Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Yes, its like Chips, you cant have just one, so when i eventually get a ball python at a local expo, i visited to do some research beforehand and talked with a breeder, (no specifics, i dunno if he feels he should be mentioned) but he has three 'classifications' for selling his normal ball pythons, males, females and non-feeders...I talked with him but had to cut short, (next month i will talk with him more, he seems, very, very, dependable) and i plan to buy a baby normal female from him.

Now the non-feeders, im not saying just to try and save money (they are only $5 each from him, male or female) but i would want to help and would love to dedicate myself to aid a ball python to survive. But how would i get around to doing that? I have a basic plan of how to attempt, but i feel it is very incomplete) I AM WILLING TO SPEND A FEW EXTRA DOLLARS FOR FEEDING STRATEGIES...

1. Basic F/T mouse
2. Diff. Colored F/T Mouse
3. (Should i try live?)
4. (diff. colored live?)
5. F/T Mouse, scented (most likely gerbil)
6. F/T Diff colored scented?
7. Scented live?
8. Diff colored live scented?

Could rat pinkies be substituted anywhere?
What about force-feeding? im very cautious about it though...

Thanks, please post anymore questions, comments, or concerns....

-Nic
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Nic
if you want to contact me: noseguardnoms@hotmail.com
Email me if you want to give me any more info

If so...then i would suggest to you.
To get a healthy feeder from the get go.

Later after you gain the experience from that one you will be better equipped to handle a "non-feeder".

I dont mean next month either.
As it is usually quite some time before people(anybody)truly learns what it takes to keep their first one healthy and happy.
Let alone what it would take for one to help a non-feeder to recover.

Also ,you must take into consideration the expenses of a second animal.Which would include a second enclosure (and heat and hide and thermostat).They are solitary animals,and stress is what you are trying to avoid in the first place.

.................You asked...lol
Good luck to you.

Ive watched my friends very big bodied male for the past three summers, and loved him, and yes i already have most of the supplies for two cages, so yes im new to my OWN Bp, but not to bps in general...
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Nic
if you want to contact me: noseguardnoms@hotmail.com
Email me if you want to give me any more info

I see...

Well for the most part(excluding diseased specimens)stress is usually the cause for a "loss of appetite".
So if their temperatures/humidity are right/they have good hides/and they are given the extra amount of undisturbed time that they will require(over that of a "good eater"....They should eat for you.

If i were you i would go ahead and start a small mouse breeding colony(1M&3F).That way you will have your own supply of pinkie mice to offer them at any given time.

Best of luck to you.

Unless you've personally had the pleasure of dealing with a non-feeder, I would avoid them. Spend the extra bucks to get a snake that's feeding. Buying a known non-feeder is just asking for headaches.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

That should read DISpleasure in my previous message. KS stripped the 'dis' part (had it in less-than, greater-than brackets). My only guess is that KS was trying to strip HTML from the post. They must have a bozo parsing routine if it strips things that aren't really tags.

Anyway, maybe this will work.. sub "dis)pleasure" for "pleasure".
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Astronomy Picture of the Day