# Ball python, torn apart mouse, guts all over...



## burton12387

So my ball python "Ballz" is a very aggresive eater. He eats medium rats that are frozen. I thaw them out under a heat lamp for about an hour, and no matter how much care i take in slowly thawing them out the same thing always happens. He grabs the mouse with such force that it always rips open and then when he squeezes it all the insides end up all over him and his cage. Now that he has rat guts all over him he stays in feeding mode for days cuz he still has the smell on him. I think i should wash him off? but with what? and i think i should wait a couple of days for the meal to digest a little right? Is there anyway that he will stop "exploding" these rats?? thanks a lot!
AJ


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## skool_uo

dude i dont have any snakes nor do i know much about them but maybe u could try smaller live food. that might not explode. sounds pretty cool and bad at the same time


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## dark FrOsT

never last happened to me, have you ever given live food?


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## burton12387

she was fed live in the beginning but i quickly switched to frozen because of the ease factor since i have 2 other snakes, and a reptile swap that is located near me where i can buy in bulk. When she fed live they would bleed from the mouth, the eyes would pullsate (spelling?) is there a way to put up a short vid to show you?

AJ


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## burton12387

I just uploaded a vid into youtube and i will post it in a minute-
AJ

here ya go






AJ


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## dark FrOsT

wish my ball took food as quick as yours, shes such a pain to feed. i only asked cause maybe the python thinks it needs to use the same amount of force to kill the mouse. like he thinks its alive?? well when mine kills its prey the mouse will pee and eyes will water, i have even watched one poo.


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## Tinkerbelle

had that problem myself when we bought bulk frozen from a secondary source. i don't think the mice were frozen fast enough after death and sat around a bit or something... they all had their necks slit to kill them and didn't have much in the way of blood in them - maybe that was it?

whenever i made my own frozen food (hammer to the head) I never had any sort of gut popping problems.


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## psychofish

I think that you should buy a higher quality frozen source..

Try rodent pro I know they have great frozen selection


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## KINGofKINGS

holy sh*t... that is fast! yeah, i would definetly say switch your frozen rodent source.... and NICE ball- is that a type of pattern morph or a common ball? looks a little different to me-


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## burton12387

I would really like to keep my current food source because of the ease i have of getting bulk from them at the reptile swaps. Do you think that it would have a less chance of ripping if i thawed it out on the counter instead of heating it up? maybe heating it up is loosening the skin? And to kingofkings, The ball is just one that i picked out, its a common ball as far as i know, i just really thought the patterns stood out compared to others that i had seen. Thanks for the comments guys!
AJ


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## dark FrOsT

that could be it try just thrawing it out in hot water i put the mouse in a ziploc then in to the bowl of hot water that way i dont have to dry the mouse off


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## Red Eyes

That gets really messy when the feeders are ripped apart or explode







This is what I usually do is place the items to be fed that night into old containers and leave them to thaw on the counter all day and then just before I offer the items I place them into warm water to heat them up a little. Here is a link on thawing .


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## dark FrOsT

just finished readin that link ... defenally a good home .... everyone should read it


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## studmuffin992

that vid was sh*t where was the blood and guts all i seen was it strike?


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## burton12387

Sorry no gut videos


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