Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. Well, I was feeding my ball last night, totally unaware he was about to shed (his eyes were crystal clear and his skin looked fresh with no loose looking scales). I went to the pet store and finally found some rat pups! I figured this would be a sure fire way to start him on rats, plus the fact they can't fight back. Anyway, I first fed him a mouse to spark the appetite, and he ate it right up, and then he stopped eating. I left him with the baby rat and he didn't do anything to it. I checked on him every min or so and noticed he started to shed. I took the rat pup out and placed the snake back in his tank to finish shedding, but now I have two rat pups to deal with. What is a good way to take care of these little guys so they don't die on me? Should I give them cap fulls of milk or something? I'd hate to see a prime feeding source go to waste.. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance!

I haven't done this, but I have heard this...

Not sure on frequency of feedings but...

you will need to take a piece of bread, and some milk (I would assume the milk needs to be warmed). Allow the bread to soak up some of the milk and attempt to feed the pup.

Also you will have to get something warm and wet to wipe the pup down with to mimic when a mother licks the pups. It is my understanding that this is the stimulus needed to make the pups go to the bathroom.

This isn't my information by Nigel Marvin spoke of this on his show on animal planet, hope it helps
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0.2 Normal Adult ball pythons
0.2 Normal Adult ball pythons (on breeding loan)
0.1 Sub-adult
1.0 Normal ball python
1.1 Bell Line Pastel Ball pythons
1.0 Adult Het Albino Ball Python
1.0 Het Pied Ball Python
1.0 Het Carmel Ball Python
1.0 66% Het pied Ball python
0.2 50% Het albino Ball Pythons

Interested in a breeding loan? Email me....

Go time to get him started on frozen food. Better in the long run.

Take the rat pups back to the pet store for a store credit. You've got better things to do than to try raise rat pups.

I'm not trying to raise rat pups, but I am trying to keep them alive long enough for my snake to get hungry again. He seems to like live over dead, and if I can get him hooked on rats that way, which is why I bought rat pups and not larger, then that's what I'll do. Then I can work on the f/t method. If it doesn't turn out that way, then I will freeze them. No sense in returning perfectly good food when I'll have to go back and buy it anyway. Thanks for the replies though, and I will definitely take each into consideration!

Don't freeze them if they have fur. It will take way longer than anyone wants it to. Either take 'em back or feed them puppy milk replacement with a dropper. Every three to four hours. And then wipe their bottoms with a warm wet cloth.
(that IS a lot of work!)
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

Well, I'm sure this post is long history now, but I wanted to check in and let anyone who replied to my post that I returned the baby rats and have been fed and are in their own little enclosure now. Thanks again for all the advice, but returning them was the best idea, and I feel much better that they won't die at my hands, and may end up being a good meal for one of our balls out there.....