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Does this ball look in bad shape?

I recommend the coconut husk, thats what im using with my bps and it works pretty good for helping hold humidity.

Also, between my heat mats and lights inside my viv my bps hot spot stays at 90f with ease and the ambient air temp holds at 80f just fine. At night when the temp in the house drops (I have gotten up in the middle of the night to check to mind you) the inside of the vivs only drops 5F.m give or take a couple degrees.

I think your doing just fine Alaya, your doing your best to make sure he is be cared for best. It is one thing for some one to try to give you advise, but its another when some one is treating you as if you are abusive to your snakes. Dont worry about it, it sounds like your taking better care of him then the last owner was.....after all they abandoned it!
 
snakewispera snr said:
Try getting one off mice and onto rats.....
Just pass on a none feeder is the answer is it... LOL
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There is a difference between a NON feeder and one that only eats mice.

I have one that only eats mice, and yes it is a bit of a pain, but at least shes eating and healthy. I have done every thing I can think of to try to switch her to rats but she wont do it.
 
Allalaskan said:
There is a difference between a NON feeder and one that only eats mice.

I have one that only eats mice, and yes it is a bit of a pain, but at least shes eating and healthy. I have done every thing I can think of to try to switch her to rats but she wont do it.
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Sometimes they will never switch no matter what! But it doesnt mean tis a bad thing!
 
beautifullywild77 said:
Sometimes they will never switch no matter what! But it doesnt mean tis a bad thing!
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Ya, I think my Jess is going to be one of those. I have tried just bout every thing and she will not even attempt to eat it. I have tried even scenting with gerbils (guy at the pet store said he got some bps to switch over by scenting with gerbil bedding) and that didnt fly either. I think im stuck feeding her mice forever lol.
 
Alaya said:
Thanks :) I bought a new animal plastics rack today that should be here within a month. Until then he can be covered with towels to stay warm and eat his nice healthy mice. Its not like I'm abusing the snake in any way, and I will not feel guilty for the positive choices I have made in my life.

If someone here feels that they should help this snake instead of just badmouthing someone that is doing their best to care for it they can ship a ceramic heater to my POB, just pm me and I will give you my PO Box address. Otherwise let me care for my snake as I see fit. He is in a good home and being treated well.
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Sorry to sound harsh but I'm all for the snake and the right thing for them... You do not even come into the picture... Abuse can take on many forms, just because you are doting over it doesn't mean you are doing the right things for it.... I think you should have had everything ready and in place and tested before you start saying you have rescued it...
Just my 2c....
 
Allalaskan said:
There is a difference between a NON feeder and one that only eats mice.

I have one that only eats mice, and yes it is a bit of a pain, but at least shes eating and healthy. I have done every thing I can think of to try to switch her to rats but she wont do it.
Click to expand...
A 4kg Royal that only eats mice is going to be a problem.....
Try putting the rats into dirty mouse bedding... raise them for a while in it...
 
snakewispera snr said:
A 4kg Royal that only eats mice is going to be a problem.....
Try putting the rats into dirty mouse bedding... raise them for a while in it...
Click to expand...

It won't necessarily be a problem. It will require 3-4 mice a week, but that, IMHO is not an issue. While switching to rats is preferred, some won't do it. Mine has been on anything and everything, and I would kill just to see him eat something again (he's on a hunger strike.. I'm going to have to switch his cage to something smaller again..). I volunteer at the local zoo and we feed our adult female ball python 4 mice a week and she does absolutely great. She's nice and round with a wonderful temperament and weight.
 
Did I really just get called an abuser? Wow, a new low people.

In other news, he ate wonderfully tonight. He weighed in at 74 grams, I was surprised it was so low. He seems a lot more at ease today, and the temps and humidity in his cage have evened out really well.
 
I'm not sure who just said that the heat mats are a waste of time, but as someone else stated, DEFINITELY use them for your ball python. Since you're in such a chilly place I'd use the ceramic heat emitter too to raise the ambient temps. I don't know why anyone would have said you're abusing this snake when you're clearly doing very well with it. I'm glad he ate for you! Come to CO and make mine eat too haha. When you're misting him every hour, make sure that his substrate is not damp to the touch, they get scale rot pretty easy.
 
The paper towels dry off completely between every misting, I have only had time to do it twice today. I aim more for the sides of the cage than the floor. He'll just be misted once a day while I'm gone. I will consider a ceramic heater, but since the humidity in my house is at 0-10% I really don't think using something that will further dry out the air is a good idea.

I read online that some people in cold areas use two heat mats at two different heat levels. I might consider it, but really I think it would be better for him to put him in my new rack when it arrives. That should help keep humidity up and heat even.
 
Ya, I tried that already. This is what I have tried so far.

