feeding bloods

I am new to the blood family. When I feed my balls they take the food right away but the blood seems to be alot slower to take the food. I feed live and the lady I got her from said she had feed her rats,mice,hampsters and gerbils and she ate it all live.Is it typical for them to just lay and wait for the food.I've had her two and a half weeks and she has eaten one mouse and started her shed. I understand with bloods sheds can take longer than balls.But her eyes are now cleared up so it should'nt be long now.

First off I'd get it eating only one kind of food item. Rats are your easiest bet.

Then try and get it on frozen thawed or prekilled rats.

The thing with bloods is that they're a highly sedentary ambush style animal. They'll sit in wait for days and days until something walks past em. Or known primarily in the wild to sit in wait in water. Then them grab the animal coming to take a drink.

Sounds like yours in just a typical blood!

My male just shed today. Get your humidity up high for a shed!! Mine was at 85 and it was gonna be a bad shed. I pulled him out and soaked him in the tub and assisted him.

Hope this helps

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Originally Posted by roosterman2173

I am new to the blood family. When I feed my balls they take the food right away but the blood seems to be alot slower to take the food. I feed live and the lady I got her from said she had feed her rats,mice,hampsters and gerbils and she ate it all live.Is it typical for them to just lay and wait for the food.I've had her two and a half weeks and she has eaten one mouse and started her shed. I understand with bloods sheds can take longer than balls.But her eyes are now cleared up so it should'nt be long now.

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LOL, she might not shed for another week or more. Bloods are painfully slow at shedding.

Sounds like she's still a bit nervous to be honest. What are you housing her in? Hides, temps, humidity?

Once she's completely settled in and learns your routine, you'll get some strong feeding responses. So much she'll make you think she's starving!!

I would stick with one food item, and I personally advise getting her to take frozen thawed or PK. Just so much easier when feeding large prey; being already dead.

That said, sounds like rats are the way to go. :gj: Give her time to shed, she'll come around.

yeah good advice so far I agree with the comments.

Rats are also better as you can feed them rats the rest of their lives so no trying to switch from one food item to another.

Sheds are painfully slow with bloods in comparison to many other species, I provide a very large water dish that my bloods like to soak in and they always shed in there complete like a big wet sock :D

She is only 408 grams and i'm going to only raise rat now so I was feeding her my large breeder mice. She lives in a 20 gallon breed tank . The temps are 88.5 and 83.5 . She has a hollowed out cyprus knee on the cool side and a fake rock hide on the other. The humidity is at 84% . I've found that the cyprus knee hides that I make work good for a shed aid as well.