Ball python refuses rats!

My ball python has always eaten live mice throughout the course of her 3 year life and now she needs to move on to medium rats but just wont make the change. Can anybody offer some help or provide tips on how to do this?

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

My ball python has always eaten live mice throughout the course of her 3 year life and now she needs to move on to medium rats but just wont make the change. Can anybody offer some help or provide tips on how to do this?

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There's absolutely nothing wrong with a snake being a mouser her entire life.

She doesn't NEED to move to medium rats, if mice are sustaining her. YOU may need her to move, but SHE doesn't need to move.

I would recommend small mediums, or small rats. Ask for some mouse bedding at the pet store (in a paper sack is fine), and then put a handful of the mouse bedding in the front of her enclosure. When you see her start actively looking for the source of that scent - drop in a small white rat. She should be "turned on" by the scent of the mouse bedding and then when presented with a live warm rodent will immediately hit on it.

If that doesn't work - then you have to use "tough love" (only if she's in good body condition). Offer rats and only rats each week. No more mice - until she gets hungry enough to take a rat.

If she loses significant amounts of weight, you'll want to offer her mice again. Don't ever extend tough love if you have a particularly stubborn animal to the point of risking your animal's health.

She isnt growing any larger or heavier

I have a 2 1/2 year-old who refuses rats, so I've let her stay with mice - that's my feeding preference anyway, and she's growing fine on them! I just add more prey as she grows, and she's now up to 3 mice per week & weighs around 1000g. Not quite as big as my rat eater of the same age, but I think it's good enough. :gj: Have you been giving multiple mice per feeding, or just one?

multiple, im feeding her 4 mice a week!

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

She isnt growing any larger or heavier

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:confuzd: Without knowing how large or heavy she is, how often you feed her and how many mice you feed her - that doesn't tell us very much.

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

multiple, im feeding her 4 mice a week!

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So - have you been tracking weight with a gram scale?

She's 3ft 3inches long, weighs 725 grams. I feed her every week and feed her 4 mice per week

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Originally Posted by Justin Li

She's 3ft 3inches long, weighs 725 grams. I feed her every week and feed her 4 mice per week

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Just curious how old is your girl and that its incredible to me that she eats four mice a week,have you ever tried to feed her frozen rodents,my female has never fed off live prey

shes 3 years old and refused frozen every single time