Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys no I am not freaking out again. Atleast not over this as I am still waiting and worrying about that clutch from Pastel X Normal.

I'm sure you remember I hatched out 2.4 66% HET albino babies on 7/24/2004.

This is the first time I am trying to start my own babies. Yes I have raised MANY hatchlings, but these were all purchased animals that were already started.

I am housing my babies in clear-plastic phillips shoe-boxes. Lots of crumbled paper towels and paper-towel sheet as the floor substrate. I mist the cage ever so lightly once a day to keep up the humidity.

There is no basking spot, the room is heated to 82-84 during the night, 86-87 during the day.

I hear so many conflicting stories on what temps to keep babies at.

I've always had babies feed very strong in these shoe-boxes. I swear there the BEST thing to use. I've tried the small freedom-breeder trays but the babies always seem to feed better in the shoe-box setup.

So the babies are 17-days old today. There up crusing at night I offered LIVE pinkie rats, fuzzy rats and they don't seem interested at all.

One of the babies took a strike at the fuzzy rat but I can tell from the body language of that it was more of a defensive strike/bite then one of a feeding response.

Should I go ahead and try live hopper mice in a few days? I am HELL-BENT on starting them on rats. I cannot stand mice, I hate there smell and the mice really bother my asthma. I wish every day that all of my snakes ate rats.

I really do not want these babies to ever see or smell a mouse.

Out of 7 hatchlings I had this year, 5 would not start out on rat pups. I tried for a couple of weeks after the first shed, but they showed no interest. I finally gave in, and offered them mouse hoppers. They took them instantly. I fed them the mice again a few days later, again they ate instantly. The next feeding, I offered rat pups, and all of the 5 took the rat pups immediately (didn't even scent them), and have been eating great ever since. For some reason, these 5 needed the mice to kick them into gear.

Scott

A agree with you on all counts regarding rats over mice, but I've had great results with first 2 meals: 1 fuzzy mouse; Next meal or 2: 1 hopper mouse; Next meal a 3-4 day old rat, then they never see a mouse again. Just my experience, might not work for everybody all of the time, after all...They are ball pythons!
Paul

Damon,
They sound good. Sometimes it takes 2-4 weeks after there first shed before they eat. I have a male spider born on 7/07/04 who hasn't eatin yet, I'm not worried. I have animals that eat only mice and they grow just as fast as my rat eaters. But like you I would rather not have to deal with the mice smell.
Just relax I've noticed crusin the cage is just crusin the cage, When they sit in the hide with there head out waiting and watching, thats when they are ready for food. I hope this helps.

Jay Cassidy
Caveman Reptiles
"WE FEED TO BREED!"
cavemanreptiles.com

I tried some hopper mice today. Actually the ones I had were a little large.

Well these little mice hoppers are such little bastards, guess can't blame them, who would be happy to die in the coils of a snake.

Well one the snakes took a hopper right away, phew 5 snakes left. The 2nd snake took a small little nip from the damn hopper! Right on the nose.

I was so pissed! The poor little snake coiled up in a ball on its back so fast. I grabbed the mouse and it BIT ME! So I killed it, because now it was going to attack anything.

I tried with the freshly killed little bastard hopper from forceps but had no luck.

I tried the other 5 snakes, but they just don't seem interested yet.

You can kinda tell before hand if there going to eat, you know by there body movements.

So atleast 1 ate, 1 of the females. I will try the others again in a few days. I need to get some smaller hoppers.

Damon....Try to find some "crawlers". These are mice that have just passed fuzzy stage but not quite hoppers. They still have their eyes closed but are at the point where they are crawling around a bit. Also, try to find some colored ones rather than white. My experience is that babies seem to prefer colored mice for their first few meals. I've had some that refused white but immediately took a colored one. Good luck!
Joe Pociask Pythons

Forget the mice (you said they bother your lungs)your little babies will take fuzzy rats, just give them time, they'll get hungry and then bam they'll be pounding the rat fuzzies. Hopper mice will defend themselves a lot more then a fuzzy rat (that has no clue what is going on) will, like you said one of your snakes got bit, and so did you. F the mice. Go with the rats, It sucks when you got a 6 pound ball python who eats 15 or more mice every week ( it takes me 1 hour to feed the only mouse feeder I own, and she only eats 4-5 mice, I can only imagine when she's an adult how long it will take for her to eat 15).

Jay Cassidy
cavemanreptiles.com

I wouldn't want a hatchling's first meal to be one that is capable of defending itself, I would worry the snake might become afraid of its intended prey. By the time it see's its 3rd meal, a small hopper shouldn't have time to even think about biting the snake. I agree with feeding them when they're in "ambush mode", at dusk before they start "cruising". Once again, just my opinion.
Paul