Frustrated. she's stuck on mice.

my bumblebee girl is around 500 or 600 grams i'm guessing. she gobbles down 2-3 live mice every 5 days. i've tried a "small" rat probably 6 or 7 times now. the live mice i've been getting from the pet store are pretty small, and the small rats are pretty big, especially compared to the mice. so the rats are a big jump up for her.

so far i've tried rubbing a rat with mouse bedding (although i don't believe the bedding was very "mouse" smelly), and holding a mouse in there by the tail, waiting until she gets into feeding/ strike mode, and taking the mouse out and throwing the rat in there with her. as soon as the rat runs up and bumps her in the face she instantly gets out of feeding mode. i think the size of them intimidates her.

i THINK i might have found a somewhat local breeder that can get me weaned rats and smaller than "small," but it's about a 45 minute drive and not exactly convenient. i think if i can get smaller rats i might be able to get her to take. i haven't tried straight up rubbing a rat with a mouse yet, which i may do soon.

any tips? should i try switching to f/t mice and THEN switch to f/t rats? or switch straight to live rats?

but my main question is, how long should i be stubborn and let her go without eating? i know babies can't go long without eating, but she's up to 5 or 600 grams. i hate seeing her miss meals and i've only let her miss one meal in a row, always giving in and giving her some mice on the second week.

I would give f/t rats a try. Much less intimidating :P

You could probably try the tough love approach for a month. Hold out until she takes the rat. 3-4 weeks without eating shouldn't hurt a snake that size.

I have been driving an hour and a half each way to get live rats of the right size for my snakes that won't take frozen. I google mapped 'pets' and hovered over the red dots that were close to my house. I was able to find a mom and pop pet store a few towns over that breeds their own pet rats and will sell pinks/pups as they have them. That's my advice to you in finding a smaller rat.

GL

I'd try rubbing the mouse on the rat. My friends bp was stuck on mice, refused to eat anything but live mice. We bought a mouse and a small rat put them in the same tank and let the tank sit next to the snakes tank for a week. I'm not sure if it was the scent mix from them being housed together or just the teasing scent of food in general, but after her skipped meal and week of waiting she took the rat with no problem and the mouse is now a "pet" and he throws her rats in with it for a few days before her feeding day.

^^that actually sounds like a pretty good idea. is it ok to temporarily house a rat with a mouse? will the rat not try n eat the mouse? lol

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Originally Posted by MrLang

I have been driving an hour and a half each way to get live rats of the right size for my snakes that won't take frozen.
GL

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you're a trooper. lol

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Originally Posted by creepin

^^that actually sounds like a pretty good idea. is it ok to temporarily house a rat with a mouse? will the rat not try n eat the mouse? lol

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X2 that sounds like a great way to switch my snake that is about 1100 grams over from 4-5 mice every 7 days to one or two rats (depending on wight) every week.

If you're going to breed her then I wouldn't switch. try and find a local mouse breeder and feed her larger mice. once you get her to breeding size and she has a clutch of eggs. wash her and her tub real good. wait a few days and then try the switch. some will eat what ever once their follicles start to grow. my females that are on soft furs will usually switch after having a clutch. If she likes mice and you try to switch her. it might take forever getting to breeding size. if you're thinking about breeding her. if not, wait her out, when she gets hungry enough she should change but like I said it could put her back in time for breeding.

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Originally Posted by don15681

If you're going to breed her then I wouldn't switch. try and find a local mouse breeder and feed her larger mice. once you get her to breeding size and she has a clutch of eggs. wash her and her tub real good. wait a few days and then try the switch. some will eat what ever once their follicles start to grow. my females that are on soft furs will usually switch after having a clutch. If she likes mice and you try to switch her. it might take forever getting to breeding size. if you're thinking about breeding her. if not, wait her out, when she gets hungry enough she should change but like I said it could put her back in time for breeding.

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to clear this up a little after I read it. some will eat before they have a clutch. when placing a male in with her and when her follicles starts to grow. some females will slam rodents and with some females, it doesn't matter which rodents they are.

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We bought a mouse and a small rat put them in the same tank and let the tank sit next to the snakes tank for a week.

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ive tried everything except that trick.

I will tell you though, i did try the "smaller rat" thing, and it did not work on my 970-990g mouser. I tried more than once, a small rat which is pretty much the size of a large mouse, he will show alot of interest but after a while i guess he realizes that its a rat and just retreats to his hide. I dont know if its the scent or the size of the head (a rat head is way bigger than a mouse head i noticed) that gives it away. Now with a regular rat hes gones as soon as he sees the size, and even on a ASF rat.

I have pretty much giving up, and now im just working on him eating atleast 2 mouses in one feeding as supposed to 1 mouse, since he only eats every 2-3 weeks although he is't loosing any real weight.

Thats not to say you should give up though, keep on trying, and def try that housing a rat and mouse together for a week. I would do that myself but i cannot stand having a rat and mouse just chilling in my house for that long, yuck.

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Originally Posted by creepin

^^that actually sounds like a pretty good idea. is it ok to temporarily house a rat with a mouse? will the rat not try n eat the mouse? lol



you're a trooper. lol

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As long as they have adequate food, water and space the rat won't harm the mouse. I know somebody who used a mother rat with new babies as a surrogate for a nursing mouse baby.. She rubbed the little mouse on the baby rats, placed it in the pile and the mother fed and cared for it like one of her own.

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