pre killed vs f/t

[cjb_001]

I've been trying since the start of the month to feed my bp f/t. Tonight I tried yet again and all she would do is come out of her hide, smell it, and look at it from head to tail. After ~20 mins of that I try a pre killed mouse. (I had bought a live one for my savannah monitor) Within a minute of dangling it she took it.

With the f/t mouse I tried warming it up with a hair dryer, and even threw it in with the live mouse to make it smell better (or worse ). Neither had any greater effect.

And now to my questions... How much difference is there between f/t and pre killed? Is there anything else I can try with a f/t other than leave it in overnight which I haven't tried yet. And last, if I have gotten her to eat pre killed, will it be any easier to get her on f/t now or will it not make a difference?

[CoolioTiffany]

There are a few things you can do with a F/T rodent so your snake would take it:

-Braining
-Tuna scenting
-Lizard/gecko scenting
-Leaving it in enclosure over night in the dark
-Thawing it out in really hot water for a long period of time
-Doing "the zombie dance" with it
(Some snakes will prefer rats over mice, and others will prefer mice over rats)

[p3titexburial]

Braining. Gotta love how hard that is to erase from my mind but also how easily it got mine to take it (occasionally I have to repeat performance for certain feedings though.)

Are you dangling the mouse or are you just leaving it there? My female bp won't take it unless I'm dangling it a specific way.

Also, when you're warming it up with the hairdryer, how warm are you getting it to? Remember, rodents have a higher body temperature than we do so just because it feels lukewarm to us doesn't necessarily mean it will be acceptable for them.

Sometimes they will become shy if you mess around with the f/t too much so you might have to wait a few hours/days before trying again.

It's really frustrating, but at least your bp will eat something!

Oh, and when you said you left the f/t with a live mouse, I couldn't help but picture the live one going "OH GAWD IT'S A CORPSE, WHY IS THERE A CORPSE HERE?"

[cjb_001]

I have been waiting 5 days between trying (she was eating live mice every 5 days before). It had been probably 25 days or so since she last ate. I tried dangling the mouse, jigging it around, and dragging it around the floor of the tub. While they all caught her attention, she just didn't want to eat it.

[iCandiBallPythons]

Alot of times I dont think ppl get the F/T rats body temp high enough.

[jjc]

Yes, what are you doing to heat up the f/t prey item?

[cjb_001]

To thaw the mouse I put it in a bag and put room temp water in a cup then put the bag in the cup. Few hrs later once its thawed I put hot tap water in the cup for about 10 mins. After that I try giving it to the snake. When that doesn't work I have a hair dryer close by.

I've never actually used a thermometer on the mouse, but it does feel quite warm

[p3titexburial]

Maybe try this procedure:

Heat it. Brain it. And squeeze a bit of the brains out. When you're feeding her do it late at night, or whenever she becomes active. Have the lights low (only enough for you to be able to see what's going on.) Open the tub/tank only a little, and make sure you're dangling it by the tail (sometimes mine get confused if I'm using utensils to hold it.)

If that still doesn't work, maybe you can buy a live mouse, keep the mouse in a small tub near the snake tank (where the snake can see it) and once she gets a good active feeding response going, open the tub/tank and offer her the ft. (Make sure it's heated and brained.)

[cjb_001]

Ok thanks I'll give that a try next time

[seeya205]

Prekilled is better because some nutrients are lost when frozen! If he will eat prekilled than there is nothing wrong with that! Fresh is better!