Switching from mice to rats

[Violanna]

Hi, so I have a very petite(thin but not unhealthy) 7 month old BP. I was feeding her f/t mice as she was a pet store buy and that is what they were feeding her. I’ve had her since she was a 60g. I was feeding her based on her weight. So I increase mouse size or fed 2-3 mice. And she ate them readily. However she stopped gaining weight at 250g even with increased weight of food. So I’m trying to switch her to rat pups but she is of course being picky. It’s only been 3 weeks of refusing so I’m not worried. Except she is pacing her enclosure clearly hungry yet still refusing. Is there any trick to get her to switch to the rats or do I just wait it out until hunger gets the best of her?

[Snow Balls]

The best trick if you are feeding frozen thawed is defrosting your rat in mouse bedding for a few feedings then try feeding a rat without the mouse bedding and see if you get a response


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[Zincubus]

Hi, so I have a very petite(thin but not unhealthy) 7 month old BP. I was feeding her f/t mice as she was a pet store buy and that is what they were feeding her. I’ve had her since she was a 60g. I was feeding her based on her weight. So I increase mouse size or fed 2-3 mice. And she ate them readily. However she stopped gaining weight at 250g even with increased weight of food. So I’m trying to switch her to rat pups but she is of course being picky. It’s only been 3 weeks of refusing so I’m not worried. Except she is pacing her enclosure clearly hungry yet still refusing. Is there any trick to get her to switch to the rats or do I just wait it out until hunger gets the best of her?

Try the hairdryer method ...

I’ll send you details by PM .


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[Violanna]

So I tried the hairdryer method and got excited because she was so interested in the rat on top on her enclosure. However both the hairdryer and the rat itself once inside the enclosure scared her! I’m starting to think it’s a mix of not liking the smell plus being afraid of the size. She was eating 2-3 15g mice. The rats are right about 40g so I figured that would be perfect and they are similar size to her girth. However she is extremely petite with a very small head size( smaller than average). I’m getting worried because she was already under weight but has lost 50g in the last month. Do I just give in and just keep feeding mice?

[Bogertophis]

So I tried the hairdryer method and got excited because she was so interested in the rat on top on her enclosure. However both the hairdryer and the rat itself once inside the enclosure scared her! I’m starting to think it’s a mix of not liking the smell plus being afraid of the size. She was eating 2-3 15g mice. The rats are right about 40g so I figured that would be perfect and they are similar size to her girth. However she is extremely petite with a very small head size( smaller than average). I’m getting worried because she was already under weight but has lost 50g in the last month. Do I just give in and just keep feeding mice?

It can be very hard to switch BPs to rats- some snakes DO seem to fear the bigger size (coupled with the different scent & taste). If your snake is on the small side & still young, I'd personally keep on feeding mice for a while, to make sure she keeps growing. When your snake gets bigger, & she's still eating multiple mice, you can try feeding a small mouse first, followed by a scented small rat, making sure that the combination isn't too big of a meal. The first item (a familiar mouse) may help her to accept the second one (small scented rat), & gradually she may learn to accept that taste.

How are you thawing the rodents? If you thaw the rat directly in water, that can help wash off some of the scent. Then, if you can get some used (dirty!) mouse bedding from the pet store & roll the f/t rat in that for the scent, right before you offer it, that might help? Of course, it also has to be warm because BPs are focused on the temperature too.

How often have you been trying to feed her? Don't try too often, as that stresses snakes into refusing. Once a week for several tries, but if that isn't working, wait longer, like 10-14 days & try again. Good luck!

[Albert Clark]

Skip the next scheduled feeding. Consider offering jumbo mice as opposed to multiple smaller ones. Thaw at room temperatures for about 3 or 4 hours , place in zip-lock bag and submerge in hot water for 20 mins. Offer on tongs wriggling slightly into the substrate mimicking digging by the mouse. Try scented crawler rat / rat pup next feeding 10 to 12 days later.

[Violanna]

Thank you I like this idea. I’ve been sticking to her regular feeding schedule of every Saturday.

[Bogertophis]

As a breeder of mice for many years, I don't recommend you feeding jumbo mice, ever. They're actually old retired breeders that carry a lot of body fat, & they'll do the same for your snake.

A growing snake needs balanced nutrition, otherwise you end up with a snake that has a larger body (more fat) but small bones (like you're already seeing with her "small head" size.)

You mentioned that your snake is "petite" so she may also regurgitate a jumbo mouse because all that fat is harder for a snake to digest. BE GLAD that she's willing to accept multiple items per meal- some won't- because this will make it easier for you to switch her to rats when she's a little older.

While it's best to feed snakes the most mature rodents of the proper size (more mature rodents have more minerals- bigger bones), there comes a point (old rodents) when that's no long a good idea.

There is also no appreciable evidence that rats are better nutrition for BPs than mice are, especially when you're talking about rat pups- & while some continue to disagree on this, just remember that wild BPs didn't evolve eating either one- not domestic mice & not domestic rats. So if you want to duplicate nature, you'd be feeding ASFs (African soft-furred) but they cost a lot more because they're harder to breed, & not available (or even legal) everywhere. And you'd probably be stuck feeding them forever if you tried them, since BPs often prefer them, apparently.