ball food question.

[dmaricle]

ok most of my snakes are starting to eat again now that the breeding is over, but for some reason when i offer them a small rat they wont eat but if i put a mouse the same size in they go after it like crazy. is this normal, and its not just 1 snakes its most of mine.

[kc261]

Some snakes prefer one prey over the other. Were all of your snakes eating rats previously?

Also, a live mouse frequently seems to be the trick that can get a non-eating hatchling started, or end a hunger strike. It may have to do with the way a mouse moves, but it could be something else too, who knows?

If they were eating rats previously, and you want them to continue to eat rats, then I'd hold out on them a little bit as long as they haven't lost too much weight. If you just want them to eat, and don't care if some of them decide to be mousers only for life (which there isn't anything wrong with it other than some keepers find it inconvenient), then go ahead and let them eat whatever they want.