Feeding: Gerbils vs ASF's...help?

So I was having problems with Rambo (my ball python) eating the past few winters. This winter I tried something new; I tried feeding him a gerbil after a few unsuccessful attempts with rats and mice. My husbandry is fine, I have had him for 4 years. Every winter he seems to go off feed, which I know is normal. But this year I have had him eating bc of the gerbils. Now here is my confusion -- I was able to find ASF's...but he won't take them. Do you think this is because he has "imprinted" so to say on gerbils? I only did the gerbils bc I read they were closest to ASF's. Then again, it is winter and he has been eating, his skin is getting ligher, so he's most likely going to shed soon. Obviously there are a lot of factors, but let me hear what you think. Are the ASF's useless at this point? Also, I am able to get Gerbils and ASF whenever I need, I found a new connection. I bought 4 ASF, 1 male 3 females, to breed but it is pointless if he won't eat them...

I have never had to feed gerbils or ASF's, but I have always heard that gerbils are easy for them to imprint on and hard to get them off of. I have also heard the same about ASF's, but if your BP is refusing those, he may already be hooked on gerbils. Good luck!!!

In my experience it's hard to switch from Gerbils.

I hope your BP switches back. Took me 2 years to switch my Dumeril's off gerbils, no joke.

Switch your BP back to regular rats, as soon as humanly possible. I don't see any reason to feed gerbils or ASFs if your BP was perfectly content with regular rats. If they go off food in the winter, that's perfectly fine and you already know that, so I'm not sure why you'd even offer a gerbil.

I have males that only eat steadily 4-5 months out of the year, it's just how it goes.

I found ASFs far, far too temperamental for my liking. I have Norway rats now, and they are producing babies like mad. Yeah. They stink. But they save me a boatload of money. As opposed to the ASFs, who would take 4 months to hit maturity. Then they would take another 4 months to get up to an appropriate size to feed any of our ball pythons.

They are a monster PITA, in my opinion.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

I hope your BP switches back. Took me 2 years to switch my Dumeril's off gerbils, no joke.

Switch your BP back to regular rats, as soon as humanly possible. I don't see any reason to feed gerbils or ASFs if your BP was perfectly content with regular rats. If they go off food in the winter, that's perfectly fine and you already know that, so I'm not sure why you'd even offer a gerbil.

I have males that only eat steadily 4-5 months out of the year, it's just how it goes.

I found ASFs far, far too temperamental for my liking. I have Norway rats now, and they are producing babies like mad. Yeah. They stink. But they save me a boatload of money. As opposed to the ASFs, who would take 4 months to hit maturity. Then they would take another 4 months to get up to an appropriate size to feed any of our ball pythons.

They are a monster PITA, in my opinion.

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Gotcha. Ok, what if I can get gerbils all of the time though? And say I try to switch back to rats, can you recommend the best way to do so? I mean I can't see him just randomly choosing a rat if I throw it in, ya know?

try putting the rat in some bedding the gerbil was in to make it smell like the gerbil might be able to trick him into eating the rat good luck

Gerbils are very addictive to BP some will never switch back.

In the end switching prey type because an animal is fasting is never a good idea, the best is to wait it out and be consistent with the prey type being offered. Winter fasts with an animal that age are normal and patience is key.

I would recommend no to offer food until he readily accept what he used to eat in the past, tough love will be key in switching him back.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

In the end switching prey type because an animal is fasting is never a good idea, the best is to wait it out and be consistent with the prey type being offered. Winter fasts with an animal that age are normal and patience is key.

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:number1: THIS!

Gerbils are like crack for Ball Pythons. Once they get going on gerbils it can be very very hard to get them to switch back to rats. There were even a few stories floating around a couple years back about a BP that, in effect, starved to death because it wouldn't switch back to rats when the owner's gerbil supply dried up.

You asked about feeding gerbils all the time. You must be breeding your own or run a gerbil rescue, because that doesn't sound cost effective to me.