mice to rats? no-go

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i was advised to move my BP from mice to rats. tried a small rat he is not interested, just passes by it. i did change his tank to a bigger one a week ago. he has been very active. he has a great hide. temp is 85 in tank warmer in hide.

[Annarose15]

Duplicate post? http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...our-beloved-BP....

You might get some responses if you answer Kevin's questions on your other post. It will help people offer informed advice.

Edit: I'm guessing you reposted so it would be in the BP section, but that info will still help.

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oops. sorry i just found this site and i havent got it quite figured out yet.

[Annarose15]

oops. sorry i just found this site and i havent got it quite figured out yet.

Hey, no problem. And welcome!

Here, I copied InknSteel's post from your other thread:

How big is the snake and how big of a tank did you put him in? What are your temps and humidity? Also, when did you change him to the new tank and how long did you wait to offer?

It can be difficult to get picky mousers to switch over to rats, so first things first, make sure your new tank is set up properly and is an appropriate size for your bp. Once you move the snake, it would be a good idea to wait and let him acclimate to the new environment before offering. It could be stress related refusal, it could have something to do with the setup, or it could just be that the snake is used to mice and the rat has an unfamiliar smell.

How big is the rat in comparison to the mice you've been feeding?

I see you waited a week after the change before offering, but what are your ambient and hot spot temps? What size tank is it, and how big is your BP? Do you have only one hide, or does he have a few to choose from (warm and cool)? What size mouse had you been offering, and what size rat?

[Annarose15]

he is 3 feet 4 inches not very thick. i moved him from a 20 gallon to a 55. he has plenty of places to hide. heat on the bottom under hide and a lamp above. tank is 85 degrees warmer in his hide. i dont know the humidity. i didnt know i was supposed to measure that. he has been in the new tank for a week. very active. i thought he was hungry he has a small mouse a week ago. but he just passed by the rat.

Looks like we're playing musical threads.

85 degrees is too warm for ambient. Make sure you have a thermostat regulating that under tank heater, or it will get way too hot. 55 gallons is also pretty big for a BP - he was probably fine in the 20 gal. Check out the caresheet on this site for more setup info (also has a section on "why won't my BP eat?").

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

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sorry i posted this two times. moved from a 20 gallon to a 55. he is approx. 3'4" not too big around tank is 85 i didnt know i should measure the humidity. ill have to take a trip to the store. but his tank is in the living room, could that be a problem? one side is his hide with heat under and above other side is water and cooler. half logs in the middle for extra hides. mice were large. the rat i offered was small/med.

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think i should put him back in the 20 gallon? it just seemed so small for him

[Annarose15]

Check out the caresheet to correct your temps and get a digital thermometer/hygrometer to measure humidity and the temp on the glass directly above the heater. My immediate guess is that the tank is just way too big and he doesn't feel secure. Log hides don't provide security since you can see right into them (like a predator would). Try moving him back to his original tank (still check temps and humidity according to the caresheet), wait a week, and then try a rat similar in size to the mice, or slightly larger. I say larger because too young of a rat won't move as much as a mouse, which might not entice him to see it as prey, but not too much larger or it might intimidate him.

If you really want to put him in a larger tank, wait until he has switched to rats for a few feedings so you aren't changing more than one thing at a time, but he really doesn't need a 55gal (ever).

Clear as mud?

[Ezekiel285]

Water bowl on the hot side will help increase your humidity until you can measure it

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he is 3 feet 4 inches not very thick. i moved him from a 20 gallon to a 55. he has plenty of places to hide. heat on the bottom under hide and a lamp above. tank is 85 degrees warmer in his hide. i dont know the humidity. i didnt know i was supposed to measure that. he has been in the new tank for a week. very active. i thought he was hungry he has a small mouse a week ago. but he just passed by the rat.

Looks like we're playing musical threads.

85 degrees is too warm for ambient. Make sure you have a thermostat regulating that under tank heater, or it will get way too hot. 55 gallons is also pretty big for a BP - he was probably fine in the 20 gal. Check out the caresheet on this site for more setup info (also has a section on "why won't my BP eat?").

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

ok. i think im getting this site figured out