Feeding F/T rat fuzzies???

[ssecrest77]

Hello All,

I was hoping to get some advice on getting my new ball python to take her F/T rat fuzzies. I bought her at a recent show and she was being fed F/T before, but not eating like I thought she would. I got her to eat once in her tank but had to dip it in chicken broth to get her to tag it. She also seems to like to eat in her tank, rather than eating in separate enclosure. Any advice on getting her to tag and eat consistently? I appreciate any advice.

[I-KandyReptiles]

Don't take her out of her tank to eat. I feed all my snakes in their enclosures. It stresses the snake to be removed to be fed. And it's more likely to accidentally bite you because it's in "feed mode".

Make sure your rat is very hot. Some will take a hair dryer after the rats been thawed and heat up the head area.




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[ssecrest77]

I was microwaving water and soaking it in a baggie. I have a thermostat to check temp, about how hot should it be when given? Any worries about it eating substrate? What about it tagging when I get her out thinking it's feeding, when feeding in enclosure? Thanks so much for your feedback.

[FireStorm]

Feeding in her enclosure won't cause you to be any more likely to be bitten. That is a myth that just won't go away. Normal body temperature for a live rat is 99.5F, so something close to that. How often are you attempting to feed? How are you offering? What is her setup like?

[Slim]

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...the-first-time

[ssecrest77]

I'm trying every night since she comes out crawling around like crazy. I assume she's "happy". I just got her almost 3 weeks ago at a show. SHe ate last week but nothing this week. Her tank temps seem good. Maybe she's just not hungry??

[Slim]

Trying every night will stress her out and almost guarantee a longer feeding break. Offer once a week, and keep the handling to a minimum until she starts to eat regularly.

[FireStorm]

^This. Every night is way too often.

[ssecrest77]

Cool, I will try weekly feedings. The person I got her from said don't even take her out of the tank until she's eaten at least 3 times. I assume she'll eat when she's hungry.