Frustrating little booger!!

[KatStoverReptiles]

This^^ snake is THE most annoying frustrating hair-pulling snake in my collection. I've had her for 6 months now and she's only put on about 200g.

She was eating really good for awhile on rats and then suddenly...nothing. Acts like the rat isn't even a food item. So I try to hold out on her but after a month of refusals, I cave and give her a mouse. BAM! She hits that mouse like nobody's business.

Ok...so give her a few mice then start the process of converting her back to rats. What I do is warm the rats in the bag with the mice I'm also warming and that seems to give the rat enough scent to fool them.

So after a month or so of scented rats I try an unscented one. She eats it. I think, "Great! She's converted!" Yeah...no such luck.

So back to square one...hold out, cave in, convert back to rats...OK great.

So about a month ago she was eating unscented rats just fine...guess what...now she's refusing rats...acting like they're not even a food item.

I know what the little booger wants...I know she wants a mouse...

This is the 3rd time she's done this. She's SO frustrating!!

GRRRR!!!!!

Thank you all for listening to my vent.

[Crazy4Herps]

I feel your pain. She's a beautiful girl though! Good luck!

[Emily Hubbard]

By your picture, I can tell she's cocky, that face does not look innocent.

Terrible the ways these animals find to stress us out. And they do it on purpose, I'm sure of it. Hope you can break her! Don't let her break you, you have the food, you call the shots! She can have a rat and LIKE IT! .... wish it worked that way, snakes are worse than cats, they totally control us.

[Slim]

Kat, she's a hottie! Hang in there with her. You know all the tricks, and I'm sure you'll hit on something that will get her going! Keep the faith!

[kklepac]

When I was a kid, my mom wouldn't let me leave the table until I ate what was on my plate. Somehow I don't think that's going to work for you though.

I have a female albino that does that to me. I put a rat pup in with her last week and it snuggled up to her like she was her mother. My snake just looked at it like it was crazy and then crawled back into her hide.

[KatStoverReptiles]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys!

[JulieInNJ]

I have a butter who has a VERY strong preference for mice and his growth is just as slow. The brats!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

The more animals you own the more likely you are to have one difficult one which no matter what you do will not cooperate

I had 2 that took me 3 and 4 years to finally convert to rats hopefully it will be quicker in your case.

[HerpIsAhobby]

3 or 4 years? I would of gone insane at that point. You must have the patience of a saint or the resolve of a pit bull. Either way congrats on the switch over.

I'm working my own little battle right now with my Mojave female who decided mice taste better than rats. I hate breeding mice and honestly the smell of the 2 mice groups is worse than 3 full 7 bin rat racks. If only I didn't need the males to breed those little buggers scent the entire enclosure all day long.

Kat keep up with the attempts and know that you are definitely not alone in the battle good luck