Handling ball python right after feeding..?

at his age and size, you could actually feed him one adult mouse every week. for my ball pythons that need to eat two, i put both mice in. i feed all my snakes in the tub and have since i got my first snake. so good job on that. it is strongly advised not to feed any snake in its tank. every time you go to take him out, he could mistake it for "feeding time". if you just put both in there he will strike at the second when he is done with the first. but because you just got him, put the second mouse in when he is done swallowing and starts moving around.

when he is completely done, put your hand by him slowly to allow him to get your scent. once he is fine, pick him up by his neck and by his tail. try and avoid that whole middle area as best as possible and he should regurgitate. remember not to handle him for another 3 days.

your heat lamp is right where it should be. make sure his water bowl is on the opposite side. email me if you have anymore questions :)

good luck! first time feeding is always cool to watch.

Do not feed her again today if she just ate yesterday. Even baby pythons should go a minimum of 5 days between feedings. Don't try to handle her for at least 72 hours after feeding. A stressed snake will vomit if it has a full stomach. As for the number of mice, I would do no more than 2 and I would make sure she gets the second one immediately after the first, as snakes feeding mode "switches off" after about 15 minutes and they loose all interest in food after that point. Offer prey items no wider than the thickest part of the snakes body. If the tank you are keeping her in has a hot side and a cool side your snake will pick the best spot for digestion. They know what temperatures they need a lot better than we do. If she's in the cooler side of the dank it means the hot side was a little too warm to be comfortable. She'll find the best temperature for digestion on her own. Don't worry about it. Try offering her pre-killed prey. You can buy frozen rodents in bulk which will be a lot cheaper than buying live ones. Live rodents pose a risk of injury to snakes if left unattended. edit: Read some more of your post and your snake could probably do with one fuzzy rat or nearly-full-grown mouse every 10 days. Pythons evolved to eat one very large meal and make it last a while. likely your snake is 2-3 year old, and will reach a full length of about 3 1/2 to 4 feet at about 5-7 years old.

Yes you can give him another hopper right after the other. You will know when he is ready to eat another. Don't pick him up and put him back into his tank because it is possible he might regurgitate the hoppers. Don't leave him in the feeding box. And it is okay to have the heat lamp over the half log.. I do in my ball python's tank.

I have a ball python that is about 1 year 6 months, and I feed him a small rat every 10 days, so you should feed him more than the 2 hoppers every 9 days.

And about the feeding him in a different container, you don't really have to with the Ball Pythons. As long as you handle him enough to know your smell and heat signature you will be able to just feed him in his cage.

I have done this since he was a baby with mine and have not gotten bit ever.

he isn't eating enough. your snake sould be eating one rodent a tiny bit bigger around than your snake at it's thickest part (there should be a little bump in your snake after he eats). after my bp's eat i let the food get down a little bit and then take them out and put them back in their house. leave the snake in his feeding tub for about 20 minutes or so after he eats and then put him back up.

he should have his heat lamp on one side of the tank and he should have hide spots (logs whatever you are using for hides) on both sides of the tank one on the hot and one on the cool. the water dish should be on the cool side.

good luck

You can feed both in a row. When you move him, just do it gently. Don't flex the body more than you have to or it may regurgitate the food..... I'd put him back in his tank, as I said, gently.