Ball python bite

[catfishrod69]

i have a very fat healthy ball and i never have any problems holding or feeding her...only thing is she sucks at aim...she always hits the rat on the side, or misses...but i just let her have it, and she knows what to do...ive never owned any aggressive snakes, but in my opinion i would say for something with a bite reputation like a ETB, i would say always feed in its home, because its too much stress moving them for feeding, and most owners actually get tagged moving the snake to or from a feeding tub...ive always thought about getting a ETB, but kinda want to limit myself on time consuming creatures....i would say if you do get it, feed it in its home...be careful when holding it, and once you start getting tagged and realizing its not gonna stop, then just quit holding it completely...or just dont hold it from the start...i even freak when trying to pick up my little tiny 1 foot long male albino checker garter, even though his mouth cant get a bite on my skin, its still spooky...and i have to use a stick to pick him or the female up, and once they get in my hands they settle down....do you feed FT?

I was considering switching over to a feeding tub for my ball, but I'm not convinced it's necessary. What's your opinion of feeding more aggressive snakes, such as emerald tree boas, this way? I've heard from many sources that tree snakes are almost always in hunting mode at night, and will often strike at anything that comes near them after dark. I'm seriously considering getting an ETB, and can only imagine the fun I would have attempting to remove and strike-happy snake like that from its cage for feedings (and since those would occur after dark, I imagine this would always be the case). Would a hook even protect me? There's an ETB at a local reptile shop that I have my eye on, and I know for a fact that he's handleable; an employee took him out for me last time I was there. I'm told he's always fed in his cage, at night, and has never struck at anyone during the day. They've had him for a couple of years, since he was a baby.

 

[OphidianDelight]

I feed prekilled inside the enclosure and don't have any problems with aggression--I have a carpet with a healthy feeding response, a blood python who goes aggro as soon as I walk in the room with the rats and a boa who is pretty mellow but alert when food is present. All three of my snakes are easy to handle and I really only handle them when I am changing substrate or taking pictures. The only thing I would look out for with feeding inside the cage isn't promoting aggressive behavior but impaction from substrate. I watch to ensure everything gets swallowed without chunks of coir or soil going down the pipe too. As long as you have a healthy, well-hydrated snake there shouldn't be any problems with feeding inside the tank. I don't know if you're aware of this, but I wouldn't handle the snake within 48 hours or so of its last feeding; the prey item can tangle the snakes intestines and can cause a fatal condition. Just .02 cents.

 

[astraldisaster]

i have a very fat healthy ball and i never have any problems holding or feeding her...only thing is she sucks at aim...she always hits the rat on the side, or misses...but i just let her have it, and she knows what to do...ive never owned any aggressive snakes, but in my opinion i would say for something with a bite reputation like a ETB, i would say always feed in its home, because its too much stress moving them for feeding, and most owners actually get tagged moving the snake to or from a feeding tub...ive always thought about getting a ETB, but kinda want to limit myself on time consuming creatures....i would say if you do get it, feed it in its home...be careful when holding it, and once you start getting tagged and realizing its not gonna stop, then just quit holding it completely...or just dont hold it from the start...i even freak when trying to pick up my little tiny 1 foot long male albino checker garter, even though his mouth cant get a bite on my skin, its still spooky...and i have to use a stick to pick him or the female up, and once they get in my hands they settle down....do you feed FT?

My ball has pretty decent aim, though he does sometimes hit the rat on its side. I feed f/t, and though he refused food for the first 6 months I had him, he's pretty into it now. I'm still fattening him up from the fast. I actually got him from the same shop that has the ETB, and they are huge advocates of f/t. Unfortunately, they say that this particular ETB will only eat live mice, and insist that they have tried "everything" to get him to eat frozen. Nevertheless, if I do get him, I think I'll try my hand at eventually switching him over. Maybe start by dangling a live mouse on tongs, then offer a freshly killed one the next time. If he goes for that, I'll let him get really hungry and offer him f/t. I have heard of even very stubborn snakes eventually making the switch if they are hungry enough (and the keeper is determined enough).

