Blood Pythons First Rat Part 2/4

VPI Blood Pythons First Rat
Tell Me What You Think

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Blood
• Pythons
• First
• Rat
• Python
• Short
• Tailed
• Curtus
• Brongersmai
• VPI

[HarleyDiggler]

Yeah I have never been able to NOT watch.I would try to walk away but I am just too afraid of something happening to her. When i try a rat pup should I try and use tongs and present it to her or just put it on the floor of the tank? everytime ive tried to feed her I put her in a seperate tank (not her normal tank) should I continue this, and should I put the hide box in for her too?

[FixingAHole237]

I would just put the rat in front of her (with tongs)on the floor of the feeding tank, if she doesn't seem interested after a while try to move the rat closer to her and move it around a bit to try and stimulate her feeding response. I wouldn't put the hide box in the feeding tank because she might just try and hide rather than feeding. Try to warm up the feeding tank before you put her in, and let her settle down and slither around before you put the rat in to try and make her more comfortable.

[HarleyDiggler]

OK. Thanks alot for your help.I am going to try and feed her today. When I go to the pet store should I ask for a 'rat pup' or a baby rat or what do you think would be most suitable and easy for her?

[FixingAHole237]

Ask the people at the pet store to let you see the rats and ask them how old they are, get either a fuzzy (10-13 days of age) or a pup (14-18 days of age), both of which will have their eyes closed and will be relatively helpless and will not move very much compared to an older rat. Either one should be fine and your blood will be able to take her time to inspect and size up the rat since it shouldn't be very active. I hope this helps, tell me how it goes.

[HarleyDiggler]

Hey man. I got a fuzzy rat, just barely eyes open, warmed up the tank, put my blood in first for a good 20 minutes then introduced the rat and she did the same thing she just wasnt interested.the rat was moving a bit and everything but she just kept trying to climb up the tank walls like she always does. I was watching her do this for like 15 minutes before I took her out again. Now I really dont know what to do..Should I contact the dealer i got her from or just keep trying the fuzzies?

[FixingAHole237]

I would contact the dealer as well, and when you do also ask him what she was feeding on. Try to keep her in the tank with the rat or mouse (whatever she was eating before) longer just to see if she calms down and eats. If not try to leave a dead rodent in with her at night and give her some peace and quiet and try not to bee seen, she might just be use to eating with no one watching and you may have to gradually get her use to you being there when she eats.

[FixingAHole237]

You may be talking about a larger rat because a rat pup (14 to 18 days of age) doesn't even have its eyes open yet and they hardly even move. I highly recommend that you ALWAYS watch every feeding, I have always watched every feeding from start to finish with every animal I have ever owned or worked with. There are so many things that can go wrong with a live rodent stuck in the same feeding tub (or enclosure) with a snake especially a young snake, I can't emphasize this point enough.

[HarleyDiggler]

Yeah I hear ya.. I will try them. I tried one before but it was kinda vicious and nipped my bloods snout a little. I've been told to not watch them but I'm so worried that she will get bitten or attacked

[FixingAHole237]

As far as humidity goes I spray the substrate down, shift it around, and spray it once or twice more and that usually keeps the enclosure at about 66% for somewhere around thirty hours, so I do this every day and it is working great for me. I also have a huge water bowl under a 60 watt bulb and that also contributes to the ambient air humidity. Many people do use types of moss with success but I haven't tried it myself in my reptiles enclosures.

[FixingAHole237]

I would definitely recommend the rat pups first because the breeder you got the blood from may have had the blood on rat pups so that might be the only prey item it recognizes (rats and mice smell VERY different to snakes), and your going to have to feed your blood rats soon enough anyway (unless you go straight to pinky rabbits) when it outgrows mice so your gf should learn to get use to it, I know its no fun if you had them as pets but it may come down to the rat or the snake.