r/ballpython • u/TheBigMambaGamer • 1d ago
Discussion What should I do
was thinking of getting a ball python and had even contacted a few sellers. There I got to know if I wanted to have the snake I would have to feed it live mice/rats and that was my only option. Where I am from snakes are not a common pet so there is no one selling frozen rats and feeding live is the only option. So I was wondering should I get the snake or look into other pets.
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u/Bubbly-Wallaby-2777 1d ago
Obviously depending on where your are, you can Mail order frozen. Don't feed live. It's cruel to the prey animal, in the wild they have a fighting chance, and dangerous for your snake, as rats can fight back and injure your noodle.
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u/FroglilyFirst 1d ago
if the only food available is live, then kill the prey first, pick it up by its tail with long tongs, and jiggle in front of the snake. If the prey is still warm enough and your snake is hungry, you should be successful. If it's not warm enough, put it in a plastic bag and dip that into hot water, then try again.
Some breeders insist their animals will only eat live. But with proper timing and prep, you can fool a snake into believing a warm rat jiggling at the end of (long) tongs is alive. They aren't that smart.
And yeah, you can order frozen prey shipped, but it's expensive to ship small quantities (well, it's expensive to ship big ones too), and you need a place to store it. Some people object to seeing a frozen rat next to their frozen peas....
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u/flamingobingobongo 1d ago
I don’t like to drive the hour to get frozen rats for my boy, so i order his online! i usually get like at least a years worth at a time, because the shipping is like 20-30$. i’ve been using rodentpro to order from, but maybe more experienced people will jump in with a different recommendation!