switching from live to f/t

i have a central american red tail boa (bci) and i feed her a live adult mouse every week and i want to switch her over to f/t but dont know how. anyone got any advice on switching her over

I use a slow transition process. If the snake is already feeding constantly on live then you can try feeding a fresh killed rodent. After 2-3 consecutive feedings on fresh killed then you can give F/T a try. Make sure the F/T rodent is heated to 100 degrees as this is the body temperature of a rat.

Have you attempted to feed f/t yet? I haven't owned many boas at all, but the ones I have owned didn't really need any "conversion"...they just ate anything.

yea i tryed f/t a few times when i first got her but she would not touch it and the breeder i got her from feed her live since she was born

Make sure theyre heated to 100 degrees. Take a knife and poke a small hole in the skull of the rat. (theyre not that thick, itll be easy). Get some of the brain juices/blood to flow out. Then dangle the rat slowing in front of your snake and then do the zombie dance and see if if she pounds it.
I tried a few different methods to convert my ball and finally the braining method worked. idk why but the smell of that made her crazy. She pounded that rat like it had insulted her mother.

I've never had to heat up feeders for my boas and they all eat f/t or f/k. I just thaw at room temp and dangle them in their face with some tongs and they all eat like there's no tomorrow. Just give her some time and be paitient it will happen, don't give her anymore live and only offer a f/t or f/k until she eats. Even skipping a few feedings won't hurt her at all, a boas metabolism is a lot slower tha a bp's. Boas don't eat on a schedule or as often in the wild as they do in captivity and fair just fine without food for even months at a time with no I'll effects as long as they always have fresh water. Good luck and with time, patience and persistence she will be off of live food! :)

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

idk why but the smell of that made her crazy. She pounded that rat like it had insulted her mother.

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:rofl:

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Originally Posted by boadaddy

I've never had to heat up feeders for my boas and they all eat f/t or f/k. I just thaw at room temp and dangle them in their face with some tongs and they all eat like there's no tomorrow. Just give her some time and be paitient it will happen, don't give her anymore live and only offer a f/t or f/k until she eats. Even skipping a few feedings won't hurt her at all, a boas metabolism is a lot slower tha a bp's. Boas don't eat on a schedule or as often in the wild as they do in captivity and fair just fine without food for even months at a time with no I'll effects as long as they always have fresh water. Good luck and with time, patience and persistence she will be off of live food! :)

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I agree. Boas tend to be garbage disposals. She may be hesitant to take it right now because she doesn't recognize it as food. But they know the smell and she'll figure it out eventually. How long are you leaving the rodent in with her? Just a little while or overnight? If you're only leaving it with her for a short time, try just leaving it with her overnight. Chances are she'll eat it. And I agree with boadaddy - don't offer anything but f/t until she eats. She'll be fine, but if she still doesn't eat after one or two more tries, you could try braining it like Mike suggested. That should do it for sure. :gj:

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

Have you attempted to feed f/t yet? I haven't owned many boas at all, but the ones I have owned didn't really need any "conversion"...they just ate anything.

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Could not have said it better myself......

Jason

My guy took them the very first attempt. I wiggled it a bit then practically touched him on the nose with it. Snag!!! We always heat them up. Maybe that's what helps with the zombie rat/mouse dance? When our bp is being stubborn I just set the rat down, turn off his over head heat source, then cover the tank completely with a blanket. Usually he's eating in just a few minutes. I do agree totally with the don't turn back to live unless you absolutely have to.