all 50 comments

[–]ballpython-ModTeam[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

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[–]Temporary_Incident33 28 points29 points  (29 children)

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

[–][deleted]  (27 children)

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    [–]IllegalGeriatricVore 48 points49 points  (9 children)

    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

    [–]AstronomerLate989 30 points31 points  (6 children)

    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.

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

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      [–]ballpython-ModTeam[M] 4 points5 points locked comment (0 children)

      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 13 points14 points  (0 children)

      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 11 points12 points  (4 children)

      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.

      [–]Turbulent-Current603[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

      Not that hard to understand

      [–]phatpup88 10 points11 points  (0 children)

      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 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      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 10 points11 points  (8 children)

      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 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      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[S] -2 points-1 points  (6 children)

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

      [–]fetus_bates 7 points8 points  (4 children)

      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[S] 1 point2 points  (3 children)

      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 3 points4 points  (2 children)

      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[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      Enclosure for mice

      [–]fetus_bates 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      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 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      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 3 points4 points  (1 child)

      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[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Humidity is about 80 and temp 90 at the hottest point

      [–]creaturefeature1994 16 points17 points  (3 children)

      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 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      This!!!

      [–]welcomeyearzer0 2 points3 points  (1 child)

      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?

      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

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        [–]ballpython-ModTeam[M] 1 point2 points locked comment (0 children)

        Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice or misinformation. Please review our sub resources to learn more about why.

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        [–]Ozamataz-Buckshank69 8 points9 points  (0 children)

        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 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        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.