Ball Python Prey Question?

Question

Hi, this is my third question, and I have many more i may need to ask.
Anyway, the pet store that is close to me sell live rodents, and every time i feed my snake,Reggie, i stand right there in case something bad happens. I want to start feeding him pre-killed rodents, but i don't know how to put the poor little guys out of there misery. My snake was never eaten dead prey before, so any information would be helpful. If i can do this, i can put a whole lot into my freezer without having to go to the pet store, which is like 20 miles away and is a pain in the butt to get to. I live out in the little dusty town of Forgan Oklahoma, right in the middle of nowhere. Could i order some in bulk, or kill them myself,( I don't really want to do that unless i have to.) Any Ideas on how i should do this?

Answer 1

I order all of my frozen rodents from Big Cheese Rodent factory (great name, huh? lol). The quality of rodents is outstanding, they are clean and vacuum sealed when you get them, their prices are very reasonable, and they will allow smaller orders than some other companies, which is nice for folks who only have one or two snakes to feed.

You can try starting him out on a frozen/thawed rat by grasping the rat with tongs, and put it into Reggie's enclosure. If he doesn't show interest in it, move it around a bit, trying to mimic the movements of a live rodent. Make sure the rodent is thoroughly warmed, as he is used to a warm prey item. I put frozen rodents into a ziplock baggie, then drop them into a sinkful (you could just use a bowl, I thaw a LOT at a time) of hot water for 10-15 minutes. This will thaw the rodent and warm them up nicely.

It may take a few attempts, but with patience you can usually switch them over to eating frozen/thawed, especially if they are good eaters to begin with. Still keep your feeding attempts limited to weekly....if he doesn't eat when offered, wait until the following week to offer food again.

Answer 2

First of all start feeding the python dead prey as soon as possible. The longer it has to hunt and kill live rodents, the more aggressive it will be towards anything you put near it, and that include your hands. Another problem is the live prey will be scared and defend itself, which could mean infected mouse bites on your snake that would require a visit to the vet. There are many places on the net you can mail order various amounts of pre-killed mice which are called fuzzies or pinkies, but I would expect your local pet store should have some too. Just stash a supply in the freezer, then when its feeding time, simply drop a mouse in a small container of hot water for a few minutes to thaw it out. My friend who has owned pet reptiles all his life finds that if you make a small cut on the dead rodent's skull to expose some brains, the snake will find the mouse more appetizing. There's also a reptile vitamin powder you can sprinkle on to keep your pet healthy.

Answer 3

As the previous poster suggested ordering frozen is your best option. Do a search in your area you should be able to find a number of suppliers. Ordering in bulk will reduce the shipping costs if you have place to store them.
Euthanizing feeder prey at home is pretty inhumane if you are not actually using the commercial CO2 method. Most people end up using blunt force trauma which is neither painless, immediate or very tidy!

Answer 4

i have a question for you ; in the wild where would your ball get frozen/thawed food.if your in the middle of nowhere raise your own "rats",and feed your ball fuzzies, their equal in size to mice and aren't aggressive at all. if you insist on turning a predator into a scavenger buy fuzzie rats in bulk and freeze them in zip lock bags, don't forget to allow it to come to room temperature or slightly warmer,balls hunt down there prey in burrows by their heat signature and cold food would cause a digestion problem

Answer 5

Order them from rodentpro.com.