I would like to keep the ETB handleable if he already is, so that I don't have to worry about him striking at me when I do want to get him out for cage cleanings, soakings, pictures, etc. I realize they aren't ball pythons and should be handled with caution, but I've read about and seen pictures of enough tame ones to know that they're not always the monsters they're made out to be.

I feed prekilled inside the enclosure and don't have any problems with aggression--I have a carpet with a healthy feeding response, a blood python who goes aggro as soon as I walk in the room with the rats and a boa who is pretty mellow but alert when food is present. All three of my snakes are easy to handle and I really only handle them when I am changing substrate or taking pictures. The only thing I would look out for with feeding inside the cage isn't promoting aggressive behavior but impaction from substrate. I watch to ensure everything gets swallowed without chunks of coir or soil going down the pipe too. As long as you have a healthy, well-hydrated snake there shouldn't be any problems with feeding inside the tank. I don't know if you're aware of this, but I wouldn't handle the snake within 48 hours or so of its last feeding; the prey item can tangle the snakes intestines and can cause a fatal condition. Just .02 cents.

True, impaction is a potential issue. I try to dangle the rat in the air as much as possible when feeding my snake. Oh, yes, I'm well aware that it's best not to handle a snake until 48 hours after feeding.

 

[catfishrod69]

glad you feed FT...best way to go...i seen some pics of a red tail boa that had been bitten on the head from a rat, and after $1000 and multiple surgeries they finally got the infection to quit...my red tail when i got him would not dare touch a frozen thawed, so i eventually had to take a live mouse and stick it in a bag and smack it off a rock then give him the twitching mouse, he immediately accepted, then the very next feeding was a frozen thawed and he took it, and has been ever since, he is now on small rats...when i thaw mine, i have them in a zip loc, and place them in cold water, then let them thaw for a couple hours, drain water, replace with lukewarm for a half hour or so, then drain and replace with hot, but just hot from the tap, and let it sit for another 20-30 minutes, then when they get their food its still warm...that might be another key to switching to FZ is to make sure that it is warm....if you wanna keep him handleable thats awesome...hope that it works out...i keep my boa on reptile carpet, and my ball on plastic and a sweater, so those i dont have to worry about impaction but my garters are on 50/50 of bark and soil, and i have been debating on switching them over to something else but they love to burrow under everythng...just havent gotten around to it yet...and something else that you might be interested in, and i plan on getting one for my boa and ball, is a Boaphile...if your not sure what one is go to boaphile.com they are awesome...just havent saved up the money to get them yet...

My ball has pretty decent aim, though he does sometimes hit the rat on its side. I feed f/t, and though he refused food for the first 6 months I had him, he's pretty into it now. I'm still fattening him up from the fast. I actually got him from the same shop that has the ETB, and they are huge advocates of f/t. Unfortunately, they say that this particular ETB will only eat live mice, and insist that they have tried "everything" to get him to eat frozen. Nevertheless, if I do get him, I think I'll try my hand at eventually switching him over. Maybe start by dangling a live mouse on tongs, then offer a freshly killed one the next time. If he goes for that, I'll let him get really hungry and offer him f/t. I have heard of even very stubborn snakes eventually making the switch if they are hungry enough (and the keeper is determined enough).

I would like to keep the ETB handleable if he already is, so that I don't have to worry about him striking at me when I do want to get him out for cage cleanings, soakings, pictures, etc. I realize they aren't ball pythons and should be handled with caution, but I've read about and seen pictures of enough tame ones to know that they're not always the monsters they're made out to be.



True, impaction is a potential issue. I try to dangle the rat in the air as much as possible when feeding my snake. Oh, yes, I'm well aware that it's best not to handle a snake until 48 hours after feeding.