Does gerbil bedding work to switch from live to frozen?

Has anyone had luck scenting a frozen thawed rat pup with gerbil bedding to get a ball python to switch from live to frozen?

are u feeding live gerbils now?

if your gonna switch to live ratties I would just place it in there and monitor.

I am trying to get my ball python to switch from live mice to frozen mice or frozen rat pups

if your going to switch to frozen i would say go with the rat pups and scent them with the live mice or the mice bedding since that is what it is eating at this time. i have tried switching my ball over to frozen two times already and still have had no luck. good luck

I have converted all of my BPs (and other snakes) from Live to FT, and from mice to rats, with minimal difficulty.


Most convert without anything more than the snake rejecting a few meals, and then eventually accepting the new item. On occasion the zombie dance helps.

For the more difficult conversions, I will occasionally use the "piggy back" method, where I feed the live prey, then take 1 similar sized FT and place it in the snakes mouth as it finishes the first one. This take advantage of the swallowing reflex, and keep your snake well fed. In my case, they just eventually took the FT, or rat from mouse, with no problem. Just be gentle, and this is quite safe.

I have another philosophy that some on this forum don't agree with, when it comes to picky eater. I will actually make less attempts to feed, not more. In the wild, these animals do not have someone dropping a FT rat in there face every week, and they are often "hungry". I have found the snakes will eventually take the FT, if it is offered less often. i recently converted a pronounced mouser this way. Once they accept the FT, I go back to regular feeding schedule.

Remember, they eat when they feel like it, and not when we want them to.