feeding question.

[Kordie]

Hey i have a 800gram beauty and she only eats live. I feed her today and when she struck at the rat, it bit her. I had tongs in my hands but was not fast enough. I have never had a problem with her missing the head of the prey. i do not want to see her get hurt again. Any suggestions on how to get her on f/t? I have tried in the past but she refuses. I was thinking about skipping a week or so feeding her and trying then. That way she will be a little hungry. What do you guys think? Thanks for the advice.

[satomi325]

If she won't take F/T, then stick to live or pre-killed.
If you continue with live, just feed smaller meals and more frequently compared to larger rats and less often.
Weaned and small rats are relatively harmless.

[Crazy4Herps]

It may take more than skipping one meal... If you really want to get her on f/t, you've got to commit and flat out refuse to give her live. It may take a while (since yours is still growing I would say start feeding her live again if she hasn't taken f/t after 2 months), but if she's hungry enough she should eat it.

Have you tried offering a prekilled rat first? That may teach her to take food from tongs, making the switch to f/t easier. You can also try leaving it lying in the cage overnight. Trying different methods of heating the rat may also prove effective. In my experience some snakes are really fussy about the exact temperature of the food offered, so if it's not quite warm enough (I heat rats up to a surface temp of about 105*) that could be an issue. Also, try offering smaller items (mine seems more drawn to mice--it might be worth a try at least?).

I feel for you--it took me almost 2 years to switch my ball to f/t. I felt like I'd tried everything, and I was ready to give up when one day I was thawing a mouse for a different snake and on a whim I offered it to her, and she took it! Just out of the blue. They're weird snakes for sure. Anyways, good luck!

[Kordie]

thanks for the advice. I will keep everyone posted on how things go. I know to watch the weight and make sure she is still healthy. once again thanks