Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone, I had a brazillian rainbow boa for years and years, but sadly she didn't make the move with me to Chicago. I recently got a young ball python (3 mo. old - I named her Euphrates), and I have some general questions for the message board's infinite wisdom and experience:

1) what is a good handling/taming schedule? She's still pretty nervous/excitable when I make the move to take her out of the aquarium--i'm still wearing gloves b/c I'm not quite trusting that she won't bite

2) she eats very well-- i was feeding two small mice/ week...anyone have a good rule of thumb for feeding schedule/amount during the first year(s)?
- also, do you recommend feeding in the cage or out? if out, how do you do it?

--anyone have a good general ball python care book they endorse?

thanks herps!
JC

go to www.bobclark.com and check out his articles written about BPs. that was for reptiles mag.... good stuff
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1 CB Female BRB
1 CB Jayapura GTP
1 CB panther chameleon
2 WC scottish terriers

She probably won't bite you. I've encountered quite a few balls at my job, and I've only met one snake that's bitten me regardless of washed hands and slow movements. He was, without a doubt, the exception, not the rule, and even by the end of the month we had him before he was sold he'd been gentled down enough to be held without biting the hand he was on. Ball pythons are well known for being sweet, so you can no doubt take your gloves off and just handle her.
Two mice a week is probably plenty until she gets bigger. Bump her up to a small rat once her body (at its biggest part) is a bit bigger than the rat.
The more often you handle her and it's not a scary experience for her, the more relaxed about being handled she'll be. You don't want to keep her out for hours at a time, but ten to thirty minutes a day is plenty to get her used to people. The snakes I work with have become noticeably calmer about being handled, and I only take them out for at most five minutes a few days out of the week.
you've gotten yourself a wonderful new pet! congrats!

~jenny
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1.1 normal ball pythons
1.0 rex rat
0.1 bunny
2.1 betta fishes
3.1 great danes
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt
1.1 cats
2.0 horses
1.0 goat
2.25 chickens

but i still want more ball pythons!

Hi! the other info given was good but left out one important thing you asked about . Feed out of there cage so that when you approach or inter there cage they don't think it is feeding time !!!! You can feed in a box or a empty cage just not were they live . be creative.