Feeding- Live to dead

[Teej]

What is the best way to get a snake that was raised eating live food to start eating pre-killed food?

As some of my sons snakes are larger and eating rats, we are more fearful of snake injury due to rat bites and would like to look into feeding pre-killed rats. Have any of you fed live and later switched to feeding dead food?

Thanks for the advice, Teej

[jglass38]

I have switched quite a few snakes from live to frozen/thawed. Pre killed is a good progression if that is the way you want to go. (although live can be fed perfectly safely with the right precautions) I find the tong method with the rat dance (patent pending) works best. Hold the rat by the tail with the tongs and wiggle it around a foot or so from the snake. Instinct should do the rest. Best of luck!

[frankykeno]

Zombie rat dance aka the dead rat boogie (patents pending ) are great ways to promote a strike. Just try to imitate life like movements down on their substrate and a hungry snake should go for it eventually. Takes some patience. Live feeding, pre-killed or frozen/thawed are all viable manners of prey offering as long as each is done correctly.