Tips on feeding F/T

[patb201985]

Hey Everyone,

i know there is alot of people out there that dont feed there snakes live meals. and i wanted to switch my collection to F/T mice or rats. im looking for advice, steps, & tips on getting them to switch. also what are the steps you take on heating them up to get them ready to be eaten ? any advice also on what not 2 do when feeding f/t ?!
tks,

[ML85]

I have no clue on how to tell you to switch them to f/t but i have been feeding my ball f/t since i got him and all i do to heat the mice is i put the mouse in a zip lock baggy fill a bowl of HOT water and put the bag in the water for like 15/20 min. You might have to put something on the bag to hold it down in the bowl cuz it will float if not lol. But i have had no problems with my snake eating with my method....

And i just use tongs to dangle the mouse in front of the snake until he strikes and takes it.
Good Luck!

[FatBoy]

You need to prescent the room by letting the rats thaw in the snake room. I would put the rats in the room in the AM. Let them thaw all day. Late that night use a hair dryer to slightly heat the head of the rat. Remember by this time the rat will already be at room temp. Your fingers should be 98* so you don't want the rat to feel warmer than your touch. It also shouldn't feel cooler, about the same temp. Hold the rat by the scruff of the neck with tongs and kinda wiggle it head first about 2-3" from the snakes head. Do not shove the rat towards the snake or touch the snake with the rat. Prescenting the room will have the snakes in feeding mode and they should do fine. Sometimes it takes a while to switch from live to FT, just keep trying.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I have tried many things when I used to feed F/T, and here is what I found was working best for me.

Thaw the prey at room temp which allow to pre-scent the room

Warm it up with a hair dryer

Use a pair of tongs and dangle the prey in front of your BP

Remember switching can take time.

Note: Remember if a prey is thawed to quickly (in warm hot water for example) it will be more likely to explode when constricted

[ML85]

Explode? i haven't had a problem with any of the prey exploding for my snake? but thanks im thinkin i might just switch it up lol dont want to take a chance.

[FatBoy]

When I first started feeding some FT I used hot water to thaw, sat under heat lamp, ect. When thawing too fast I have had them pop. The slower the thaw the better. And always remember a snake can't digest cooked food, I have actually heard of people warming rats in the microwave!!! NOT a good idea! Try the advice above and see how it works, keep us posted.

[patb201985]

thanks everyone, i will try it out and see what happens... crazy that they can exploded ! good to kno, wouldnt want that happening !

[reptile3]

interesting.... i feed my bp f/t mouse/rat, & I thaw with warm water in a cup with a lid. I watched my bp tonight eat it. As I laid it in his home, he came around out from his hide, had his head next to it, & starting at it, head first... He must know it's already dead. he doesn't constrict it.

OMG! if a f/t mouse ever POPPED, I think I would be sick!!!

[missi182]

I do put my F/T in a cup of warm water with a baggie for about 30 mins, but not hot water because that can actually cook it (like mr.noodle! ha) then I just stick it under a lamp right on top of my tank for an hour or so. My little guy is waiting when I put it in there and takes it right away

[ajeff]

I just leave my rodents to defrost in the same room as the snakes. I check them often, flipping them over and so on. Some animals have no problems taking thawed others may. Just make sure the rodent is completely defrosted before presenting your it to your animal.

If your animal is used to live and will not take a thawed rodent, try a freshly pre-killed one for a couple meals, when the animal is used to eating pre-killed, try a thawed one. You may have to work with your animal and use all kinds of tricks. Then keep in mind that some will absolutly refuse to switch over.