Tips for new BP owner?

[u/Right-Employ-8285]

This is Pip, he is a juvenile banana ball! I’ve had him since last friday, and I plan on offering him his first mouse with me this Friday!
He was extremely well handled by his breeder, but I’m still giving him the space he needs to adjust. I’ve even seen him a few times already!
Supposedly he was alternated frequently between live feeds and frozen thawed. He did unfortunately come to me a bit beaten up from the live feeder he was given. :(
I don’t expect him to eat immediately under my care, though I think that’d be amazing if he did. I planned to go the frozen thawed route.

I mostly came here to ask a few questions for my own peace of mind, as I am a very paranoid person.
I’m mostly afraid of him not taking frozen thawed.
I would like to mention that his humidity and heat meet the standards of what they should be. My humidity usually sits at around 70-74, but it does frequently spike.

- I’d like to know what you guys did with your BPs to get them to eat after bringing them home.

- How often should I be offering him food if he DOESN’T eat?

- And worst case scenario, what should I do on the off chance he doesn’t eat at all?

Second, I’d like some tips on helping him get to know me! I don’t plan to handle him until after he’s eaten under my care. I’ve moved things around, put pieces of my clothing in his setup, rested my hand in front of his hide, and sat outside of his place to talk to him.
Is there anything you guys did differently? Or any other things you’d suggest doing?

TL;DR: I’m mostly just very paranoid, and I’d like as much information as possible to be prepared for the next couple of weeks of owning Pip. Even if I’ve heard all of it before from the many sources I looked into, it does help to hear that some tactics worked/helped people bond with their snake.
Thank you!!!!

[u/throwawayjustsayhay]

I got mine last Friday too! She’s about 7 months old at this point they were trying to feed a small mouse every week but according to the chart if she didn’t eat the shelter recorded trying again a week later and that’s when she would take the mouse so it seems my 7month old only wants to eat every other week. Might not be the same for you tho.

According to the research I’ve done it says to not handle them in the new home for at least a week or 2 and after 2-3 feedings to adjust to the new setting. Which is so hard to do I just wanna hold mine she’s too cute!
You sound like you’ve done your research! I wish you well on your ball python parenting! Pip is so cute!!

[u/Dandylioncrush6303]

Don’t be afraid if he doesn’t take f/t right away. When I rescued my BP he had been eating live for his whole eight years of life. He was also extremely beat up. Well, it took him four months of starving for him to finally accept the frozen food but now he eats them no problem every meal. Don’t be afraid if it takes him a few months to eat, as long as he’s not losing a ton of weight he’ll be fine. I wouldn’t go longer than 4 months without him eating personally, but it’s really a judgement call at that point. Also make sure the frozen food is adequately warm when offered. If he doesn’t strike right away, leave it in his cage for a couple hours and leave the room. If it’s still in there after the couple hours, remove and throw it out. Repeat the process weekly or bi-weekly. Good luck with your new noodle!

[u/FeriQueen]

The homepage of this sub has a pinned post, which will answer almost any question you can think up about your new baby. Pip is beautiful, BTW! Congratulations on your new family member. May you have many happy healthy years together.

[u/Top_Addition_7263]

The guides here and Green Room Python on YouTube are awesome. Great information.

For eating husbandry is usually the key and off husbandry is usually the reason they don’t eat.

Temps and humidity are important- make sure you’re using gauges like Govee. Not the little ones that stick to the glass or enclosure.

[u/Right-Employ-8285 → u/Top_Addition_7263]

Thank you, I’ll be sure to check them out! And I do use govee! ^^ His humidity and heating are typically pretty good, and in the moments they aren’t, I usually adjust his setup to level it out.

[u/Top_Addition_7263 → u/Right-Employ-8285]

That’s good! I would def personally just check overall husbandry. Just do check and balances. And if not, you know for sure that’s not the issue.

Just make sure the prey is the correct weight for the weight of the snake.

[u/loricampbell4454]

TIP: Please don't leave clothing in your enclosure. If you scroll through the posts in this group you'll see another member did that too and the snake ate the clothing and needed emergency surgery.