F/T or live?

[proballo]

sorry I kind of posted this at the end of another unrelated thread already...

So my new BP has refused a couple of meals and we have made some improvements to her enclosure recently to make her feel more secure (smaller hides)

She ate:
Feb 21 with the breeder
moved in with me Feb 28
Fed F/T March 10
refused everything since (was offering too often I'm told)

She looks like she may have lost some girth as her spine is now visible and she looks a little saggy. She is due for another attempt at feeding on Sun The question is:
Do I try another F/T?
or
switch to a live pup and just try to get some food in her?

She ate both live and F/T (so says the breeder)

Is it going to cause a bigger feeding problem down the road as my goal is to feel F/T?

Snake facts: 7 month old. temps and humidity are good.

[Vypyrz]

How do you prepare your f/t's? What are the conditions when you offer them? And how do you present the prey to the snake? It may be just a technique issue...

This video helped me out alot when I started feeding f/t..
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=63227

[mr. s]

I think even a 7 month old will be fine for a quite a while without eating. Someone might be able to tell you how long is safe.
I say don't give in. Patience is the key. Take a look at some tips on how different people do it, and try them out. If you give in now it will be harder later to get it on f/t later.

[proballo]

I thaw them overnight in the fridge then let them sit on top of the mesh of the snake enclosure for a while to get up to room temp. Then I warm them up in a tub of hot water in a zip bag and pull them out with tongs. Then showing them to the snake or dancing it around her hide by the scruff of the neck/back. She would strike but not take it. I have left them in overnight and she wont touch them.

I know I was offering too frequently and probably stressing her out. Hopefully this weekend she will be chilled out enough, lately she has been hanging out in one of her hides in the evening with her head hovering just inside the hole (this is exactly how she was when she had her successful feed)

I know these are all pretty amateur questions but I had never intended on getting a snake ever until my daughter fell in love with the idea 2 yrs ago. Over the last 4 months I have been getting a crash coarse on the matter and this is definitely a learn as you go thing. I think I have watched 10 hours of snake eating footage on you tube LOL

Thanks to everyone for there insight and patiences

[Vypyrz]

One thing I found helpful was to use a blow dryer and heat the rats head up one last time right before presenting it to give it a good heat signature...

[Seru1]

The way I have heard it. And this did sorta work for me she did take it overnight.

I put my mouse in a tupperware dish of warm water on the side table next to the snake's cage for three hours. Then I used a hair dryer and a tempgun on it until it was 102. Near the cage at all times.


Try doing this after 9 PM in low light. I think one of my mistakes was doing it during the daylight with lights on. Maybe use tongs, hold it by the scruff of the neck and run it around the enclosure abit.


I am no pro, but I heard alot of people, and seen alot of people do this.