Feeding retic piglets question

I tried getting my 8 ft, 2.5 yr old female retic to switch to rabbits, but after trying different methods, she still won’t take rabbits. I tried 4 times, over a 4 week span. Debating if I should give up and try piglets. Is it ok to give retics a pig only diet, or is that bad in terms of the fat content? I was giving her 2 jumbo rats before. Thanks a lot for the help!

Piglets are very lean, much more so than two jumbo rats. I feed them to my retics, burm, and anaconda. The really tiny piglets (under 1 lb) go to my boas.

Usually I get two boxes of piglets from El Segundo in the late fall and another two in the spring before it gets hot since they ship ground.

Thanks a lot for the info! I didn’t know they were more lean, figured they would be higher fat content like Guinea pigs. Do you know if they are like rabbits, where some retics might not take it? I was planning on ordering from El Segundo now that they don’t have limits for shipping like when it was hotter in the summer, but afraid a $165 minimum order might go to waste for just one snake.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Piglets are very lean, much more so than two jumbo rats. I feed them to my retics, burm, and anaconda. The really tiny piglets (under 1 lb) go to my boas.

Usually I get two boxes of piglets from El Segundo in the late fall and another two in the spring before it gets hot since they ship ground.

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Have you tried scenting prey with rats? That might make the transition smoother, whether for rabbits or piglets. BTW, the best way to transfer scent is using fresh & very soiled* substrate from a cage of live rats- you might request some from a local pet store if you don't know any breeders. (*roll thawed prey in substrate that is well-soiled with rat urine & feces- "yummy"! LOL)

Thanks for advice! I didn’t try that trick since I don’t know any local rat breeders. I only soaked rabbit in tuna water and defrosted rat and rabbit in same bag and rubbed rat again on rabbit before putting both the rabbit and rat in cage, so that after eating the rat, was hoping it would be in hunger mode and still eat rabbit. Do you think there’s still a chance eventho I already tried 4 times over a 4 weeks span of time? Thanks again!

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Have you tried scenting prey with rats? That might make the transition smoother, whether for rabbits or piglets. BTW, the best way to transfer scent is using fresh & very soiled* substrate from a cage of live rats- you might request some from a local pet store if you don't know any breeders. (*roll thawed prey in substrate that is well-soiled with rat urine & feces- "yummy"! LOL)

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I'd sure try it, that's why I mentioned it. Find out when your local pet store cleans their cages- pay them a buck if you have to, or swap them some clean substrate for their used- whatever works.

I just know that f/t rodents don't impart near the smell that fresh dirty shavings do. Another way to get scent from the f/t rat is by pinch-damaging the rats nose with your tongs. (I'm not a fan of "braining", btw. I've also never found tuna juice to be helpful.) But that won't yield very much scent- the fresh urine/feces in used substrate will likely work much better.

Either way, jumbo rats ARE fatty & not the best food, so hopefully you can get your snake on either piglets or rabbits.

One more thing- BEFORE you add scent to prey to fool the snake, wash off the prey you're trying to feed (in plain water) to remove as much of the "objectionable scent" as possible- that should help the rat scent be more effective too. The blot excess water from the prey, then roll it in the used rat bedding to impart as much rat smell as you can. Brush off the used bedding & serve to your snake.

BTW, I've raised rats & mice for a very long time to feed whatever snakes I have. Sometimes rats or mice don't get along with each other- like if I have to pair them up with a "new" one (I keep them in trios, one male & 2 females)- and what I do is toss some used shavings from the established ones all over the one I want to move in with them, so she smells the same & they won't attack her. Sounds disgusting but it generally works very well. ;) The male rodents have most of the scent, & if they smell another (previous) male on a new female, they may attack her instead of being "interested" & accepting. I do what I gotta do, lol.

Gerbils are actually the worst- they'll kill any & all gerbils they don't already know as part of their colony. When I briefly kept gerbils, I successfully got them to accept one another by giving them deep soil to dig in, & after they did that for a while, they all smelled the same (like the soil) to each other. When you keep critters, you have to use scent cues the way they do, & to your own advantage whenever necessary.

Thanks again! If I can’t get substrate from local petsmart, do you think starving her for a month before putting in a rabbit, might have a chance?

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I'd sure try it, that's why I mentioned it. Find out when your local pet store cleans their cages- pay them a buck if you have to, or swap them some clean substrate for their used- whatever works.

I just know that f/t rodents don't impart near the smell that fresh dirty shavings do. Another way to get scent from the f/t rat is by pinch-damaging the rats nose with your tongs. (I'm not a fan of "braining", btw. I've also never found tuna juice to be helpful.) But that won't yield very much scent- the fresh urine/feces in used substrate will likely work much better.

Either way, jumbo rats ARE fatty & not the best food, so hopefully you can get your snake on either piglets or rabbits.

One more thing- BEFORE you add scent to prey to fool the snake, wash off the prey you're trying to feed (in plain water) to remove as much of the "objectionable scent" as possible- that should help the rat scent be more effective too.

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Maybe, but I'd try being a good customer there & telling them why you need the used shavings. You don't need a whole lot- & they don't really need to know what kind of snake you have either- just in case they have a bias against. Most should be sympathetic though (you're humanely feeding f/t prey at least) though some just are snake-haters. ;) FYI, I have zero experience feeding retics, but plenty with other fussy snakes, & the same basic principles apply to get them eating what they should.

Brain the rabbit. It works more then not. If your State Side PM me and I can send rat or ASF bedding if you want to try that.


Good luck!

Great point and thanks a lot!

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Maybe, but I'd try being a good customer there & telling them why you need the used shavings. You don't need a whole lot- & they don't really need to know what kind of snake you have either- just in case they have a bias against. Most should be sympathetic though (you're humanely feeding f/t prey at least) though some just are snake-haters. ;) FYI, I have zero experience feeding retics, but plenty with other fussy snakes, & the same basic principles apply to get them eating what they should.

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