TC. . a few ????? :)

[SnakeLuvr]

hehehe did ya expect that? LOL so anyways, here they are:

Now, I got Sebastian on 7/17, & gave him lots of time to settle in (tho I didn't follow the handling rule :O I held him same day. . . And he is awesome! He is so calm & sweet, I was actually pretty SHOCKED! LOL NOT that I thought he would be mean, but ya never know right??

So Sebastian is a ball python. . . Supposed to be a He . . Unknown age. . . He is 4' give or take an " . . . So I figure I'll take that he has been decently cared for because he seems to be apparently healthy . . No visual signs of any kind of "abuse" that I can tell, So I guess from owning No Feet, that Sebastian could be @ 4yrs or so old?? (Like I said, give a decent owning, not over or under-fed, etc). He has a good girth, but not obese. . . I didn't know if he would take a rat . I know lots of balls are mouse eaters. . . So tonight I got him his first rat. . . unfortunately had to be live;( (The pet store owner told me that a guy 4 yrs ago killed one because a customer wanted it dead & they had a huge lawsuit on "Cruelty to animals!! ":O He said cost them over $10000!! :{ So they don't do it at all now. . . He then said 3 yrs after that incident, they passed a law making it "ok" to do it, but they stay away from it) So, anyways, I had to get a live one.

I didn't know how Sebastian was going to react. My step-sis brought him up a tank (15gal for now . . .) & he is happily exploring it now. I put him in & got him settled & then put his rat in <CAREFULLY watching the little devil so he didn't do no bitting!> and the rat was smelling a bit & was Sebastian! Nab the rat is grabbed, constricted & gone within prob 7mins from me dropping him in there! Prob even less then that! :} I got him a SM rat. . . because I wasn't exactly sure at the time what size TO get! HA! Well, this was prob a good "sssssnack" but I am sure he could have at leat had a good sized Med.

Anyhow, is 4 yrs a good "guess"? I hate not being able to tell! LOL Also, 1x a month good feeding for his size? And should it be Med sizes? I tried to take pics of him eating tonight but the little digital I have now didn't work out to well So next time, I'll take some w/the regular. Being this was a smaller size, should I feed him again in like 2 wks, or should I just wait till 9/10 & feed him a Med?

um . . . I think that is all for now
Hugs
Tara

[SnakeLuvr]

Re: TC. .  a few ?????

Oh! And the only time he gets a bit nervous is if you make a sudden move by him. Then he pulls back away, like to hide.
Thought I got a great deal . . I paid $29.99 for No Feet as a teeny baby LOL
Hugs
Tara
(Sebastian was $69)

[Doug]

Re: TC. .  a few ?????

Hi,
And welcome,
I have had BP in the past and have a new one now, I know there's alot of people who cant feed DOA. But I managed to find a way that works for me, I always feed in a small Ice chest that has a locking  lid. BP"S dont mind cause they can see in the dark if its warm blooded (and Warm they see body heat ). I put the BP in the cooler with some newspaper on the floor. I let him settle for about a 1/2 hour I fresh kill my food usally a smaller food item than usual and also thaw a small rat from the freezer.
 I place the still kicking (actually DOA) in the cooler after showing it to the python.
  I leave the room for about 30 mis (while warming up the thawed small rat in a baggy to keep it dry) in a water dish full off warm water.
   I check the snake the mouse is gone and she's stil hungry IE small food item ,I then show him the FTR slightly warm and put it on the floor away from the snake close the lid and give them about 40 mins  this usally works and after two feedings I just feed FTR.
 I did this for a couple years with a rather large female BP, She was never bit by any rat. They get excited about feeding in the cooler and will actually yank the  food from your hand after being placed in the cooler..      My only complaing about BP's is feeding them guy's, the cooler was the answer to my problems.
 I know your an experienced herper I just posted this for any new members who have'nt managed to convert to FTR (fresh thawed rats)
    Here's my newest BP DOB feb02

DOug 8)
I CANT STAND TO SEE BP"S ALL CHEWED UP cwm8.gif

[SnakeLuvr]

Re: TC. .  a few ?????

;D

Nice looking snake Doug!!

It took me a bit to get my other BP, No Feet to switch to rats. . . He just wasn't having it for a bit :} But I won him over in the end & had him eating F/T rats:}

I always fed them out of cage (in a seperate box) . . . Now, hopefully since this guy does take rats, it won't be too hard to go to F/T:}
Thanks,
(H)
Tara