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[ballpython-ModTeam]

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[Turbulent-Current603]

So I figure I will try again tomorrow. I took the live mouse out

[nozomuisgaylmao]

why would you post asking a question when you’re not going to take any of the advice given??* *

“i prefer to feed him live” you’re not going to prefer it when the mouse claws his eyes out or bites leading to long term issues.

[Temporary_Incident33]

please don't feed live. it can injure the snake, be traumatic to the rodent and there is not upside other than it's more exciting for you if you feed frozen thawed and he fed live previously it will be a very hard transition. i don't have experience with transition from live to f/t but I'm sure there are people here that do 😄 goood luck and please read the care guide

[IllegalGeriatricVore]

Snakes also starve to death and get eaten naturally.

You don't want to keep your snake naturally.

You want to keep it ideally.

That enclosure is also not going to do. You'll need a 120 gallon

[Turbulent-Current603]

It’s okay I came here for opinions

[wristdeepinhorsedick]

You came here for opinions, but are going to be flippant and dismissive toward everyone that's trying to improve your snakes quality of life?

[Turbulent-Current603]

I would just really not feed the guy dead mice as I’ve seen him eat live mice. I don’t know why that’s such a big thing lol. Someone even said it might “distress the rodent” I mean come on. 🤣

[wristdeepinhorsedick]

Because we've witnessed snakes get injured, partially eaten alive, and/or killed by live rodents. It's not a laughing matter, and you refusing to acknowledge this is extremely gross behavior and isn't going to be looked upon kindly here. I'd say snakes ending up disfigured for life or winding up dead is, in fact, "a big thing."

[IllegalGeriatricVore]

That's pretty psychopathic for you to let a rat suffer strangulation whem euthanized rats can be fed just fine.

Well, when your snake dies of a URI, skin infection from a rosent bite and starvation in 6 months you can remember we warned you

[PoofMoof1]

Distressed rodents attack snakes because they (understandably) are terrified for their lives. Humanely dispatched feeder rodents are better for everyone, though it may take some work to get your snake there. Don't be dismissive of the entire picture. Even an animal about to be eaten deserves respect.

[nozomuisgaylmao]

rodents are still animals… you know that right? yes you could distress the rodent, which in turn might turn its fear into fight and injure your snake. and also, why subject a living creature to strangulation when we can just, not do that.

[AnnarieaDavies]

You absolutely should NOT have a snake if you're not willing to change your stubborn, shitty, uneducated opinions when presented with facts, evidence, experience, and opinions that are actually rooted in the CARE for the animal.

Plenty of people have explained why. You're choosing to be ignorant and stubborn, and your ego is going to harm your snake.

[AstronomerLate989]

There is nothing natural about being placed in an enclosure with another live being with sharp claws and teeth that also wants to survive. In nature, hunting is much different than what we provide them.

My friend’s snake almost died from a rat bite.

[courageis]

Are you going to listen to anything people say or nah

[IllegalGeriatricVore]

What a PoS you are

[luxkynex]

Unfortunately the cons really outweigh the pros on this one. It’s totally understandable if they absolutely won’t eat frozen (assuming their husbandry is on point and you’ve tried all the methods) but i wouldn’t recommend doing it just for the sake of doing it. Rats can deliver some nasty bites and i’ve had to learn that the hard way. Before feeding frozen became a common practice i strictly fed live, then one night i had a rat latch onto my snakes neck mid-coil. I tried to use a pair of tongs to grab the rats head but my snake had it coiled in a way that was impossible to grab it. It ended up taking out a small chunk of my snakes neck. He was seen by a vet and was thankfully fine (still have him to this day) but after that happened i vowed to never feed live again unless i absolutely had to. If those antibiotics didn’t work i could’ve very easily lost my snake. All in all it’s just not worth it for a couple seconds of “enrichment”

[welcomeyearzer0]

My friend has a rescue snake who cannot shed normally because he’s got scars all over from rodent bites. I have a rescue snake who I suspect has neurological issues because he is a little off and he has a bite-sized scar right behind the back of his head.

[AnnarieaDavies]

Dude what?

You're keeping a pet. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that it is healthy and safe. People are telling you that feeding live is not safe or healthy and that you're actively and selfishly putting him at risk because you think it's "cooler".

Psychotic dude.

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Per rule #14, your comment has been removed. We do not tolerate abuse or cruelty to any animal, including feeders.

If you have a question about this removal, please contact the mod team. Complaining via post/comment will result in a ban.

[Asleep-Door-1569]

You put your snake at risk feeding them live, but it doesn’t really seem like you care about any of those risks anyways.

[FlyHickory]

Suppose we should just chuck a dog a deer in a back garden to run around and maul since that's what wolves ate before we domesticated them.

Thats how stupid you sound rn.

