Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I might be buying a 4 ft female ball next week,what should I look for? also she is eating 2 mice every 10 days,is that ok or should I feed her bigger food less often? I would like to feed rats but I don't know if she can handle them and her owner said she is kinda afraid of them.Hopefully I can convert her to F/T food.I was told she is extremly aggresive during feeding,can this be due to not getting enought food at each feeding?
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If she is calm once you take her out...then she is just fine.
You want her to be aggressive when you open the cage,that means she will eat.
Once you have a good feeding schedule going,then you can begin to handle her.(Working on her manners outside of the cage).

There are many things to look out for...
Here is one,lol.
Check her sides,make sure her ribs arent damaged.

Anyone else ?
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2.15 Ball Pythons
0.1 Gray six toed cat

A 4-footer eating 2 mice every 10 days? Ahh, ya, the animal might be hungry. At least mine would be. What does the snake weigh (in grams)?

Switch to rats. If she's the agressive feeder you say, she might go right to F/T rats. Start with smaller ones so as not to indimidate her, though. Maybe "small", or possibly "medium". If the snake takes them, feed it as often as it'll take one. Try every 5 days or so, and adjust from there. A rat as big around as the snakes body is probably the biggest you'd want to try feeding it.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

I'm not sure of her exact weight but I was thinking around 5 pounds,does that sound right? Her current owner has had her since she was a baby (4 years).There are no pet stores around here that sell frozen rodent,so I will pre kill the rats my self.If she will take pre killed food then I will order frozen for her.If by chance I can't find rats,then how many mice should she eat in one sitting?
I've had a ball before but he was alot smaller and only ate 1-2 mice every couple of weeks.I also was not the most informed owner then either.Thanks for all the advice,now I just have to get her cage set up
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RodentPro ships FT rats. Or you could see if there's a reptile show near you. There's one every month about 30 miles from me, and that's where I buy a majority of my FT feeders. There's really no need to go through the PITA of pre-killing unless you have to. PK isn't the same at FT to the snake, either. I have one that'll take PK, but not FT.

If he's only giving a 5 lb snake 2 mice every 10 days it could probably stand larger and more frequent meals.

Anyway, whatever works for you, but I'd make the switch to rats. Keep in mind live rats can and WILL bite the snake if the opportunity arises.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

I definalty want to switch to rats,I think feeding larger meals will help hre feel alot more content.I live in the boonies so no reptile show except one in the summer.I don't mind pre killing them and I could always freeze the excess ones.There are alot of people around here who raise pet rats,problem is they don't want to sell to snake owners but what they don't know won't hurt
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A very good Ball Python care sheet
http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/

I would also pickup a copy of, The Ball Python Manual.