She FINALLY switched to a Rat!

[Evenstar]

So Ella finally ate a rat tonight! I am stoaked!

Ella has been a live mouse eater for the last year or so. She used to take f/t regularly but then went off her feed once she reached maturity and went all winter with hardly eating a thing. I was persistant 'cause I really didn't want to feed live, but when she finally started dropping weight in the spring I had no choice. So she started eating live mice at that point. But the little guys I could get at our local shop were just gumdrops to her (her f/t mice were huge jumbos so I never worried about prey size when she ate f/t). But when she started eating the little live critters I started thinking I'd switch her to live rats 'cause at least she'd be getting the right size meal then.

BUT she has been so finicky with rats. Every time I offered her a rat, she's flat out refused and nope nope nope would not take it period. Live, f/t, didn't matter. But tonight she was extra hungry I guess and I dunno, I just figured I'd give it a try again. I saw a couple of small weaned rats at the shop when I went to get her mice and thought, why not, and the manager (a friend) threw the rat in with the mice to get him scented for me, I brought him home, opened her cage and POW she can hurtling out of her hide and practically took my hand with it!!

Sorry for the short novel, but I was just excited and had to share. Now, if she'll take a small weaned rat for me consistantly over the next couple of weeks, I can start upping the size to where it should be - she ought to be eating a medium-sized adult.....

[WifeOfSlasher]

So Ella finally ate a rat tonight! I am stoaked!

Ella has been a live mouse eater for the last year or so. She used to take f/t regularly but then went off her feed once she reached maturity and went all winter with hardly eating a thing. I was persistant 'cause I really didn't want to feed live, but when she finally started dropping weight in the spring I had no choice. So she started eating live mice at that point. But the little guys I could get at our local shop were just gumdrops to her (her f/t mice were huge jumbos so I never worried about prey size when she ate f/t). But when she started eating the little live critters I started thinking I'd switch her to live rats 'cause at least she'd be getting the right size meal then.

BUT she has been so finicky with rats. Every time I offered her a rat, she's flat out refused and nope nope nope would not take it period. Live, f/t, didn't matter. But tonight she was extra hungry I guess and I dunno, I just figured I'd give it a try again. I saw a couple of small weaned rats at the shop when I went to get her mice and thought, why not, and the manager (a friend) threw the rat in with the mice to get him scented for me, I brought him home, opened her cage and POW she can hurtling out of her hide and practically took my hand with it!!

Sorry for the short novel, but I was just excited and had to share. Now, if she'll take a small weaned rat for me consistantly over the next couple of weeks, I can start upping the size to where it should be - she ought to be eating a medium-sized adult.....

Yay!!!

So.. we are having the same issue but without going off feed really. Mice, mice, and more mice. We managed to trick him into one f/t rat, then refused a couple, then tried live but then he just didn't seem to want them taking forever to finally strike, he regurged that last one we gave him, and then refused the next weeks meal so... we gave up and went back to mice the following week. Julius should be eating small rats at this point but he just wants his mousy treats. Did they just toss the rat in with the live mice for awhile and then you took it home or did you transport it home with mice for your others? I think we need to trick this booger in to realizing that rats are a good thing. lol

[Evenstar]

They threw the rat in the cage with the mice and I left him in there for about 10min before I took him home. He went home in his own container (Ella is my only live feeder so this was the only live feeder I took home today). So the rat got scented by mice while crawling around with the mice in their somewhat dirty bedding. Worked like a charm!

If your local shop won't put the rat in with the mice for a bit before you take it home, ask them for a scoop of dirty mouse bedding to take with you. You could do that and drag your f/t rat through it a few times right before feeding to scent it. Hope you get it to work for you!

BTW, if your snake has regurged, you should wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to feed again. Give your snake a chance for its stomach to heal before it has to digest another meal. Also feed a smaller meal and stick to the mice for the next couple of feedings too so as not to over stress him.

[WifeOfSlasher]

Thanks!

Yeah... we didn't know that at the time. Luckily he refused it huh? We only feed once a week so it worked out, and then next weeks feeding he accepted was his mousie treat.

[WifeOfSlasher]

Oh... we are starting with f/t mice of the same size and from the same place we have been getting them. I'm hoping he'll be more accepting of the f/t this way instead of what my dear hubby was attempting... love mousies to rat-sicles.

[Evenstar]

Hahaha! Hope it works for you! I totally understand your frustration....