How do you suggest to switch from mice to rats?

My female cinnamon right now, will eat only live mice. She get one about twice a week. She is 680 grams and I would eventually like to breed her but don't want to be buying a ton of live mice every week to feed her. I have tried to offer her a live rat pup to see if she would eat it. She will kill it, but then won't eat it. She has done this at several different offerings. Mice, she eats with no problems, rats...she will kill it, but then will poke around it for a bit, then just leave it, uneaten.

So how would you transition her from mice to rats. I would love it if she was eating f/t rats, because that is what all my other adults/sub adults are on and we buy them in bulk, but right now, I'll take her just eating rats, period.

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Originally Posted by gaiaeagle

How do you suggest to switch from mice to rats?

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If I'm face to face with the person,or on the phone,I suggest it verbally. If by email,I suggest it by typing and sending..

Offer her a smaller than usual mouse. As she is getting toward the end of the body, hold a prekilled rat of equal size in there and often they will just continue moving the prey into their mouth. Approach her slowly so as to not startle her. It may take a couple of tries. Once she has taken a couple this way without issue, try just offering the rat. My guess is she will take it. Then it should be easy to get her on FT rats from there. Hope that helps.

Just offer the rat of comfortable size or even a touch smaller and see what happens. If that doesn't work, try rlditmars recommendation. Then if still no action, you could try a live rat, and then switching from the live over to the F/T once the taste for rat is accepted/acquired. This does risk desire for only live, so question is what is more important to you, rat feeder even if live, or mouse feeder on f/t...
With any of these, patience is key, try the method a few times over a few feedings before moving on to the next option.
good luck.

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Originally Posted by WtGreg

Just offer the rat of comfortable size or even a touch smaller and see what happens.

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I've tried to give her rat pups. She strikes, coils, kills, then looks confused about what to do next. She will not eat the rat once she has killed it. Very frustrating. I'm going to try the suggestion of piggy backing a rat when she is eating a mouse. I never thought of that. Thanks.

Maybe try keeping a mouse and rat together in a very right container so the scent rubs off. If it's FT then defrost both in a bag together and try that.nce again maybe the scents will rub off. I only own my first snake for one month now,but common sense kicks. With certain things. We were all blessed with it,so my real advice is use it.