could i leave aprekilled mouse in side aball pythons cage?

Question

hi ppl,could i leave aprekilled mouse inside aball pythons cage hanged from his tail?could i put him back in to the freezer??and if i can leave him for how long anhoure or aday??cuz this ******* snake is not eating and is been along time about 2months.and he finshed shedding but he still got few dead skin around his neck,maybe cuz o'v that?plz reply.thx.

Answer 1

Wow... people if you dont know an answer dont waste this guys time! There is no need to hang the frozen mouse from its tail, just set it in the feeding box/cage.. wherever it is you feed your snake. The mouse needs to be WARM, This can be achieved by putting it in a ziplock bag and letting it sit in hot water. A snake will not eat anything anything that dosent appear to still be alive. This has nothing to do with your snake shedding. You need to re-warm the mouse as soon as it cools off to less than around 90 degrees or so.. just use your own judgment. How big is your snake? You may be feeding him a mouse that is too big or too small. Snakes always prefer live food to frozen, so if you can buy a live mouse.. do.

Answer 2

Yes, you can leave a prekilled mouse in the cage with the snake,but hanging from the tail isn't necessary. Just make sure the mouse is warm and set it in the cage
I would not leave the mouse for very long though. A few hours at the most. Usually if the snake doesn't eat within 30 minutes, it probably isn't going to.

If the mouse is Pre-killed but has NOT been frozen (for example, you killed the mouse right before feeding the snake) then yes, the mouse can be placed in the freezer. However, I would not put a mouse in the freezer that had been sitting in a snake cage for 2-3 hours. If the mouse has been dead for more than 30 minutes, I would throw it away.
Now, if the mouse was previously frozen and then thawed to feed your snake, it should NEVER be placed back in the freezer.

As for not eating...check the temps, make sure the snake has fresh water and a clean cage. Do not attempt to overstimulate him. Give the snake a food item once a week. If it isn't eaten , remove the mouse and don't try again for 7 days. Trying to feed more often than that will cause stress and the snake won't eat for longer.
Also check the cage for mites.(they will look like little specks of pepper. Snakes get overstressed when mites are present and it will cause them to go off feed.
If your snake is older, it could be in "breeding mode" especially if you have a female snake, too.

I doubt that a small amount of skin would cause him not to eat. But, you can try placing him in a small amount of warm(not hot) water to soak for 15 -20 minutes. It will help him get that skin off.

Good Luck. Hope that helps

Answer 3

A PRE-killed mouse is perfectly fine being left in the cage but don't hang it (mice don't grow on trees ya know), just lay it on the ground. Don't over do it, though and leave the mouse in there for too long, maybe just a day or so. If you freeze the mouse, make sure to thaw it out COMPLETELY before feeding it to your snake (don't cook it though, try putting it in a plastic bag into a pot of WARM water until it is totally thawed and soft again). Nothing will kill your snake quicker than having him eat a mouse with a rock of ice in it's center. Do NOT ever leave a LIVE mouse or rat in with a snake who doesn't want to eat it. Rodents have been known to kill the snakes in those cases sometimes. At the least they may take small bites out of the snake that result in infections.

Lastly, how long have you had the snake? Was it eating before? Are you keeping the cage warm enough? It sounds like the humidity is too low or else it wouldn't have the shedding problem you described...but it could be ill also and that could affect the shedding too. I suggest making sure the cage is in the low to mid 90 degrees F and spray a little water into the cage a few times a day to raise the humidity level. Also, try feeding it different kinds of prey items to see if you can get it interested: chicks, quail chicks, hamsters, gerbils, small/baby rats, etc. If it goes much longer without eating (another few weeks or so), take it to a vet to have it force fed until you figure out the problem. Had to do all this with a boa I had once, went about 9 months without eating, mine turned out to have round worm but that was a result of not eating, vet never did figure out what the root cause of not eating was; snake had to be put to sleep. Not trying to scare ya but take care of your pet so you don't have the same ending!
Good Luck!

Answer 4

Are we talking about a frozen mouse here? Or a mouse you killed yourself? If it was previously frozen you can refreeze it once more and try to feed it to the snake again later. But use common sense, if this rodent is rotten/spoiled at all then just throw it away.

Also, has this snake always eaten pre-killed rodents? Because if not, the poor snake may not even recognize this thing as food! Most reptile stores sell an additive that your can put on the pre-killed food to make it smell more alive & appetizing. I have never used these products myself, but they do exist. You might give it a try. My snakes eat frozen rodents, and I have to hold them by their tails and sort of "walk" them in front of the snake to get their attention. One of my snakes literally will not even notice it if I just let it sit there, unmoving.

I do not recommend leaving the mouse in the cage for a couple reasons. One I already listed above...that the snake may not even recognize it as a meal if it's not moving. Second is that the snake may inadvertently ingest some of the substrate in the cage in the process of eating the rodent. Do you have bark in the cage? Bark, if ingested, can cause intestinal blockages which can result in costly vet bills (and suffering for the snake!).

Check the cage temperature too. If it is not warm enough the snake may being feeling (literally) "under the weather." I have noticed that my snakes go into a "semi-hibernation" during the winter if I do not keep their cages at just the right temperature.

You mentioned something about shedding too, which gave me an idea. If my snake is having trouble shedding I soak her in lukewarm water in the bath tub. Not too deep of course! She hates it, but it helps loosen the skin. Sometime it also helps loosen the bowels so she will poop & pee in the water. If your snake is constipated she/he may not want to eat, so you could give the bathing a try.

If you can afford it you might consider taking the snake to the vet. If you can't afford it, but you truly think he snake needs veterinary attention, you can apply for "CareCredit" which is a credit line specifically for medical & veterinary care. You can apply online, or at most vet offices. Another option is always to relinquish the pet to the Humane Society or a reptile rescue group (as a last resort).

Good luck!

Answer 5

You could leave it in there but he won't eat it. They like live food. Put in a live mouse or rat depending on the size of your snake. Two mice would not hurt him. Have fun.

Answer 6

you shouldnt give a snake a frozen thing to eat. it'll be like trying to swallow a rock. why dont you heat it up a little bit before you feed it to the snake...

Answer 7

hi there zeusss
yes u can and u can also put it back in the freezer if it just sits over night but once u thaw it again and he doesn't eat then throw it...