feeding live to my Royal

[LdyDrgn]

this is in response to girlslovedirt04's post in 2 seperate threads. I seperated them off and merged these together. They are now in order chronologically, but oh, well. You can read her initial post below....


it sounds like he is on his winter fast. Please remove the rat ASAP! Leaving a live prey item in with your snake is just plain irresponsible, sorry.

[girlslovedirt04]

hey i have a 1yr old Ball Python that hasen't eaten since Dec. 5th 2003. I have also tried to feed him but he keeps them around for a short while then kills one then waits a few days then kills the other. so i waited another week went back and got him a diffrent color live rat like always. and still to this day a Month Later they(the SNAKE and the Rat) are BEST FRIENDS, they sleep together, play together rub noses together and anything else that should not happen with a snake and his dinner(prey). Could you please give me some advise on what i could do?!!
IS THIS NORMAL???????
also my e-address is girlslovedirt04@yahoo.com

[najaboy]

Originally Posted by girlslovedirt04

he do you know why my ball python is keeping his RAT as a friend?????? he has keep him for 2 1/2 weeks now. not killing him and eating him. just having him as a sleep buddy and "friend"!!!

I see a dead ball python in your future.

[trinitywolf]

Do you realize that keeping a live rat in the cage with your ball python will eventually cause the death of your snake?
PLEASE take the live rat out of your snake enclosure, switch your snake to frozen thawed prey and read up on the needs of your snake.

[najaboy]

Originally Posted by girlslovedirt04

hey i have a 1yr old Ball Python that hasen't eaten since Dec. 5th 2003. I have also tried to feed him but he keeps them around for a short while then kills one then waits a few days then kills the other. so i waited another week went back and got him a diffrent color live rat like always. and still to this day a Month Later they(the SNAKE and the Rat) are BEST FRIENDS, they sleep together, play together rub noses together and anything else that should not happen with a snake and his dinner(prey). Could you please give me some advise on what i could do?!!
IS THIS NORMAL???????
also my e-address is girlslovedirt04@yahoo.com

No, it's not normal. After this long of a time, your ball python should look something like this, with a bit less skin & muscle, though...

[MythsBishop]

That poor snake! My BCI has a few scars on her from rats. The 2 previous owners fed her live, and her first owner left a rat in the cage with her, thats how she got the scars. The girl I got her from says that she will hardly eat dead mice, but I am gonna try. The snake lady at the nearest pet shop suggests the putting the rat in a bag and banging it on a table method.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[gemisnake]

I know this was already said but... PLEASE remove the rat from the snake's cage!!! Feeding live is only safe if you supervise. Although a hungry snake is an excellent predator one that is not hungry wont usually attack. On the other hand, if the rat gets hungry you can say goodbye to your snake. Rodents are vicious animals when hungry and I saw a friend who didnt listen to me and left a mouse in with his boa overnight. In the morning I got a call to rush over to his house and his snake had almost all its scales chewed off, It was still alive and in an extreme amount of pain. We had to kill it because there was no saving the poor guy. Think about it this way, in the wild the ONLY time a snake is near a rodent is if they are hungry and hunting it, so they dont know how to deal with a rodent in their living space and in the cage there is no escape from the rodent. About him not eating, dont worry, ball pythons go off of feed in the winter a lot. I have two ball pythons and a male boa that used to scare me near to death by refusing food for months, but come spring they eat like pigs again.

[LdyDrgn]

I PM'd this person having a feeling he/she wasn't going to return to read the replies given. I got accused of TROLLING!! He/She said:

why do u say that? when i first got Otto he was raised on live rats. do i suddenly change his diet?? NO he is about 3 1/2 ft long and was eating two rats not he just wants to have him as a friend? also what is the normal color of the underside of a Ball Python?? i feed the rat food also so he is not starving.

this is him and his rat friend!


after more advice I get:

well u know something u r not geving me any infor that i am asking for. u thing i can read ur mind on what to do. r u telling me to let Otto go hungry???? and how much do u know about Snakes. because as far as i can see u know nothing but how to trll somebody that they r stupid for asking for help!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that true or r u just having aa bad day and dont want to help a person that came to ur site for help????

What should i do with the snake not eating????????????????? that is m ?!!!!

Also what color is normal for then under side of a Ball Python????

After assuring this person I am knowledgable and ANSWER the 2nd question for them (the first was answered in the forums), I get this:

whatever u have not giving me any help. i will take my ?'s else where. like to a lisenced person A REPTILE VET!!!!!! so what what everybody else says i was asking u the HELP person that dosen't give any help!!!!!!!!1


A little on the defensive side, aren't we??? So much fro trying to offer sound advice. They didn't hear what they wanted to hear....talk about sad....

[morti]

Poor snake is Literally climbing the walls to get away from that rat.

Please... when you ask for advice, do not argue with the advice given. That is my biggest peev.

[TrowaIkari]

No Morti, You're wrong! They are best friends! They even sleep together!!!111

[Kent K25]

HAHA!!!!!!111
I hope she comes back and takes the advice to heart. Can't stand thinkin of what we all know is gonna happen.
Snake and Rat buddies, YIKES!!!!!1111