questions i was hoping to have answered bout my ball?

[louise]

As far as live food goes that's your choice. I've been feeding my ball live prey for 6 years now. He was attacked once and it messed him up pretty bad and he wouldn't eat for a long time after but now he's fine

why in gods name would you feed live again? did you look at the link in my signature?

[python2]

why in gods name would you feed live again? did you look at the link in my signature?

Read the whole message and you'll see the answer to your question. He will not eat unless it's live. He's not interested in anything else. I've tried and other people have tried for me with no luck but like i said, I've been feeding him live for 6 years with one incident. If that's all he wants then that's what he'll get. Everyone has the right to feed how they like. That's my choice and apparently my ball's choice too. Sorry if you disagree but that's just an opinion.

[JuliusSqueezer]

The shot they gave your snake was ivermectin. It's a scarey drug really. For it to be effective, it has to be carefully dosed to a hair below toxic levels for your snake. Any miscalculation towards an overdose= dead snake. Some snakes develop an allergy to it once exposed. Nothing will happen the first time, then a week or so later you do it again and bam...dead snake from allergic reaction. Scarey stuff. Permetherin when used correctly is safer. Permetherin when used incorrectly though is as dangerous as anything else though. So whatever you do, research it and weigh the risks.

Now about your live feeding thing. When is the last time you tried frozen/thawed? How did you thaw it? How did you offer it? If you can get your snake to eat at all, chances are, he will eat frozen thawed. Just because he refused it 6 years ago doesn't mean he will refuse it now. Give it a shot. Ball pythons that don't take it from the tongs immediatly sometimes do better left in the cage with the thawed rat infront of the hide and left alone for several hours (I use a paper plate because I use cypress mulch for bedding). It may not take that long but disturbing them may prove counterproductive and cause setbacks.

[louise]

if you do decide you want to ever switch him over to F/T we could all help you. i have helped many people who never thought it possible

	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.

[python2]

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

The shot they gave your snake was ivermectin. It's a scarey drug really. For it to be effective, it has to be carefully dosed to a hair below toxic levels for your snake. Any miscalculation towards an overdose= dead snake. Some snakes develop an allergy to it once exposed. Nothing will happen the first time, then a week or so later you do it again and bam...dead snake from allergic reaction. Scarey stuff. Permetherin when used correctly is safer. Permetherin when used incorrectly though is as dangerous as anything else though. So whatever you do, research it and weigh the risks.

Now about your live feeding thing. When is the last time you tried frozen/thawed? How did you thaw it? How did you offer it? If you can get your snake to eat at all, chances are, he will eat frozen thawed. Just because he refused it 6 years ago doesn't mean he will refuse it now. Give it a shot. Ball pythons that don't take it from the tongs immediatly sometimes do better left in the cage with the thawed rat infront of the hide and left alone for several hours (I use a paper plate because I use cypress mulch for bedding). It may not take that long but disturbing them may prove counterproductive and cause setbacks.

Thanks for the info but i've been going to this shop for a long time and i really trust the guy, besides my snake was really bad and it was either chance a shot or chance him dying like the younger one. As far as live goes, i tried 6 years ago when i got him and about 2 years ago when he got attacked. I tried tempting him with the tongs and i left it in the cage with him from that morning until that night with no luck. I understand that you guys don't like live feeding and i would rather not feed live but i don't see another choice right now. My python is a really picky eater anyway. Again, thanks for the info and i'm not trying to sound rude, if i am ...sorry.

[python2]

Originally Posted by louise

if you do decide you want to ever switch him over to F/T we could all help you. i have helped many people who never thought it possible

Thanks for the offer. If i decide to try again i'll definitely let you know.

[JuliusSqueezer]

Ultimately it's your choice. It's not rocket science to feed a snake frozen/thawed. At the very least, thump the rat with a fatal blow to the head and feed it to him right as it's just about done twitching. That's still not the best way but it's safer than throwing in a fully armed and allert rat. It may also be a step between live and f/t if you can get the snake used to not needing movement from the rat. Snakes eat dead things in the wild if they happen to get to it first and are often observed stealing prekilled meals from each other. There is nothing unnatural about feeding dead prey. I also don't think that your snake has even a general idea about the whole freezing and thawing process. To him..it's food. That's all they can relate to. Your snake will take f/t. It's your mentality that is the biggest barrier. Not his. Make sure any rat you are feeding him is reasonably fresh...not freezer burned. If the skin shucks off and the guts spill out when you thaw...it's gone bad. Toss it. Thaw it in hot water in a ziplock to keep it fairly dry. When you think it's thawed enough, feel the head and gut and make sure you can't feel any coolness. If you do, it's still partially frozen. Once it's thawed, warm it slightly so it's warm to the touch but not hot.

Do you feed live off the tongs? If so, then your snake is used to you handing it food. Feed it a f/t rat the same exact way you offer live. If you don't feed off tongs, try it with a whacked rat...get him used to eating off tongs and the battle is pretty much over.

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