How long before she is a mouser?

[KING JAMES]

So I have a female pastel granite that was feeding on rat pups when I got her. I did not have access to rats at the time so I fed her mice. She ate them like there was no tomorrow. Then I started raising rats so now I want he off of mice. I have been trying for about 5 months now to get her to switch. She eats about one out of every 5 meals offered. Her growth is painfully slow at this rate (5 months less than 10g gained, she is at about 500g now) How long do you normally wait before you just give in and give them mice?

[Skittles1101]

Have you tried scenting rats with mice? That's how I was able to switch my mouser and she's on unscented rats now, a year later

[KING JAMES]

I tried that but it was with old bedding from back when I raised mice, not sure how long the scent last...still stinks to me lol

[Skittles1101]

I generally thaw a mouse and rat in the same ziplock bag and only offer the rat. If you're feeding live I'd get new (used) mouse bedding or a mouse and scent it that way...offer it that way a few times.

[FrankieCarbone]

Good luck, my male pastel has been
A mouser for over 2 years now. And he has been steady at 1100g for like 6 months now because of it. He will take a mouse every 3 weeks or so. Sometimes even longer. He still sheds and all, but is not as girth as he should
Be. I tried it all, scenting, ASF's, and no luck.

Its partly my fault, when i first got him as a hatchling he was eating rat pups and then small rats, then i got lazy and started feeding him mice since they where easier to get. Big mistake. Sometimes i wish i can go back in time and never have introduced him to mice.

[Inarikins]

She's not refusing rats entirely, I would just wait her out.

[angllady2]

At 500 grams, she's still young enough to change. Try waiting an extra week or even two between offering her food. Sometimes making them think the food isn't always going to magically be there will help a lot. Sometimes they are just determined to drive you nuts no matter what.

Just keep offering the rats. DO NOT back track and offer mice yet. If you give in to her stubbornness now, that will be the end. Try switching things around on her. Alter her enclosure or put her in a different one altogether. If she's in a rack, change the shelf she's on. Move her higher or lower. Get her active and moving, and she's more likely to go back on feed. Sometimes that even works. You can even try changing her temps a little, a few degrees cooler for a week or two will sometimes get them interested again. I have never found the scenting thing to work much. No matter how hard I tried.

Mostly though, you just have to decide if it's worth the wait to get her eating rats again, or if you just want her to grow NOW, and give in to the mouse thing. I have several snakes that are ratters, a few mousers, some ASF feeders, one gerbil only, one hamster only, and a few who don't much care what it is as long as it has fur it's food. Since I raise all my own food, it really doesn't matter to me what they eat as long as they eat. Although the gerbil only female and the hamster only female sure to wear on my patience from time to time. Only you can make that choice. But I know your frustration.

Gale

[KING JAMES]

Hmm.. how long would you wait/ how much weight would you be willing to let her lose while waiting her out?

[RobNJ]

Nothing wrong with a mouser if you have access to lots of mice...but of she's eating rats occasionally, she will eventually eat them full time.

[KING JAMES]

Nailed one again just today! It seems if I go with greatly undersized rats she is more willing to take them. I kind of hope she picks up the pace though..once a month is a little spaced out for meals. One girl I got with her (same size when bought) has been hitting rats with vigor and is just over the 950g mark.