I bought a baby ball python a few months ago and I have been having issues feeding him. I have other snakes so it's not like I don't know how to feed them. My friend's herp vet told him that he can feed his snake pureed dog food and baby food with nutrients. How exactly do you feed a snake dog food?
2007-07-30 14:25:24 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
***Please note....I have exhausted all other options without going into further explanation***
2007-07-30 14:37:43 · update #1
The vet will use a feeding tube to put the food directly into the stomach. It's a very routine procedure.The purpose is just to get some nutrition into him so that he does not physically decline until you get him feeding. They use a nutritionally dense food designed for ailing and anorexic animals , it is not like regular dog food. It's a temporary solution, not meant to replace normal feeding.
2007-07-30 14:38:19 · answer #1 · answered by Thea 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your friends vet is an idiot . You can not feed a snake dog food . You need to check the temp and humidity in your cage . If your set up is correct your snake should eat . Have you tried feeding in the evening ? Ball Pythons hunt at night . Also make sure its the right size mouse and warm .Do not handle the snake much since Ball Pythons do not do well with daily handling . If the are stressed out they will not eat .I would not recomend force feeding a Ball Python . If your set up is correct he will eat .
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2007-07-31 08:39:02 · answer #2 · answered by darsow@sbcglobal.net 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you REALLY exhausted all other options?
I have kept many ball pythons, and have NEVER had one go any significant length of time without feeding. Carefully review your housing and care, especially temperature and hide box requirements. Assuming all of that is good, here are some things you might try:
-Freshly killed mouse. Using a forceps, gently tease the snake into striking. Rub the mouse on the snake's neck area.
-Try LIVE pinkies. They cannot injure your snake at this size.
-Try confining your snake with a LIVE pinky in a deli cup overnight.
- Try Brain-casing; this technique almost always works, even when nothing else does. Take a LIVE pinky, and slice open it's skull, exposing the brain. Smear bits of brain matter on the mouse's head, and confine your snake with it in the deli cup overnight. Does this method seem cruel to you? Letting your snake starve to death is worse.
-If you ABSOLUTELY must force feed, don't let your obviously inexperienced vet feed it dog food. Get a pinky pump (google it) and do it yourself, it's safe and easy.
2007-07-30 15:48:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
you probably did good elevating the temp of the enclosure now wait a million week do not guard the snake in any respect make optimistic it has a secure cover container and is in a room it is quiet and loose from commotion , additionally attempt to feed at night in a regularly dark room . If the snake nonetheless wont devour attempt to place the enclosure in a closet or another place it is amazingly quiet and thoroughly dark then placed a pinky mouse in the enclosure and depart it over night if that still does not artwork place the snake and a pinky in a paper bag such as you utilize to %. your lunch in then close the bag and placed a small volume of tape to make optimistic the snake does not get out and a few small air holes and depart them over night place the bag in the enclosure so as that if that snake does get out it extremely is not getting loose . I quite have had good success with those innovations I used to get captive hatched toddler ball python in via the hundred and making use of those innovations i've got been given greater then ninety% started ingesting fantastically rapid .
2016-10-01 01:43:40 · answer #4 · answered by mangini 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first of all...DONT feed ur snake anything other than small mice...that vet obviously doesnt know what hes talking about. i mean think about it...do snakes eat dog food and baby food out in the wild...? no, they dont...they eat rodents and insects...but ball pythons eat rodents - try feeding him either pre killed or live pinkies. it will eat on its own...if u have to force feed it, thats a whole different story...u then would have to either get the vet to provide u with the force feeding formula or u could make ur own (which is hard for me to do)...get frozen mice and thaw them out completely...then get an old blender (at a flea market or a yard sale) and make ur own formula by putt 1 or 2 mice in there and making it into a thick liquid...its alot cheaper...if u cant do that then take it to the vet and they can try to get it to eat whole mice on its own...good luck!
2007-07-30 15:25:16 · answer #5 · answered by Tiffany S 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I wouldn't recomend feeding dog food. It's not as good for the snake as mice. You could feed him crickets if its really small or baby moce depending on how big it is.
2007-07-30 14:36:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
simple you dont it needs to eat mice and other live or frozen food
2007-07-30 14:33:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