Used to eat f/t but now ONLY live?

[JimJam]

Well my Mojave ball went on a 2.5 month fast. When I got tired of him not eating, and I kept throwing out rats, I figured trying to feed him live. The pet store doesn't have appropriate sized rats for him so I got a couple mice. Now he eats up to 3 mice at a time, but refuses XLG frozen mice AND the small rats. Both of which are the same ones from the same packaging he used to eat. Feeding him is getting expensive. Any way to get him back on frozen thawed? I zombie wiggle the f/t, leave it in overnight, nothing works so far.

[Zincubus]

Hi


This method WORKS if done properly ... but you need to be persistent as it can take many attempts .


I wait until evening as they're nocturnal of course . I let the rodent thaw out in the reptile room so they get the smell ..
Then I warm up the mouse / rat with a hairdryer and offer with tongs IMMEDIATELY whilst still warm . If refused simply repeat the heating and offering as many times as needed. .

A couple of mine will only strike feed from within their hides so I dangle the warm rodent in front of the hide's entrance - usually works but if it fails simply reheat the rodent with a hairdryer and immediately offer again whilst it's still warm continue until it's grabbed ...
I always wait until evenings to feed as they're nocturnal of course .

Incidentally , if it shows no interest at all not even a tongue flicker maybe it's best to leave for a week or so.


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[inKYfromSD]

I'm a beginner myself but this worked for me when Mindy wouldn't eat anything but live. I thaw mice in very hot water in a clean plastic coffee can. I place the can in the same room with Mork and Mindy. I let them thaw for 30 minutes and them change the water and let them heat up for another 15 minutes. Using tongs I hold the mouse by the tail and let the water drip off. I dip just the head back in the water and offer it. Getting the mouse to a temperature of right around 107 F seems to work best for me. Mindy will come out of her hide as soon as the mouse is offered. I do all of this after dark and wear a red headlamp so as not to disturb them too much. I tried the hair dryer method a few times and it didn't work very well. Knock on wood, Mork has always been a great eater.

Good luck with your feeding!

[Vipera Berus]

Try heating the f/t with a hair dryer, works wonders for me even with a soaking wet one. so long as its hot when I pick it up its cooled down enough that mine grabs it.