Hmmm...back to mice.

[jotay]

Ok Ozzy has been on a hunger strike for a month now. Just lost all interest in rats. Had been eating them for about 6 feedings then all of a sudden just turned his nose up at them.
So I took Osris to the vet on Saturday and talked w/ the Dr about Ozzy, he said try one more feed and if no luck they had some type of treatment they could give him which would promote the munchies.
So I got a couple mice for Osiris and thought what the heck give it a try w/ Ozzy ( the vet tech had suggesteed it) and sure enough it was like old times.
He nailed it in about 2 seconds.
Anyone else ever had a bp that just didn't like rats???
I am just wondering because he is about 3' now and the mouse hardly made any lump at all.

[Marla]

Yep, my first bp only ate mice. We did get her to recognize colored mice as prey, but never did get her switched to rats. Some are just picky eaters. Better to give Ozzy mice than for him to stay on food strike, and he might switch back for you later. I'm glad you got him to eat.

[elevatethis]

I guessI'll have to back down off my "rats are better than mice" pedestal for this one. Just keep him eating, you can always trick him into rats at a later time.

[Jeanne]

Dont feel bad, Betty is the same, she seems to be more into mice, yet there are times, like now, she is on another hunger strike, will go without eating for a month at times, sometimes even more, even when offered mice... then out of just curiosity, I throw in a rat, and she pounds it. I never know when she is gonna eat or not anymore. She is sooo finicky. My other 2 are garbage disposals. Oh well, I just think it is part of a bp owning you.

[Nate]

i believe i read somewhere on this site that if you put the rat inside a mouse cage and give the rat that mouse scent, the snake will mistake it for a mouse...try that.

[jotay]

I think it is more of an issue w/ Ozzy as to the size and color of the prey, mostly the size as to why he prefers the mice.
As for the " rats are better than mice" that is a questionable issue. According to the vet there is no proof one is better than the other. Rats have a higher fat content so that is why when fed your bp gets thicker.
Be they are or arent isn't an issue if you bp isn't eating and will only eat one or the other then it is a no brainer as to what to do
I am just glad he ate.
I think the rats were just to darn big for him and scared him.
I will try soon to sneak another rat in on him
I would prefer him to eat rats but guess it's not up to what I prefer

[TONYDM41684]

What is true? Why is it that when you start to feed your bp rats they get fatter and much much stronger?? Anyways my friends bp is a little over 3 feet and won't eat rats. One time it ate a rat and now won't. He just had to feed it 5 mice they were so little.

[elevatethis]

Are you feeding live or p/k??? Otherwise I can't see why he'd be afraid of a bigger prey size...I'm not sure snakes look at it like that...

[jotay]

No I only feed f/t. The last two rats he ate before going off feed were a little bigger than the others and I think he had some what of a struggle getting them down, I dunno , who knows about these silly little critters.
I* am gonna feed mice a few more times than sneak a rat back in and see how that goes.