Live to frozen

[BallPythonGuy007]

Hi everyone! I just have a little issue with one of my snakes. She is a little picky on eating. She only eats live. I have some large feeding tongs and I tried a frozen on her yesterday and she struck, but right as she did, the mouse fell from the tongs. Then she knew... Had to give her live. Any suggestions to help me switch her over?

[Solidus106]

I heard to "zombie dance" them to gain interest and make sure they're at the right temp

[Commandokev]

Yes the most important thing is that the mouse/rat is thawed to the correct temperature. Using the tongs hold the mouse by the buttocks in a normal position (as if the mouse was standing on all fours). "Zombie walk" refers to the method used to make the mouse appear alive to the snake. Make sure you keep the mouse as close to the ground as you can so you don't scare your snake. From my experience they tend to be more interested the further away the mouse is. I guess they get the feeling that the mouse is running away from them. I normally will use the tongs and put the mouse a couple inches so he/she can smell the mouse. Once they become interested slowly move the mouse backwards away from the snake as if it is walking. Once the snake appears interested and in hunt mode you can move the mouse close enough so the snake can grab it. Just remember not to move the mouse to fast. Scaring the snake will put you back at square one. Hope this helps

[Dracoluna]

Hi everyone! I just have a little issue with one of my snakes. She is a little picky on eating. She only eats live. I have some large feeding tongs and I tried a frozen on her yesterday and she struck, but right as she did, the mouse fell from the tongs. Then she knew... Had to give her live. Any suggestions to help me switch her over?

The fact that she struck is a good sign. However, if you want to switch, you might have to make her miss a meal or two. I've switched all mine over to f/t but it takes some longer than others. The zombie dance helps but so does getting them hungry. Warming the rats up in the same room as your snake can help as it's smelling it, getting hungry, and then you're offering it a rodent. My pickiest, I make sure the mouse/rat is dry. When it's still new, I will hold the prey by the tail and once the snake strikes, I will pull sporadically as if the rodent is trying to get loose. It tends to cause a tighter coil and they get more excited. I do that for about 5-10 seconds and then let go. They continue to constrict for awhile but then will think they did the killing and eat it. As time goes on, I slowly phase that out, phase out the movement, and now I just get the lid open and if they are hungry, they grab it before it even gets in the tub. Some take longer than others so be patient and consistent. You'll get there.

[Cal State Reptiles]

You could also dip the head in hot water(ensure it is not too hot). We have had a couple that refuse thawed but will take them if the head is warm to the touch.