Advice for switching from live to F/T

I bought my little guy from a breeder at a show a while back, and I struggled mightily to get him to eat at all. I've had him eating live now for about a month, and takes it right off the tongs.

I tried F/T last week, and he came rushing out, came up to it (I was making it do the dance), and then refused it. We repeated this for about 30 minutes until he stopped coming out of his hide. I gave him a live one the next day and he nailed it.

I had thawed it in hot water for 15-20 minutes, and then blow dryer every so often between feeding tries.

I have read about putting some low sodium chicken broth on them to increase the scent. Anybody know if that works and if it's safe for him? I did buy unsalted chicken broth but haven't tried it yet.

Any advice would be mucho appreciated.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Acedink

I had thawed it in hot water for 15-20 minutes, and then blow dryer every so often between feeding tries.

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i think there might be a problem with your preparation method. could you go a little more in depth in your preparation?

do you ONLY thaw the feeder for 15-20 minutes? from frozen solid? that's not nearly enough time to thaw a feeder out; even a smaller mouse.

also: husbadry plays a huge roll in problems like this. how's your husbandry? could you give us a run-down of your enclosure, equipment, heating, etc? it'll help us give you more tailored advice. :)

EDIT: @Zincubus will be in here shortly to thoroughly explain the hairdryer method. ;)

Pre-scent the room by thawing the prey at ambient temp near the cage

Warm up with a hair dryer

Hold the prey from behind the neck (not the tail) and move it around in the enclosure as if it was alive


Braining, scenting with other scent is not something you do with BP, switching take works, persistence and tough love and it can take 1 feeding like it can take months.

I have a 10 gallon tank, UTH, hot side is 92 degrees, 'cold' is 80-84. Hides on both sides. Humidity ranges from 55% up to 70%. I put the mouse in a ziplock bag, and submerged him for 15-20 minutes (I had read that on numerous boards). I am more than willing to do longer. I also usually blow dry the thing once out of the bag to make sure he is not damp.

And I had read about braining/scenting as well, so thought I would ask on here before going forward with it.

See everything as advised in the posts above PLUS ....


This is what I've done successfully for many years ..

The trick with the hairdryer is to have the mouse thawed .
Wait until evening ( as they're nocturnal) , have low or dim lighting .

Have the viv it RUB open , make sure the snake is under a hide , hold the mouse in the tongs and blast for a good ten seconds then offer it INSTANTLY as it cools quickly, dangle it in front of the hide entrance and he should grab it and drag it into the hide to eat.

I'd it doesn't work REHEAT with hairdryer and again offer INSTANTLY ....this process will normally get them into a feeding frenzy where they WILL grab . It just needs patience as it can take 6 or 7 attempts and just when you are gonna give up they will pounce [emoji4]


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Thanks. Previously he was thawed, but I'd do the blowdryer in another room so as not to scare him, and then walk it over, so it definitely could have cooled off. I'll try all of this on Sunday.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Acedink

Thanks. Previously he was thawed, but I'd do the blowdryer in another room so as not to scare him, and then walk it over, so it definitely could have cooled off. I'll try all of this on Sunday.

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for my snakes, the warm air of the blow dryer blasting rat scent everywhere gets them super excited! try warming in the same room.

also: try putting the mouse in the refrigerator during the day (if you can), then a few hours before you want to feed, pull it out and place it in warm water for like an hour, changing the water out when it cools down.

Sounds terrible but if you pre-kill it right it will still be twitching when offered. Is a trick I used with a picky eater.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Acedink

I bought my little guy from a breeder at a show a while back, and I struggled mightily to get him to eat at all. I've had him eating live now for about a month, and takes it right off the tongs.

I tried F/T last week, and he came rushing out, came up to it (I was making it do the dance), and then refused it. We repeated this for about 30 minutes until he stopped coming out of his hide. I gave him a live one the next day and he nailed it.

I had thawed it in hot water for 15-20 minutes, and then blow dryer every so often between feeding tries.

I have read about putting some low sodium chicken broth on them to increase the scent. Anybody know if that works and if it's safe for him? I did buy unsalted chicken broth but haven't tried it yet.

Any advice would be mucho appreciated.

Thanks.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

for my snakes, the warm air of the blow dryer blasting rat scent everywhere gets them super excited! try warming in the same room.

also: try putting the mouse in the refrigerator during the day (if you can), then a few hours before you want to feed, pull it out and place it in warm water for like an hour, changing the water out when it cools down.

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This........

Plus I think the sound of the hairdryer gets them excited because they know it's feeding time.

Snakes have no ears and can not hear. Vibrations is a different story. They can feel but the smell is what most likely gets them going.

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

This........

Plus I think the sound of the hairdryer gets them excited because they know it's feeding time.

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