Trouble with F/T

My youngest girl I have eating great, however she's not being easy to switch over. She's finally hitting at a f/t , but won't eat. Any suggestions?

have you been offering a different/live prey item when she doesn't eat? also, how are you preparing the f/t feeder?

there was just a post here about a similar topic and one of the suggestions was when you notice a shed cycle coming, do not offer any food until a few days after the shed is complete. once complete, offer the f/t feeder. there's a high chance of success with this method.

She was low on weight when I got her so I've spent the last few months solid on live to get her up to size. I've waited a week, tried ft again and if didn't take would do a live. It's now getting her to swallow after the strike.

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Originally Posted by chakup

She was low on weight when I got her so I've spent the last few months solid on live to get her up to size. I've waited a week, tried ft again and if didn't take would do a live. It's now getting her to swallow after the strike.

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when she strikes does she coil and try to "kill" it? also, how do you prepare the f/t feeder?

normally, since she's striking, i'd say to wait her out and stop offering live, but if you say her weight has been an issue i don't think that's an option. like i mentioned above, one method you can try is to wait for a shed cycle and offer when it's complete to see if she'll take.

Make sure the feeder is warm enough. It needs to mimic a live feeder which has a body temp just over a 100F.

I've had good luck with thawing and heating in water.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Make sure the feeder is warm enough. It needs to mimic a live feeder which has a body temp just over a 100F.

I've had good luck with thawing and heating in water.

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This^ or warm with a hairdryer


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^^^What Zincubus said!^^^ Zincubus suggested this to me as well when I was having problems. I started using a heat gun to heat up thawed rats and a couple of my snakes that were driving me crazy refusing f/t immediately started eating and have been eating like champs ever since. Not only that, but the smell of rat, which fills the room from blow drying each rat at feeding time seems to send every snake in the room into a ravenous feeding frenzy! If she shows interest, but doesn't take it right away, just keep heating it back up and offering again. Don't give in and give her live...

PS Don't thaw your rats directly in water. Either just let them sit out for a few hours or make sure they are sealed in air-tight zip lock bags, if you're thawing in hot water...

Rats thaw in fridge, do a short water soak to bring overall temp up and then hit them with hairdryer. Last night was her first actual strike and coil on a ft, she definitely likes her rats hotter temp wise then my others. But after the strike and coil, nothing. First time left her alone and nada. Second strike covered her tank and left for awhile and nothing.
I'll give it another go in a week.

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

^^^What Zincubus said!^^^ Zincubus suggested this to me as well when I was having problems. I started using a heat gun to heat up thawed rats and a couple of my snakes that were driving me crazy refusing f/t immediately started eating and have been eating like champs ever since. Not only that, but the smell of rat, which fills the room from blow drying each rat at feeding time seems to send every snake in the room into a ravenous feeding frenzy! If she shows interest, but doesn't take it right away, just keep heating it back up and offering again. Don't give in and give her live...

PS Don't thaw your rats directly in water. Either just let them sit out for a few hours or make sure they are sealed in air-tight zip lock bags, if you're thawing in hot water...

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Thats true about the hairdryer sending the rodent smells around the room - I'm surrounded by vivs so on feeding night the Burm / Boas / Retic and Kings are all pacing their vivs :)


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Thats true about the hairdryer sending the rodent smells around the room - I'm surrounded by vivs so on feeding night the Burm / Boas / Retic and Kings are all pacing their vivs :)


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Since I started doing this, I can't even walk past the rack that one of my Boas is in or he is striking at the front of his tub and when it's his turn to eat I can't even get his tub open, because he is charging right out like a Black Head or Retic! lol