NEWBIE - Stimson Feeding Question - PLEASE HELP

[louise77]

Hello One & All,

Firstly - thanks so much to everyone out there - this may be my first post but I have been checking out these forums for the last few months to prepare myself for my first snake.

And that snake is my female Stimson Python that I acquired on Sunday. She is one year old and seems to be settling into her new digs quite nicely.

I have looked around past posts and other websites, but the information out there on feeding is a bit confusing for me. I have her past feed records and her last feed was on 24th Nov (2 x Pink Rats) and then before that on 8th Nov (Pink Rat and Fuzzy Rat - is it me or she is a greedy guts or what!). I was going to continue with feeding 2 x Pink Rats - but I read on here that pink or fuzzy rats are just a bag of protein and it's best to feed something with more bones and the like. And in one website (that breed mice & rats for feeding) I actually read that they don't actually recommend feeding Stimson rats at all (which threw me).

So all you Stimson owners out there - especially those that have Stimsons over a year old - what would you recommend I try feeding my girl for the first time and how often should I be offering this to her (by the look of her feed card - she is starting to space out her food a little more too).

Thanks in advance to any help or advice - may be my first post, but I'm sure it won't be my last!

Louise

 

[da_donkey]

adult mouse once a week, then every so often (2 months) let her wait 2 weeks.

enjoy your new snake

cheers donks

 

[louise77]

Thanks heaps Donks! Will get a packet on the weekend and try her on one - fingers crossed she takes it!

 

[pythonaddict]

watch her behaviour dont b to fixed with ur feeding times ur snake will let u know when she is hungry

 

[louise77]

Cheers pythonaddict! What should I be looking for - what type of behaviour? She has been with me since Sunday - spends a good bit of time in her hide - but will come out and explore - even seems inquisitive about us. Although I haven't tried to hold her or go near her - when I look in she will, now and then, come up and have a look at me. She's not too flighty - just with real sudden movements - so I'm hoping she is settling in well.

Was going to try and give her a mouse on Sunday - but will keep an eye out for what you say to look out for.....

Thanks again

 

[xxMelissaxx]

Sunday is fine to offer a feed louise77.

Pythons don't all exhibit obvious signs that they're hungry either, so scrap that.

Offer food on Sunday. If she takes it - she wanted it. If she doesn't, leave her entirely alone and try again after another week passes. She will eat once settled and ready. Hopefully she gets straight into it without any troubles (most do).

Don't handle her (or keep it to minimal handling at least) until she's feeding strongly though..

 

[zuesowns]

offering stimmies pinkys is not recommended, there isn't much bone, fur etc which provided calcium, vitamine d etc which is required for your python.

I believe after 1-2 years I was offering 1 adult mouse to my stimmie, she is now 2.5-3 years and is feeding one 1 adult mice every fortnight, she will not take it weekly so fortnight for her is perfect. If your stimmie will take food weekly, then by all means, however after they are 1-2 years - fortnightly is fine.

IMO - stimmies are fussy feeders, especially during winter - I have tried offering rats but she simply will not take them, nor scented rats, an adult mouse is equivalent to fuzzy rat or weanner rat, which the adult mouse is more developed and will have less fat and more muscle (protein).

 

[louise77]

Thanks Melissa! Will give her that feed on Sunday then and see how she goes - fingers crossed she takes it

I shall definitely just take it easy with the handling - I intended to wait until she has taken her first feed and digested and take that as it comes.

 

[micksta9]

Hey mate i have a 12month old Wheatbelt Stimson's and i too read about the no rat thing. I think it was on the Do Little farm website? I spoke to my local reptile guru and he had no explanation for it but here's what i've done for the last 2 months and it works for me. I offer my little guy an adult mouse every 8 days and one out 4 feeds i offer a pinky rat, for something different. He eats everytime and in the first 4 weeks of owning him i handled him twice for 5min max. When i feed him i put him in his tub and wait for him to calm down and then offer his dinner.
Good luck this isn't gospel just works for me like clock work!

 

[louise77]

That's exactly where I read it too - the Do Little Farms page I bought mine from Snake Ranch and I'm fairly sure those guys knew what they were doing when feeding her so it kind of threw me. But I like your idea of throwing in a pinky rat every now and then - I'll definitely give that a go!

I'm a bit excited / nervous about handling her for the first time. Any time I've handled a snake it have been handed to me - so this is the first time I've had to do it all myself - so that's the nervous part. Of course the excitement comes from that as well, finally handling my own snake and seeing what she is like. But I'm being very patient (highly unlike me ).

 

[unicorns_dreams]

some snakes take awhile to settle, my girl ate the week before I got her didn't eat the day I went to get her and didn't eat till today, I got her 18/11/10. I was a little nervous the first time i thought about getting her out of her home, as like you I was use to having them handed to me, I took some deep calming breaths, reached in slowly picked her up from the middle and all was fine. Good luck with your snake they are truly amazing.