-Braining
-scenting live with mouse bedding
-scenting p/k with mouse bedding
-scenting live and pk with gerbil bedding
-washing with dawn and scenting with Mouse bedding both Soaking wet and dry
-Washing with dawn and offering with no scenting.
-Washing with dawn and braining after scenting with mouse/gerbil bedding
-Putting a p/k rat with a p/k mouse both thawed int he same bag.
-Putting a live rat pup in with a mouse in the mouses cage and leaving it in there for 24 hours to attempt for it to smell exactly like a mouse.
-Using old mouse bedding to raise rat pups in for 3 days before feeding day.


Come to think of it the only thing I dont think I have tried that I have read is scenting with chicken broth. At one point she went without food for almost 3 months because she refused to eat a rat.

Any other ideas then?






Also, as far as im concerned I would rather see Alaya do what she did and get that snake that was in poor condition and come in here and ask for advise and help then leave it with a landlord who knew nothing about snakes, which is obvious by the shape it was in. Alaya has problubly done more for that snake then any of the owners before, and your response is pretty much calling her abusive because she had the nerve to take in this snake and try to get it the help it needs, not to be harsh.

I mean, how dare she try to do what is best for this snake and try to ask for help and advise on how to care for it properly.


With that kind of attitude how are we suppose to get more people into this hobby and make sure they are properly advised. Rude and snide comments are a good way to PUSH people away, even if you may be correct.

If I had been treated that way when I first joined this forum I would have for sure left. No one wants to be part of something if they are treated like dirt.
 
Thank you Allalaskan. You said it better than I would have bothered to say it.

I've done quite a lot of research in the last few days about proper ball care. For one, I'm in America and call it a ball python. It has proper temps, proper humidity and just ate a properly sized meal. I am proud of myself and my decisions that I have made and I will stand by them. If you want to care for your snakes differently that is your choice.

That is the last I am feeding into that nonsense. I have far better things to do with my day (like go and stare at my corn's new post-shed skin which is shiny and gorgeous!) Tomorrow I get in two new sand boas and a hognose in the mail and I can't wait!
 
Carry on guys. You all sound like real Bp experts. Lol.
I'll just carry on with things that work.
On the other hand, if you want some positive advice, come back when you want. I'm here for the snakes. Not you.
 
I deal with thousands of balls at work. Everything from normals to animals with 7(+?) Genes. I also had balls in my collection until recently. Balls are going to do best feeding on rats, plain and simple. Once they hit 2,000 grams, they will pop mice when they hit them. I never knew Balls were such aggressive feeders until I started working where I work. An adult Ball hits HARD, and we're feeding medium-large rats to our breeders. Most balls will only take live with any regularity. Most of the time this can be accomplished in a safe manner as long as you visually watch the snake grab the rat. Now if you are feeding F/T, the best thing to do after you thaw it out is to wrap it in a paper towl and roll it in your hands. It warms the rodent up and drys it off. Most Balls will take a rodent like that quicker than just a wet rat. An adult Ball simply won't do well on mice, maybe an adult male you want to keep under 1,000 grams so he'll be a productive breeder, but an adult female should be around 1,800 grams+, and feel like a big muscle. Mice aren't going to do that as easily as a rat will and your snake won't get the same nutrients. Rats are so much better for boids and pythons than mice. I strongly reccommend feeding rats.
 
David knows me and we don't always see eye to eye. Lol.
On this occasion we are both singing from the same song sheet.
Now that speaks volumes.
 
snakewispera snr said:
Carry on guys. You all sound like real Bp experts. Lol.
I'll just carry on with things that work.
On the other hand, if you want some positive advice, come back when you want. I'm here for the snakes. Not you.
Click to expand...

This person, Mike, knows pythons. You would do well to listen to his advice and learn from him, not be snippy and alienate him.
 
Nanci said:
This person, Mike, knows pythons. You would do well to listen to his advice and learn from him, not be snippy and alienate him.
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That right there is why I backed out of the thread early on. Mike knows what he is talking about.

You can find all sorts of generic care guides on the net, it does not mean they are right. It's better to trust people who have worked with species for a considerable amount of time.

I will never understand why people are so quick to rescue a species they know nothing about.

Yes you can "get by" doing the things you are doing, but it's not good for the long term care of the animal.
 
Thanks for the vote Nanci and BB. I do keep pythons and they are a very easy species to keep. Just do it right and they thrive. As for snippy. Lol. I fought with an expert called Elle. It didn't phase either of us and we get on great now.
Remember. It's only a forum. Lol
 
I never said this ball is permanently going to be fed mice. I said right now the ball is small enough that it is appropriate for it to be fed mice. In December it is going to a home that will feed it rats.

Therefore all the comments implying that I will feed this ball mice as an adult are really inappropriate. He is 74 grams right now, not 4k. I have said multiple times that I know I am not an appropriate adult home for this snake, and therefore I have already found it a probable home for December.
 
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