My ball has gone off feed since mid November and although he looks rather healthy I would still like to have him atleast once before it starts gettin super cold where he will just shut off. He is refusing thawed mice which he normally eats and I was thinking if maybe I should put a live one in with him it might trigger a feeding response. Any thoughts?
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Need some opinions on feeding.....
DinoTheBall
Dec 20, 2003 02:09 PM
Replies (5)
clownloach
Dec 20, 2003 03:02 PM
Hi try to get yourself some gerbels. Its like feeding candy to a child. They can't resist it. The only reason I say it is because my boy went off rats and mice now the only way he will eat is if I feed him gerbels. Buy them 1, 5, or 10 at a time. Your ball will have a field day.
Link
DinoTheBall
Dec 20, 2003 03:03 PM
do you feed them to your ball live or dead?
clownloach
Dec 20, 2003 10:21 PM
i put mine in live i might give him a smack but thats about it. my ball does the rest
chrisssanjose
Dec 20, 2003 10:59 PM
Yes, a live mice will be worth trying, if you really want
to entice your snake to continue eating. However, if it is
healthy, it won't need it, and you may not want to get it
used to eating live prey, if you prefer f/t. If you do feed
live, never leave the snake unattended while the prey is in the
cage with the snake. Be ready to help the snake if the rodent
starts biting. Good luck!
ChrisS - SanJose
Sonya
Dec 21, 2003 01:01 PM
>>My ball has gone off feed since mid November and although he looks rather healthy I would still like to have him atleast once before it starts gettin super cold where he will just shut off. He is refusing thawed mice which he normally eats and I was thinking if maybe I should put a live one in with him it might trigger a feeding response. Any thoughts?
Why? One, I have not found that cold has as much influence as day length. And since winter solstice is tomorrow and the days will start lengthening soon you might find that he starts eating soon anyway. Mine usually start back in mid Jan.
Feeding live to a snake not interested in eating to me is not worth the risk to the snake. As to Dino's suggestion of feeding live or 'whacked' (and pissed off) gerbils I gringe. A gerbil is worse than a rat for damage if it wants and feeding live is gambling with your animals life and health. And feeding f/t or prekilled gerbils is likely to get your BP hooked on a small and expensive rodent as they do prefer them.
What I would recommend is weigh the snake accurately and keep an eye on it. If it drops weight, which I doubt it will, then start worrying.
Pushing the issue may be creating more problems than it helps.
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Sonya
