spotted - feeding/age etc

[inkgirl]

My spotted is about 2.5 foot long but is only vey thin...At the thickest part of his body he's probably about as round as a 50c piece. His head is very small.
I've only had him a short time, about 2 weeks, I gave him his first feed a few days ago which was 2 small mice I got at the pet shop. Live, as he's only ever been fed on live.
He seemed to eat them easily & digest them, I'm just wondeing if that is sufficient & how often I should be feeding him.
Some people have suggested he's proably about 2 years old, due to his size. I'm not sure, his previous owner didn't seem to know much about him.
I have him in a 4ft long fish tank & I've got the temps right at around 33c on the ground where the heating mat is. The cold end is about 26c
Also how often do I need to clean his enclosure. I have that reptile sand stuff in the bottom.
I need as much help with him as I can get, I'm open to any sugestions

 

[spanna_spamload]

if its as round as a 50c coin at 2 1/2 foot than its quite solid

 

[WomaPythons]

u shudnt be feedin live food and if u are i wudnt be sayin it on here

 

[justbecausewhy]

I was told that sand would give spotted problems when eating or breathing...I use breeders choice kitty litter or bark so much easier to clean....
Try feeding ur snake wearner rats as they are bigger...get them frozen then thraw them out either in a sandwich bag then put into hot tap water for about 20 - 30mins or leave them to thaw out but make sure they are warm when you give them to the snake.
I was told live mice or rats have diseases so never give them live...the frozen ones dont and are much clearner...also if ur snake is not hungy the mice might bite the snake and cause damage....then its a trip to the vet.

My adult female spotted python eats weaner rats... one only once a week.

Check out my pics on my profile...cheers.

 

[Serpentess]

Reptile sand is better for lizards. You should use butchers paper, paper towels or even paper kitty litter. It will be heaps better for your snake. To clean this substrate all you need to do is take out the piece with poop on it and replace it with a new one. Also take out any pieces that get wet or dirty, then replace them with another. Change all the pieces like once every month or so.

If it athesetics you're after reptabark (or called something like that) is a properly cleaned soft bark that is available at most pet shops made specifically for reptiles - this would be a better bet. To clean the enclosure just scoop out the bits of bark with poop (or any other mess) on them every week or two and change the whole substrate about every 6 months.

If the previous owner was unable to tell you much about the snake, then maybe they didn't care enough to try and feed it frozen. You should try feeding frozen/thawed weaner rats from the petshop. If he won't strike them, stab them in the head (braining) and wiggle it around in front of him. He should go for it.

It is dangerous to your snake to feed it live mice. It is only recommended under the strict circumstances that the snake will starve if it doesn't eat live mice. Please try the above method. 'Justbecausewhy' has already given information about how to thaw out a frozen rat/mouse, but I prefer to use a small container with very warm (not hot) water. Very hot water tends to make the animal bleed everywhere when they are constricted. Quite messy. You will know if the rodent is thawed when you massage it and it is soft and warm all over. If your snake doesn't take them like this, like I said above; stab it in the head and wiggle it around in front of him.

Good luck.

 

[Aslan]

Inkgirl - That sounds like a good sized animal.

Weaner rats should be no dramas for a snake that size.

It is unlikely to be easily done, but you really need to take the time to wean your snake from live onto frozen/thawed rodents. It is beneficial to the animals and also convenient for yourself (not to mention humane). In saying that, it is possible the snake will easily convert, just try it out. Make sure the rodent is warm and wiggle it a little to get the snakes attention.

Another good technique for getting the snake's attention is to tap it gently on the tail with the rodent, this often gets an immediate response from the snake and triggers a feeding response...

Be persistent.

 

[syeph8]

buying live mice and rats from pet store is dangerous because of some of the medications they give them arent they? this is what i have heard.
having said that, i would at least try to feed thawed mice first and then thawed weaner rats (it is sometimes hard to get snakes to go from mice to rats, but some never skip a beat). if you do eventually have to feed live (which i doubt) then i suggest that you buy direct from a breeder or buy breeders from the store and only feed the offspring

 

[inkgirl]

thanks everyone for the suggestions. I appreciate everyone's ideas.
I do agree that the previous owner didn't care much....one of the reasons I agreed to take the snake.
I will definately try the thawed mice or weaner rats. The pet shop does sell them.
The man at the pet shop suggested the reptile sand, he said he used it for his. I might give the reptabark a go.
Thanks again

 

[inkgirl]

Spanna_spamload - he's only that round at his biggest, that was about 3 days after his feed. His head is only very small, which is what concerns me with feeding. I don't want to get something that is too big for his jaw. (see pictures)

 

[pythonmum]

A spotted python will have a small head, no longer than the end joint of your thumb in most cases. They get to a metre long or a little bit more. Mine is 8 years old. He weighs about 550 g and is 1.15 m long. Yours seems to be an adult, so he only needs to eat about once every two weeks. My spotted and stimson have both stopped feeding for winter, even though they have the same heat and light cycle all year. Don't panic if this happens. Just offer food every few weeks until he starts feeding again.

Given that he's had a recent feed, give him another week or two to get hungry before trying a frozen thawed mouse or weaner rat. Thaw it in hot water until it feels nice and warm - even when you squeeze its middle (to make sure it's thawed all of the way through). Feed at night when he's in hunting mode. As Aslan said, hold by the tail and wiggle it. If he doesn't seem interested, lay it nearby, cover the cage and check back in an hour. The advantages of frozen rodents are: more humane death for rodent, they won't attack/injure your snake, intestinal parasites are (hopefully) killed by being frozen, easy to store until needed.

As far as substrate goes, I've used sand, but switched to Breeder's Choice in the past couple of years. I spot clean as needed and replace all of the BC and underlying newspaper every few months. It's not as heavy as sand and looks better than plain newspaper (although I use that for all of my Morelia). Good luck with your little guy!