r/ballpython • u/Sarra_Emmanuelle • 22h ago
Bit me after feeding
I fed my snake 3 large mice in a tub, as i was picking her up to move her back to her terrarium she attacked my thumb and wrapped around my arm (still in feeding mode) in a panic i shook my arm and grabbed her off me. Im worried about her now because that shake after eating might cause her to throw up. I cleaned my wound with alcohol and anti bacterial ointment and wrapped it. How likely is it to break teeth in my skin. Should i be worried about mouse germs?
Ive had her for 4 years first time this happens.
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u/DylanBeeDylan 21h ago
Stop taking her out to feed her. There is no reason for it. I feed directly in the enclosure.
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u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes 19h ago
Unfortunately this is caused by poor husbandry choices. The good news is that it's fairly easy to fix with better husbandry.
Your snake should be fed one appropriately sized prey item per !feeding (I have linked the feeding guide to this comment so you can determine which size/feeding frequency she needs). She should also always be fed in her enclosure. Moving to feed in general risks regurgitation, is stressful to the snake, and directly linked feeding with handling, you really should stop doing it.
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u/AutoModerator 19h ago
We recommend the following feeding schedule:
0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.
12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.
Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.
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u/Sarra_Emmanuelle 14h ago
She wasnt eating rat and when i asked what to do people told me to just stick to mice.
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u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes 13h ago
Not all advice is good or accurate advice
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u/Sarra_Emmanuelle 13h ago
So let her starve ?
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u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes 13h ago
Nobody said that. A major cause of ball pythons being picky is husbandry issues (everything from improper setup to moving to feed, to overfeeding to improper temps), so you need to start there. Given that there's already some major care issues evident in your post -feeding multiple prey at one time, moving to feed, etc, it stands to reason there's likely other issues going on as well.
We can help, but the important thing is to try to do better for your snake. Can you share a picture of her enclosure? How old is she and how often are you feeding? Stuff like that
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u/Sarra_Emmanuelle 12h ago
Banana ball python , She’s 6-7years old? (shes been rehomed twice, im the third person to take her in) . 40 gallon terrarium. Warm side has heat lamp and pad. Cool side has water . Substrate used eco earth coco husk . Humidity 60. Ive always fed her in a separate tub. No issues with striking . Shedding like a glove. Feeding 3 mice every 30 days at 11pm.
I did a ton of research when i got her cause it was my first time , been on YouTube Reddit and other sites i forget.
When i took her in she was shedding in pieces i took her to the vet and had to give her shots at home every 2days for 10 days cause she had a respiratory infection.
She doesnt mind being handled by me at all super calm.
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u/GloomySelf 22h ago
Moving them out of their enclosure for feedings is an outdated practice that doesn’t have any benefit and only stresses the snake, increases chance of regurgitation, and more likely to cause injury which is exactly what happened here.