Let the snake adjust to his surroundings for about a week, maybe leave a small piece of clothing with his scent on it in the enclosure. He can hold it pretty much anytime he is active as long as he isn't stressed (shedding, just ate,ect.). He should hold him as long as the snake allows him to. Once the snake gets irritable put him back in. Also make sure the air is not to cold.

As for the heat rock...NOOO! It gets to hot with many centralized "hot spots." The best option is to go with an Under Tank Heater or UTH. This can either be a heating pad or "heat tape" like Flexwatt.

Feeding him should depend on how big he is,if he is in shed,and the last time he ate. If his is not in shed (you can feed him during shed but I perfer not to becasue I don't want to stress him. I don't think it matters though) and ate about a week ago and his head looks big enough for it (keep in mind the un-hinge their jaws and can swallow things completly out of proportion with their head) I would try a Frozen/Thawed Small rat. Hope this helps.

[ Show Entire Thread ]