Posted by:
jesscarpenter
at Sun Aug 19 02:09:11 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by jesscarpenter ]
hey. first let me say sorry in advance for the bad punctuation. my shift key is no longer working so i have no acess to question marks or capital letters. when i ask a question, ill just type -question mark.
anyway, i have a beautiful ball python i have had for about a year now named natasha. she is my first snake. i beleive she is about 2-3 years old. she is a really finiky eater. i cant get her to eat the once a week to 10 days like recommended. she only eats about once every 2 months, more or less, and this is not for a lack of trying. i now own a menagerie of mice and rats because she won't eat. she has been seen by a vet, so i know she doesnt have any physical problems. anyway, this week, i took her out of the cage for awhile. i know she was hungry, so it was my own fault, but she ended up mistaking my finger for food. i was bleeding, but happy that she was willing to eat something, finally. i bought her two mice the next day, and tried feeding them to her, but even after the biting incident, she still wont eat. she did end up killing one of the mice, but it looked like she didnt even try to eat it. it didnt look regurgitated or anything.. just dead. so im really not sure what to do. im starting to worry about her, as its been about 1 month and and 1 week since she has last eaten, and even though the timing is on par compared with her past eating habits, she has started to noticeably lose a few pounds. she is not overly skinny or anything, but there is a weight difference since i first got her. she has never bitten me in the entire year i have handled her, and because she didnt eat right after the incident, im beginning to wonder whether she really thought i was food, or if she just doesnt like me. i wasnt making any sudden movements at the time. i just had my hand in front of her while she was curled next to me on the couch. anyway, i make sure i keep her aquarium nice and warm, always around 80 degrees on one side, and about 82-85 on the other. she spends most of her time on the cool side however. her humidity is always around 60 degrees, but this is due to the fact that i live in florida, and our ambient humidity is usually up to snake standards. she always has fresh water and a hidy hole. i try not to handle her too often, because i have read they usually like to be left alone, so i only handle her about a few times a month. should i handle her more or less-question mark- am i doing something wrong-question mark. i have tried feeding her male mice, and female mice, both white and black, and rats. though when she does eat, she prefers white female mice. i got her those this time, but she still isnt eating. do you think i shouldnt have handled her before i fed her-question mark. maybe it was the wrong time of the day-question mark. i just dont know what to do. does anyone have any advice- question mark. i really love my natasha. she is beautiful, and can be quite affectionate with me when i handle her, except of course this one time when she bit me, though she has never done that before. i have been around animals my whole life- dogs, cats, rats, gerbils, etc, but i gotta say, this is the first time i feel completely at a loss, and unable to really empathize with one of my animals. i wish i understood her more. even right before she bit me, she seemed happy and content.. then bam she bit and started to try constricting my pinky finger.. i really love her, and im really trying my best, but im beginning to feel i may not be the best owner for her any longer, but i know this could be because im just new to snakes. i guess i just need some reassurance and some really good advice on feeding and snake behavior. ive read alot of articles and things, but i still feel unsure. can anyone who has owned ball pythons for awhile give me some good advice-question mark.
thank you very much for your help. i really appreciate it.
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 issues - jesscarpenter, Sun Aug 19 02:09:11 2007
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