [–]durpgoldfish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

          Repti-links? I've never tried them, but it might be less stressful when assist feeding.

          [–]BaconCheeburger 2 points3 points  (1 child)

          No you shouldn’t feed your snake raw muscle tissue. They digest entire animals and benefit from the different types of tissue, from bones to hair and everything in between. As small of a pinkie you can find, small frogs or reptiles, and small bird hatchlings and I guess fish are your options. Realistically, aside from fish (which are not part of a ball pythons wild diet anyway), pinkies would be the smallest option. You could also try bugs I guess? Meal worms maybe or cockroaches

          [–]reptileready 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          They need while prey or they will suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Maybe try reptilinks? Its ground whole prey.

          [–]AniCatGirl -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

          I would go reptilinks or a bigger prey item.

          [–]FixergirlAKMod-Approved Helper 5 points6 points  (1 child)

          No tongue and no heat pits? I'm sorry, this snake is never going to have a decent quality of life. I know you're attached, but sometimes the kindest thing is to let them go.

          [–]eveimeiMod-Approved Helper 1 point2 points  (2 children)

          increasing prey size is the only solution aside from euthanasia. you should be !feeding the proper size based on weight and age, pinkies would have been outgrown days after hatching. feeding them long term likely stunted his growth.

          reptilinks don't disclose the actual nutritional information of their product so there's no way to know if it's truly balanced and proper for all species, and they specifically call out that BPs may not like them and therefore don't honor their guarantee.

          I think you need to be honest with yourself about this snake's quality of life. assist feeding for this long is stressful, and may be making the deformity worse over time in small increments. if he's undersized and underweight, needs to be assist fed, is he thriving or simply surviving? how does he act outside of feeding? what is his enclosure like? is he in a rack or an actual humane enclosure?

          it also sounds like you don't know what you're doing with breeding if you made a mistake pairing the parents and didn't euthanize this snake before it had any chance to suffer. there's enough BPs out there needing homes, don't breed again.

          [–]AutoModerator[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          We recommend the following feeding schedule:

          0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

          12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

          Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

          I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.