I've heard two completely different sides. It's easier for me to feed my young Ball Python a live mouse. But, I've heard that as they get older they will be more aggressive if you keep feeding them live mice. Is this true?
2007-09-01 15:13:33 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
No, I don't believe it will make them more aggressive. Most of my snakes eat frozen/thawed or prekilled. But I have a few picky eaters that only eat live. If anything, I feel that the ones that eat dead rodents are more aggressive. Why? Because they're used to me dangling dead rodents in front of them. So when I open their enclosure, they see my hand and associate it with food. The ones that eat live never see my hand, so when they do, they don't try to bite me because they don't associate me with food. Of course, live rodents can be dangerous to snakes, but I don't think it makes too much of a difference as far as their attitude is concerned whether they eat live or dead.
2007-09-01 17:16:17 · answer #1 · answered by madsnakeman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a dozen ball pythons, they are among the 30 snakes I have. I've kept snakes for the last 20 years.
I feed both frozen/thawed and live to my snakes.
I feed my ball pythons live feeders exclusively. None of mine are the slightest aggressive. They are just not an aggresive snake.
Now, I have seen them get pretty excited when they are hungry and think they are going to be fed. So I alway reach in with a snake hook and give them a little pull, and they immediately know they are going to be held and NOT fed and become very docile. Then I can just reach in and pick them right up.
If you feed them frozen/thawed rodents, you will have to warm the rodent up and move it around with thongs and fool them into thinking they are alive to get them to eat it so what have you accomplished. They are eating live as far as they know.
Dont' worry about your ball python becoming aggresive, just take it out regularly for short intervals. Some people get in trouble when the only time they open the inclosures are to feed them. So they open the door throw in a rodent and close it, over and over. The snake becomes conditioned to this. Then you decide to hold it, you open the door and reach in and the snake thinks it's being fed and reacts with a feeding response bite.
Taking it out regularly between feedings and using a small cage hook to move it a little like described above will prevent that problem from ever happening.
Keep herpin'
Kirk
2007-09-01 17:25:00 · answer #2 · answered by reptile530 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
in my personal experience i have found that feeding live will not make them more aggressive if done correctly. you should place the snake in a seperate box and put the live mouse in the box with the snake, and let the snake eat it in there. then when the snake is done return him to his tank. this ensures that the snake knows the difference between feeding time and when someone goes to hold him. a snake that is not fed in an enclosure seperate from his tank might not be able to make the difference between you coming to pick him up and a mouse that you are feeding him. putting him in a seperate box to eat ensures that he gets used to eating only in the box , and he will know your hand is not food when he is in his normal tank.
2007-09-01 17:38:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I also have a ball and he or she is around the comparable age. I feed her stay in her tank & she is advantageous. I even have in no way been bitten. I say that is completely advantageous. I additionally had one some years in the past and raised her from a infant to an entire grown and fed her stay & in her tank & she replaced into in no way aggressive, i've got in no way had a difficulty with it. additionally, do not carry him for twenty-four hours after feeding and verify the fragrance of the mouse is off of you. you does not prefer him thinking you're food in any respect by using fact that is while he will chew. yet, I say as long as he's dealt with plenty and gets plenty off interest, he won't grow to be aggressive. i think of you're completely advantageous. shop doing what you're doing! (:
2016-10-17 10:50:17 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most snakes will strike pre-killed prey items just the same as live prey items. I've never noticed any difference in their strikes that was caused by the food item's motion or lack of motion & I've been raising & caring for snake for over 40 yrs.
2007-09-02 09:27:47 · answer #5 · answered by Toe Cutter 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know nothing about snakes but I'd give 'em live mice, what else have they got that's real in their cage??
2007-09-01 15:32:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