Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok well he is 16 inches from tip of tail to end of nose. I had for 5 days now. He is in a 10 gallon tank for now. 1/3 of it is covered with a heat pad. The ambient temps are around 80 with the helkp of a heat lamp. The heated part of the cage is around 90 thanks to the heat pad. There isa a hide box over the heat pad and another one at the other end. And a nice size water bowl in the middle.

Anyway I was wondering when I shouldtry to feed him? What should Ifeed him and how? I want to get him on prekilled prey.

Also Does anyone have a feeding schedule? I heard they can be fed once a week there whole lives. But shouldnt it slow down as they get older? I just want to know what to feed him and how often as he gets older and bigger. Someone Please help me with that
thanks alot

It's best to wait for about a week for them to settle in before you try to feed them, so I would try in a couple days. If you can, ask the person you got it from what it was feeding on, that should help get it started. But if you want to get it started on killed prey, try offering it a killed rat pup or adult mouse on the end of some tongs and hold it steady in front of the snake. If it doesn't take it you can try leaving the prey in front of it's hide box after the lights go out and just leave it alone for a few hours and see if it will eat it in the privacy of the night. If feeding from thawed, make sure the prey is warmed up, but not too hot (about 100 degrees). Feeding every 7 days is good for juveniles, once they reach adult size you can slow it down to every 10 days so they don't become obese. Good luck, I just got my 2 new babies feeding without any problems, it's always a relief. -chris-