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Changing Prey

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  • 05-18-2024, 04:01 AM
    Zincubus
    Changing Prey
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nutriaitch View Post
    I've mentioned here before that I was underfeeding my BP before realizing his meals were too small.

    He ate an adult mouse the first time I tried to feed him one with intent to switch him over to rats so he can work his way up in meal size as he gets older.

    by sheer luck of timing, this happened to coincide with him shedding.
    he didn't eat leading up to the shed (nothing unusual)
    he shed roughly a week or so ago (don't remember exact day). looked like a good shed, mostly all in one piece with a very small piece at the tail that came off later.

    over that week, I've made multiple attempts to feed him fuzzy rats.
    he acted very interested. came in close smelled it, got into strike position, then casually just slithered away.

    wasted 4 F/T fuzzy rats during this time.
    last attempt was day before yesterday.

    today, I still had a fuzzy mouse left over from previously, so figured I would see what he would do.
    Wow! he attacked that thing with extreme prejudice. and wasted no time in eating it.

    I know it could just be a timing coincidence and he may have eaten a rat today if I'd had one.
    but I've also read that they can be stubborn when switching them between types of prey.

    so my question is:
    Are there any tips or tricks on best way to switch him to rats so he can get the larger prey he needs?
    should I just buy more Frozen Rats (maybe try a pinkie) and try again on next feeding day?
    or maybe try to find a local breeder where I can score a fresh killed rat?

    I’ve always thought it was an obvious idea to mix their food up somewhat - in the wild they won’t be eating a medium sized rat at 7pm every Friday evening

    Mine will eat rats, XL mice , chicks or just about anything as long as it’s heated up by a hairdryer !!

    I think it actually shows how effective the hairdryer method is ..


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  • 05-29-2024, 01:28 PM
    Nutriaitch
    the most recent rat was easily the most violent attack yet.

    so I'm thinking he likes him some rat!
  • 05-29-2024, 01:56 PM
    Bogertophis
    Re: Changing Prey
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nutriaitch View Post
    the most recent rat was easily the most violent attack yet.

    so I'm thinking he likes him some rat!

    That's one interpretation, & reasonable. But also, it might be instinctively knowing that rats pose a greater threat. Either way, if he likes rats, feed what works best.
  • 05-29-2024, 07:12 PM
    EL-Ziggy
    Re: Changing Prey
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nutriaitch View Post
    the most recent rat was easily the most violent attack yet.

    so I'm thinking he likes him some rat!

    Congratulations! I’m glad he took another rat for you. Hopefully he’ll eat more consistently for you now.
  • 06-18-2024, 01:41 PM
    Nutriaitch
    so due to being unable to acquire Frozen rats (of the proper size) for going on 3 weeks now, I was basically forced into feeding him a live mouse today.

    not going to lie, it was impressive to watch. It's like he instinctively knew this one was different than the F/T that I'd been feeding him.
    was much more of a "stalking" type approach. and the strike and squeeze wasn't as violent looking, but seemed much faster and tighter than the F/T kills were.

    will giving him live that one time potentially cause any issues with going back to frozen on his next feeding?
  • 06-18-2024, 02:37 PM
    Bogertophis
    Re: Changing Prey
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nutriaitch View Post
    so due to being unable to acquire Frozen rats (of the proper size) for going on 3 weeks now, I was basically forced into feeding him a live mouse today.

    not going to lie, it was impressive to watch. It's like he instinctively knew this one was different than the F/T that I'd been feeding him.
    was much more of a "stalking" type approach. and the strike and squeeze wasn't as violent looking, but seemed much faster and tighter than the F/T kills were.

    will giving him live that one time potentially cause any issues with going back to frozen on his next feeding?

    It could. Live prey triggers their instincts with a lot more scent than f/t prey has. It's generally best to avoid offering any live prey when what you want to feed is f/t.

    And if you couldn't get frozen rats of the proper size, why not just feed two or 3 f/t mice?

    Remember that when a snake is accustomed to taking f/t (or fresh killed prey), they're more likely to make a mistake when grabbing live prey & getting themselves bitten & injured by the prey.

    Along with the increased likelihood of future refusals to eat, you also risk pain, suffering & scars for your pet, & vet bills for you, when you switch between f/t & live prey. But it's your call.
  • 06-18-2024, 10:07 PM
    Nutriaitch
    Re: Changing Prey
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post

    And if you couldn't get frozen rats of the proper size, why not just feed two or 3 f/t mice?

    the guy i normally get them from, his freezer crapped out, so he has no frozen available at all.
    so i first went to petsmart. the smallest Frozen rodent they had was a medium rat (too large for my snake).
    then i went to PetCo. They had Piinkie mice (no telling how many of those i would have to feed) and rats that they called medium, but were freaking enormous.

    ao not knowing what else to do, or how long it would take to get what i wanted, i bought a live mouse for $6.
    probably a hair smaller than the f/t rats i was feeding him, but i truly was at a loss for other options.
  • 06-18-2024, 10:16 PM
    Bogertophis
    Re: Changing Prey
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nutriaitch View Post
    the guy i normally get them from, his freezer crapped out, so he has no frozen available at all.
    so i first went to petsmart. the smallest Frozen rodent they had was a medium rat (too large for my snake).
    then i went to PetCo. They had Piinkie mice (no telling how many of those i would have to feed) and rats that they called medium, but were freaking enormous.

    ao not knowing what else to do, or how long it would take to get what i wanted, i bought a live mouse for $6.
    probably a hair smaller than the f/t rats i was feeding him, but i truly was at a loss for other options.

    I'd have killed the mouse prior to offering it...just saying. When you can't buy f/t, it's up to us.
  • 06-18-2024, 11:02 PM
    Malum Argenteum
    Having frozen rats shipped can be a good option. If you're feeding one a week, that's 25 to last 6 months. That many is $63.75 shipped from Big Cheese (my go-to company). That many live mice would be $150, at $6 each. I know which I would choose. :)
  • 06-19-2024, 08:26 AM
    Nutriaitch
    Re: Changing Prey
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Malum Argenteum View Post
    Having frozen rats shipped can be a good option. If you're feeding one a week, that's 25 to last 6 months. That many is $63.75 shipped from Big Cheese (my go-to company). That many live mice would be $150, at $6 each. I know which I would choose. :)

    that is an option I considered. but my snake is still young and growing. I haven't had him long enough to gauge his growth rate and wondering if he'll still be on the same size prey in 6 months?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    I'd have killed the mouse prior to offering it...just saying. When you can't buy f/t, it's up to us.

    how do you kill them?
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