How To Switch Stubborn Baby Sumatran From Live Mice To Frozen/Thawed

You shouldn't have to spend 30 min trying it, if they don't take it pretty fast, then they aren't going to take it at all (in my experience).

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

glad to hear it worked! I heat mine in warm water as well.

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to clarify, I don't put them directly in warm water, they are in a zip lock.

Okay... You guys talked me out of giving in again... lol I will try using a hairdryer for a week or two instead of wet rats and see if that makes a difference. Either way, I have to get these guys eating regularly. i've had them since March and neither of them have ever gotten on a consistant feeding schedule and they aren't growing good...

Thanks as always for sharing all of your vast insight and experience. You guys are awesome! :)

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Originally Posted by bcr229

With a picky pair like this I don't prepare two feeders, I only prepare one. If the first snake doesn't eat then the feeder is rewarmed and offered to the second one. If the first snake eats then I prepare a second one for the other snake, and it's not like thawing and warming a rat pup takes a very long time.

Also I would put these guys in a 10-14 day feeding schedule. Snakes in captivity are often overfed and most really don't need to eat every week, though many will simply because they're opportunistic and instinctively they know that it may be quite a while before the next meal comes along. In the wild they would not eat as often and they would expend energy hunting.

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Perfect !!

That's an important point I often overlook. .. Two of my Royals eat every time as long as there's a 10 day gap ..

I thought you guys might find it interesting to hear that I used a heat gun to heat up the rats for all of my snakes yesterday instead of running them directly under hot water and both of these little stinkers IMMEDIATELY snatched them right up with authority as soon as I pulled their tubs out! :) There was definitely something different about feeding day yesterday all around, too. ALL of my snakes (except my one Lesser girl that has been on a hunger strike for almost 2 months) were acting ravenous at feeding time! My one Boa boy is always a great eater, but I couldn't even hardly get his tub pulled out. He was basically trying to charge out of the tub like a Retic or Woma! lol I can't help, but think the heat gun blowing the rat smell around in my snake room might have put all of them into a feeding frenzy!

Thanks again you guys! Now, let's see if I can keep these little Sumatrans sweethearts eating like that every week... *fingers crossed*

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

I thought you guys might find it interesting to hear that I used a heat gun to heat up the rats for all of my snakes yesterday instead of running them directly under hot water and both of these little stinkers IMMEDIATELY snatched them right up with authority as soon as I pulled their tubs out! :) There was definitely something different about feeding day yesterday all around, too. ALL of my snakes (except my one Lesser girl that has been on a hunger strike for almost 2 months) were acting ravenous at feeding time! My one Boa boy is always a great eater, but I couldn't even hardly get his tub pulled out. He was basically trying to charge out of the tub like a Retic or Woma! lol I can't help, but think the heat gun blowing the rat smell around in my snake room might have put all of them into a feeding frenzy!

Thanks again you guys! Now, let's see if I can keep these little Sumatrans sweethearts eating like that every week... *fingers crossed*

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Excellent !!'

That's basically the secret of the hairdryer method really , I never thaw in water as I said as it strips all the smell/ odour / taste away - the hairdryer warms up the rodent and blows the rodent aroma all around the room ... all my snakes are tongue flicking in anticipation :)


You'll have much more confidence next time !



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2nd week in a row now these guys immediately snatched up their rats with authority and every snake in the room was ravenous from the smell of rat being blown around! :) This whole blow drying thing is definitely the miracle solution!

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

2nd week in a row now these guys immediately snatched up their rats with authority and every snake in the room was ravenous from the smell of rat being blown around! :) This whole blow drying thing is definitely the miracle solution!

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The blow drier thing is great until you have to feed a lot of animals.

Yes... It is sorta a pain and the rat smell it fills the air with while you're doing it is pretty gross...