What age do rats develop teeth?

[George1994]

Hello,

My ball has gone off food over the past month, and I'm going to try him for another 2 weeks and then was considering getting live prey for him. As this will be my first time feeding live, I was wondering if feeding live rodents with which haven't developed teeth yet. He is a fully grown male so I think the prey may be too small for him...

Should I just bite the bullet and get a larger live prey item?

[PitOnTheProwl]

Two weeks is nothing. Keep track of his weight and worry when he starts loosing weight.
How much does he weigh now?

[George1994]

Two weeks is nothing. Keep track of his weight and worry when he starts loosing weight.
How much does he weigh now?

He hasn't eaten for 5 weeks. I meant I will try for another two weeks before trying live.

I am not sure at the moment, I have ordered some digital scales today to track his weight. He look healthy though, so I am not too concerened at the moment.

[Phantomtip]

If he's an adult male then going off food this time of year is normal. Even if you don't have any girls around. This is the breeding season for them. Keep track of his weight. If he looses a significant amount then start worrying. I've seen some go 5 months without loosing a significant amount of weight and not eating. I would continue to try to feed him every week or so. Also a rat pup will be WAY too small for him. He's probably eating mediums or largish mediums. I feed my 4 yr old girl medium to largish mediums. My 1 1/2 yr old male eats largish smalls or smallish mediums. He hasn't eaten in 2 months but I still try. He hasn't lost any weight either. I will continue until he starts eating again consistently. My female hasn't missed a meal since I got her back and she is gaining weight again. I prefer feeding well cared for live though. I get squeamish with the f/ts.

[George1994]

I shall be keeping track of his weight. I got some scales online and they should be delivered tomorrow. He seems to be healthy and is acting normal so I am not very worried about the situation at the moment.

So rats grow teeth just after the pup stage? That is way too small for him. I will continue to try and feed him weekly; I am just hoping that he takes it next Monday. Will be a big weight off my shoulders the first time he feeds!

[Phantomtip]

Same here when my boy finally decides to eat again. Remember though some boys won't eat till after breeding season is over. Some have gone off food for almost a year. It depends on whether he is in good health, and is a mature male. It's the weight that really matters in these instances. if he starts loosing significant weight take him to a vet. He might (and its a big might) have to be assist fed. Also you can safely feed live which might stimulate his appetite. Just be vigilant until you see the rat not moving anymore and keep a pen or pencil ready to keep the rats head away from your boy. I usually pop the rat in and keep the lid off with me standing guard with my tongs ready to go if need be. So far haven't needed to keep a rat distracted.

[George1994]

I will keep a log of the weights he is weekly. I have a vet across the road from my house so the location is perfect haha! I'm sure it won't come down to that. He was eating fine in the shop according to their notes, so I guess it is just down to a recent shed, the stress of a new home and the breeding season all rolled into one!

I will research the proper method for live feeding, a few videos and that. I'm sure it wont be too hard after a while

[Phantomtip]

It's not hard to do live feeding. It's just about vigilance while doing it so your BP doesn't get bitten. You can also do pre killed. Which means you kill the rat right before putting it in with your BP. Also make sure you don't stress the rat before placing it in with your snake. The more stressed it is the more likely it is to bite. I just go buy one and when I get home immediately place it in with my snake. That way its not stressed. My girl snags it as soon as she sees it. I wish I had a video of me feeding her that I could show you. I've also fed her f/ts and she will eat them but doesn't really like them. Not enough movement I guess, or I'm not getting them warm enough. It still makes me squeamish. If your BP doesn't eat the live rat be prepared to either return it, or keep it for a bit before trying again.

[200xth]

I will keep a log of the weights he is weekly. I have a vet across the road from my house so the location is perfect haha! I'm sure it won't come down to that. He was eating fine in the shop according to their notes, so I guess it is just down to a recent shed, the stress of a new home and the breeding season all rolled into one!

I will research the proper method for live feeding, a few videos and that. I'm sure it wont be too hard after a while

It's extremely easy.

Buy proper sized rodent. Put in enclosure with snake. Keep an eye on it for 15 to 20 mins. If rodent has not been consumed remove it from enclosure.

Your snake is more than ready to do 99% of the work for you.

[Kat_Dog]

Make sure when you feed live, the rat is well-fed and watered. Try to scare it as little as possible.

Rats are very nice, they choose to run rather than fight. Whenever I feed live, the rat just runs around sniffing everything and cleaning itself, it doesn't even realize there's a snake trying to get it.

Also, rats grow like weeds, my babies grow at a steady pace of 8-10 grams a day... so if your snake refuses, there's a pretty good chance that it'll be too big by the next attempt.
My oldest litter was 30 grams less than a week ago, I weighed them today and they are 90 grams.