 

[Moonfox]

Congrats on your new python, Louise! I've had my Stimmie for 3 years now - also from Snake Ranch - and they are the best snake for beginners, in my opinion. You've got a good species from a good breeder, and she'll be quick to settle into handling in no time. When I first got my stimmie, Aspin, I was determined to give him a week or two to settle, but he wrapped himself around my arm the moment I opened the lid on his travel tub, so that plan was out the window. He ate well the first time I offered it, and he's been perfect ever since. Still, as others have said, don't worry too much if she doesn't take food immediately, it's normal for them to refuse sometimes.

I agree with the posts on adult mice, since your girl's a year old. I started Aspin on pinkies when he was a hatchy, and progressed to fuzzies soon after, no problems here. I think the anti-rat ideas might be related to their higher fat content? Otherwise, there are some heifer sized rat pups out there that might prove overly ambitious for a stimmie .

 

[louise77]

zuesowns - I didn't see your reply the other day - glad I saw it now - will keep that in mind, especially come winter and won't stress too much if she doesn't take anything

unicorns_dreams - deep breaths and pick up from the middle - got it I have a hook to help me get her out if I get too nervy, but seeing her be so inquisitive has helped me calm down and look forward to the occasion. She has mesmerised the family already - my husband wasn't too sure about getting to closer to her at all and she has charmed the socks off him :lol:

Jessica - Aspin sounds like he was as settled as a snake could get from the beginning! Did a good bit reading on here about Stimmies and Snack Ranch and that put my mind at ease about them both. Is a rat pup a weaner rat? I see on her records they offered her a weaner rat in October but she refused it because it was too big! So it's looks like she thankfully isn't over ambitious LOL

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[micksta9]

As far as handling goes for me and our little guy i just open his enclosure up and sit for a while and see if he is in a curious mood or not. He usually pops his head out of his hide and then i lift his hide off him and get my snake hook and let him know im there by just placing it under the back 3rd of his body and then he moves through the hook. I then gently lift him with hook and use my other hand to support his body. He is very comfortable with being handled like this, my friend has a blonde mac and he just goes hands in and grabs his snake out, this makes the snake quite skittish when it first comes out.
From what i see my Stimson is not aggressive in any way he's so placid, but in saying that we leave him alone to do his thing and only handle him twice a week for 5-10min and we are very gentle with him.
Good luck!

 

[louise77]

Mick - that sounds like a plan I'll do it like that nice and gently with the hook. She comes out of her hide a bit at certain times and I think I'll do it at those times for she seems to be in a curious mood then and it would make it easier. Hopefully get the chance later on this week..... see how the feed tomorrow evening goes.

 

[Scotty99]

I feed my adult stimmy fuzzy rats and she smashes them every time without fail, she did take mice but when i offered her the rat for the first time there was no going back! Way i see it if they in the wild and cruise past a rat are they ganna stop and think hmmm na fat content to high in that il wait for a mouse, i dint think so haha.
If anything the higher fat content, if thats true, would help them through the winter, cause most stimmys wont eat anyway for a few months.

 

[louise77]

That's true Scotty and since I just tried giving her a feed and she was not interested at all - I'd be happy if she took anything! Tried offering an adult mouse and she didn't like it and then I thought I'd try a pinky rat - no luck Snake Ranch had given her just one adult mouse back in late July (she was feeding on the smaller mice before that) and then after that one adult mouse they put her straight on rats (mostly pinkies and fuzzies).

Just wait now until next week and see how she goes - I'm sure she is just like unicorns_dreams girl and just taking a while to settle in.

 

[Scotty99]

She'l come round, good luck,

 

[dkae1986]

When I got my first stimmi I couldn't get her to eat either. She would cower away from mice - I think they were to big. I than got a rat pinky and she wouldn't take it. But what I than did was get a rat pinky and have it sit in the hot water for a bit longer than usual getting it really hot. Than I pulled it out and ripped the skin off the back of its skull and gave its head a light squeeze just enough for some blood and brain to pop out. Put it near her in the enclosure she first reared back a bit but than the tongue got flicking and she slowly went upto it. She then grabbed at where I had brained the pinkie so she had to regrab but than she took it. Done that with a couple more pinkies than after that and than got a hopper mouse each time I had to brain it and make it hot but now she eats fine. She still wont eat anything that she believes is to big.

 

[FAY]

Stimson's can be a bit fussy at times. I have some that smash their food every time but have others that are just so ho hum about it all and just eat if they feel like it.I personally only give mine mice but the odd one only likes rats...so rats it is.
There is not much nutrition on a pinky mouse/rat..so as soon as you give them a bit of hair and bones the better.
They are all individuals.

Out of all the antaresia species I have..and I have the four...stimson's seem to me to be the fussiest when it comes to food. JMO