Need a little bit of advice

[kyle1]

Hey guys and girls, I'm Kyle and I'm fairly new to snakes. Someone I know was giving a snake away because he couldn't look after it anymore so I took it off him. I've been doing the little things like changing bedding, water and spraying the tank to keep the humidity up around 60 to 70. I've been taking him out every day just to get used to him, putting him around my neck and just getting as comfortable as I can with it being around, I even got the confidence to try popping it but chickened out because I didn't want to hurt it. I've measured it and it's just over 3 and a half foot. There's a problem though, he seems to be a fussy eater and the guy that had it before me has just been putting f/t on top of it's hide and the snake will eat it in the night. I've been taking him out to feed and putting him in a tub with newspaper and he refuses to take anything off tweezers. I don't know what size food he should be eating, I've tried pinky's and it was pointless, I tried a full grown rat and he didn't touch it and then I tried a full grown mouse and it disappeared the next morning so I'm guessing it was eaten. I was trying him on tweezers last night with a fuzzy and he went for it but I dropped it before he finished the strike. What size food should I be feeding it? And how can I get it to eat off tweezers instead of eating off it's hide?

[cinderbird]

why is it such a problem that it needs to eat off tongs?

Of the 10 snakes i've got, i have 2 that will not take food off of tongs, it needs to be just left there and it will be gone in the morning. 6 others will take food just off tongs and the other 2 need the zombie dance.

As long as he's eating he's good he just wants to eat in his particular style. I'd oblige him as he is a handsome boy.

feed him a prey item about as wide as the widest part of his body.

[kyle1]

It's not a problem how he eats, I just don't like the idea of him eating in his tank. I think it's more a personal problem because my hand's in the tank cleaning and moving stuff around and I don't want him taking a strike at me again

[JLC]

It's not a problem how he eats, I just don't like the idea of him eating in his tank. I think it's more a personal problem because my hand's in the tank cleaning and moving stuff around and I don't want him taking a strike at me again

Whether you feed in the tank or not, it will not make a difference as to whether he strikes at your hand when you're working. If you're worried about a strike at that time, I'd just take him OUT of the tank to complete whatever cleaning you're doing.

One other little hint...you don't have to work so hard to keep the humidity that high. If you can keep it around 50% steady, you're good. He should shed fine in such an environment, but if he proves to be a difficult shedder, then you can bump it up to 60% just during his shed phase to help.

[Vypyrz]

Hello, and to BP.net...
Congratulations, that's a nice looking snake you got there. A snake that big should easily be eating adult mice or small rats, I would say somewhere in the 30-50 gram range. There's no need to waste your time and money messing with pinkys, fuzzies and hoppers.

When he refused the rats, how long did you wait before offering another prey item?

When you are cleaning and moving things around in the tank it is best to remove the snake. Any kind of sudden or quick movements in front of their face almost always triggers a defensive response, whether it's balling up or a strike. All you need is some type of container to put him in while you do your cleaning. That can be anything from a cardboard box that he can't climb out of, or a plastic tub, or even a simple pillow case with a knot tied in the end of it...

[BPelizabeth]

Hello and welcome to to the site and owning a BP...careful they are addictive and that is a very nice one you have there!!!

Sometimes taking them out of the tank to feed can stress them out, hence food refusals. For the most part ....as long as you don't smell like a rodent....they will not strike. Sometimes during shed as they cannot see well they get a little testy but that is about it.

Whenever we clean their enclosure we take them out and set them down or just put them on our lap.

As someone else stated a large mouse or a small rat is a perfect size for him....just go with the thickest part of the snake to measure the size of the prey. As far as him not striking....I wouldn't worry about it...he just like privacy...and that is ok. I have one that rubs on his for while before eating it...another that will not let you watch...another that stays coiled around it until it is all the way down to the tail..etc...they all are different in that aspect.

[Kaorte]

It's not a problem how he eats, I just don't like the idea of him eating in his tank. I think it's more a personal problem because my hand's in the tank cleaning and moving stuff around and I don't want him taking a strike at me again

Feeding in the enclosure has no correlation with getting bit by going in the enclosure to do regular maintenance. If anything, you are more likely to get bit when you are moving the snake on feeding day. I do not touch any of my snakes on feeding day. I always feed in the enclosure. I have never been bitten.

Feed him where he eats. If he is more comfortable eating in his home, feed him there. Getting him eating on a regular basis is more important then your personal preference.

There are some snakes that will eat anywhere but some that are very shy and will only eat in their home enclosure.

Also, that snakes look like it could easily eat a small rat. Pinkies and fuzzies aren't even big enough for ball pythons right out of the egg. They are like popcorn.

[dmcminn]

Hay Man,

From what I have learned, I feed my Fat Boy full size Monkeys on Wed. PMs. -I sent the room he is in for up to an hour. Before feeding him, I remove one of his hides and a climbing log ** With Hemos. ** I know not to put my hand in there on Wednesdays. I will leave him alone for two days after his feeding - even if he has dropped a duce and or beet up his Rat (blood) He is in the middle of a shed and i wont feed today, until he has fully shed.

[stevepoppers]

Moving to feed is probably your #1 problem. Also, that's a big boy. Feed him a big boy meal. If you don't smell like food, he's got no reason to try to eat you. And if he's biting cuz he's scared, that's a whole other issue. Also, the refusals could be because you're offering too often or holding him too much.

[kyle1]

It only took a strike at me once and that was the first day he got back here. I don't actually mind if he striked, I just wouldn't want it to think I'm dinner and start to coil. How big is a big boy meal? I've tried feeding it every 7 days but chances are, it won't take it in the next 7 days so I wait another 3-4. I think I'm starting to pick up on when it's hungry now though. I'm going to buy a small rat tomorrow and I'll try feeding after the weekend because it ate 3 fluffy's last night.