Jungle carpet feeding ?

When do you all recommend making the transition to rats?

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

When do you all recommend making the transition to rats?

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As early as possible, I did not even start mine on mice just straight on rats, the longer you wait the harder it will be.

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Deborah is right [emoji4] but well we must try [emoji28]


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Good advice all through the thread.

Work on the rat transition now and keep it going. I have a coastal that is somewhat picky although she isn't mouse picky just has her own style of eating.

I would add another option. Like Reinz said combining mice and rats in the same bag for a scent transfer is an option, you could also try the same with chicks or quail.

All Morelia/Carpets are highly arboreal, and any type of avian prey will usually excite them. I'm not suggesting feeding quail or chicks outright, but scenting a rat with some type of avian item should be like "adding gravy to mashed potatoes". It may be just enough to get the snake interested.

First wait it out at least 2 weeks and get the snake in the hunting mode. Once you get it going it should be an easy conversion.

After a while, you should be able to mix rats and quail every couple of feedings and have a steady feeding situation.

You could also start with a mouse, and "piggyback" a rat when the mouse is almost down.

These are a couple of options.

My coastal was never on mice, but when she turned her nose up at rats, I tried a live one and she went nuts.

Hah! Both carpets I've cared for would take down anything you put in front of them. Good luck, I hope yours is just as voracious!

Coastal a are easy, I've never had an issue switching from mice to rats with all my coastals. (FYI about 50ish animals that I've kept) jungles and ijs are kinda bad about it. I advocate not feeding for 4-6 weeks, then if you've been trying f/t do live at night. That trick is almost alway fool proof.


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Thanks a lot on advices mu friends


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Good luck djole13. If the snake has never been offered rats, just give it a try. Most will take them. If the snake has been offered rats and refused, then try the above advice. Unfortunately , my experience in over 20 years of keeping Morelia has resulted in my saying "if you've got a yearling still refusing rats, you've got a snake that will never eat rats". The good news is it will eat anything else. Chicken, quail, guinea pig and rabbit.

Never had a problem with getting them on rats (even if we acquired a "mouser")

A bit of mouse on the head of a rat for a couple of feedings or chicks then rats.

We are a pretty big fan of mixing up the diet some and never remember a snake getting stuck on one or the other. Maybe we are lucky..? :p

** chicks can change up the stool a bit so no worries if that happens.

Good luck!

Mm another thing to try is asfs, even the pickiest jungle will typically eat asfs then switching from asfs to rats is easier!


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