Partial feeding success tonight....

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Originally Posted by Dianne

Hi Dave,

I was told Artemis was hatched in 2015, she’s 1388 grams as of 10/29/18. Thanks to folks here, I just bought a scale to track her weight. This way I’ll have a better idea on weight loss/gain going forward. In the past I’ve always just used visual inspection of body condition.

Typical Virginia weather has been bouncing around a bit for the past month or so, but more cool days (60’s and some 50’s) than warm ones (70’s) with overnight temps lower (40’s and 50’s with several nights in the low 30’s). I’ve had the house heat on since the first cool night...I don’t like being too cool either. lol I considered she may be fasting, but my room temps have stayed pretty consistent (74-75) with the cage temps regulated. I use lights in the room to offset the seasonal changes, though that isn’t foolproof.

No worries about seeming condescending, we’re all here to share info. :) I’ve been feeding f/t for about 18 years. Started keeping boas in 1991, switched to prekilled somewhere around 1996-1997 after my Bci got bitten, and switched to f/t around 1999-2000. I thaw in bags in lukewarm water, switching to hot-ish tap water to bring them up to temp just prior to feeding. That said, I just learned about the hair drier trick here and tried that out on her in case the water temp wasn’t warm enough for her tastes. No luck.

I’ve had a few that were harder to switch than others, but time and patience have paid off. Most of mine will not eat anything left on the cage floor, but will readily take a slowly moving rodent held in front of them. I think my biggest concern with her stems from her being new, so I don’t know what her prior feeding habits were other than she was fed live. If this was my adult male bp, I wouldn’t think twice because he occasionally goes on fasts. As I mentioned earlier, I’m a bit of a worrier. :rolleyes: I also haven’t handled her except when necessary for cage cleaning, so she hasn’t had the opportunity to get used to my scent...I’m just the giant moving around the room.

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Dianne,

I posted my list of how to defrost a frozen rodent below in the hopes that there's something there you haven't seen or thought of.

I'm sure you know, but at 1,388G, unless she's emaciated (she'd have to very long), she can go a while without eating. Plus, with the winter coming, she may just be off feed. She might take live rat pup, but if you are determined to feed F/T long term, I would keep trying, but less frequently, and maybe even wait out the winter (while watching her weight). I give Shayna (my BP who fasts every winter) a 10% weight loss window before I worry. She's never lost more than 7-8% of her body weight or gone more than 5 months without eating.

I would try to be more stubborn then her and offer monthly until either she eats, spring comes, or she gets below about 1,265G.

Good luck and keep us posted!



This is my step by step list on defrosting F/T rodents.

Others may do it differently and that's fine. This how I do it and it works for me.


STEPS FOR DEFROSTING F/T RODENTS/PREY

1. Put prey item(s) into appropriate size plastic bag (1 for each). I use Quart size ziplock bags up to a medium rat. NOTE: Bags are optional. Some people just throw the prey in the water. I like the bags, but you have to squeeze the air out of them.

2. Fill the container/storage box 3/4 of the way with room temp to slightly warm water. If you have a temp gun (which you should, so if you don't, get one), make sure the water is not hotter than 85-90F, or there about.

3. Put F/T prey item(s) in water. Cover (optional) and leave for an hour +/-.

4. After an hour, rotate/flip prey. If in plastic bags, they often will stay on whatever side you put them in on. So if mouse is on left side, turn to right side, etc.

5. Leave for another hour +/- for a TOTAL of about 2 hours (up to medium sized rat - longer if bigger prey for when ROE is bigger and eating Large rats, for example).

6. Check that prey is defrosted totally through. Squeeze at different sections of the preys body. Should be cool/room temp to touch, but be soft with no cold spots. If hard (except for bone), in abdomen, for example, or cold, put back in water until room temp and soft.

7. Take prey out of the container/storage box and put aside. THEN FOLLOW STEPS 8-11 OR STEP 12

8. Fill container with hot water from tap. If using temp gun, water temp should be 110-130F, not more.

9. Drop prey item into water for 30 seconds +/-. If multiple prey items, do one at a time. You want each item hot when you offer.

10. Remove (if hot water, with tongs).

11. Dry as best as you can, and is quickly as you can, with paper towels. I dry with paper towels while I am walking from the bathroom where I defrost to the snake tanks. I kind of wrap the prey item up in them. It's ten feet, so by the time I get to the tanks, the prey is drier, but still warm.

12. If not using hot water, use a hairdryer to heat rat so it entices snake

13. Open tank and offer ASAP.

Sounds like we both thaw about the same. :) I just have most of my mice and rats vacuum sealed in groups of portion sizes for each planned feeding...all rats in one bag, all mice in another. The only ones not vacuum sealed together are the hopper mice for my bp hatchlings and the small rats for Artemis & my banana pinstripe since I purchased them after my bulk rat order.

As long as she isn’t losing much weight, I probably won’t worry too much. Everything else is working, shedding and urates. Mostly I want to be sure it’s a f/t issue since she hasn’t fed since before I bought her on 9/2/18. If she eats the rat pup but not f/t, then I know it’s food type and we wait each other out until she switches. If she doesn’t eat the rat pup, then I can assume it’s a fast and plan accordingly.