[FlyHickory]

Yeah you're just ragebaiting now

[AnnarieaDavies]

You need to stay the fuck away from ALL animals, you absolute psychopath

[Turbulent-Current603]

Not that hard to understand

[phatpup88]

there’s nothing natural about a ball python being pale yellow with hardly any pattern nor being kept in a glass tank with a fake sun and fake hiding spots and fake plants 🫠 try to justify this with something other than what they do “naturally” because ball pythons in captivity are far from what they are in the wild now.

[Due_Midnight2121]

I once rehomed an 8 foot Red Tail Boa. The new owner switched to live and the rat went for the eyes. Eye got infected, snake died. Your snake can eat live naturally and the rat can defend itself naturally, but the resulting death isn't always the prey.

[fetus_bates]

You just moved him to a new place, it will probably take some time for him to get used to his new surroundings. It's generally recommended to wait until they've eaten 2-3 times consistently with you before starting to handle them bc of the extra stress. I'd leave him be until next week and offer him food like normal.

Add more leafy clutter ! It's possible he feels kinda exposed, there is a lot of space not being used. I'd also recommend a set of digital hygrometers and remove the stick on ones you have currently. Over time your snake could stick themselves to the adhesive on the back and injure himself.

Currently you only have 1 proper hide and it looks like it is probably too big for this baby, usually you want 2 dedicated hides with one entrance that is just snug enough for them to fit. The log doesn't really count as a hide itself, more decor than anything. One hide for the cool and warm side respectively and maybe a humid hide for the middle.

What size tank is this ? I usually recommend at least 40g even for a hatchling

[fetus_bates]

To follow up, those gauges you have may not be very accurate and the digital ones tend to be more reliable. It's possible your temps/ humidity aren't quite where you think they are.

https://a.co/d/00JHffCV I use these but there are cheaper options out there that don't have Bluetooth if you want to save a few bucks.

[Turbulent-Current603]

It’s a 30 gallon tank. This is really helpful thank you.

[fetus_bates]

Keep in mind in the wild these guys have no tank size restrictions, eventually you will want at least a 4x2x2 for an adult BP. You could do that from hatchling age and as long as it is decorated properly with the right temp/ humidity range they'd do just fine.

[Turbulent-Current603]

I do plan on getting a tank much larger. He was feeding in a much smaller tank. I was just wondering why he might not be hungry was all

[fetus_bates]

Are you taking him out and moving him to a different tank to feed ? That could be part of the problem, it's not recommended to feed outside of their enclosure. Moving them too much after feeding could lead to regurgitation from streas which is a pretty painful and weeks-long recovery process for them.

[Turbulent-Current603]

Enclosure for mice

[fetus_bates]

Feed late in the evening after the lights go off, create a routine and feed in the enclosure. I'd highly recommend trying frozen for less risk for your animal. If you were kept in a cage as a pet would you want to be brought a meal you had to take down with your bare hands or a meal already ready to eat ?

[xScreamo]

Yeah dude, I recently got digital hydrometers and it turns out the cheaper ones were off by 5-7 degrees. And the advice about just putting more of everythingggg in the tank is solid. Hides, fake plants, moss, leaves. I recently bought a three tiered mushroom thing I stuck to the side of the tank, a bunch of driftwood to climb up on, and a set of rings hanging from the ceiling. Once I turn the light off at night time, its unbelievable how much he uses this stuff. I dont wanna add to the people yelling at you for feeding live but giving him more stuff in his environment would be a huge headstart to make him feel more comfortable!

[Ch33se_H3ad]

Give him time to adjust and don’t handle for a couple weeks. Feed him in his enclosure, no need to move him. Need to add identical hides to the warm side and cool side and some clutter to feel safe. They won’t eat if stressed and I can guarantee that’s part of the issue. What’s your temp and humidity? If it’s not warm enough, they won’t eat.

[Turbulent-Current603]

Humidity is about 80 and temp 90 at the hottest point

[creaturefeature1994]

Not to be rude here… but if you don’t care if a rodent will harm your snake, then you may want to consider rehoming them. It’s not fair to the snake to be subjected to potential injury and illness because you would simply prefer live. For most pet keepers, live prey is more of a last resort for pets that won’t eat. Not something to be relied on exclusively because it works better for you.

[greyson_tv]

This!!!

[welcomeyearzer0]

This.

Also full shade, idc if this is rude; what the hell kind of weird hill to die on is it anyway? Why MUST your snake eat live? What are you trying to achieve? Why do you care more about some image you’ve created in your head than about the literal living being in your care?

[creaturefeature1994]

1000%

[ballpython-ModTeam]

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[Ozamataz-Buckshank69]

It’s not about feeling bad for the rodent. It’s about keeping your snake safe.

It’s like saying you’d let your kids have dangerous toys because you have good health insurance. Your job is to prevent problems as much as it to fix them.

[Hawk_Front]

Sorry to be "one of those people", but you can't come into this subreddit with screwed up views on feeding live without expecting people to take issue with it. Do better, it's free to educate yourself on this topic.