Feeding problems

my blood will never eat F/T mice or rats, if they are alive he takes them right away. i want to get him on F/T so when hes on big rats they dont hurt him. any one else have this problem or any advice on what to do?

All of my bloods eat F/T man. Can you walk me through your method of feeding the f/t to them? Also, have you tried pre-killed?

Your lucky you have yours feeding at all... My guy wont touch either...

Didn't you JUST pick your Blood up though?

Most times these guys will need at least a week of acclimation time to get comfortable enough to eat.

Can you describe your setup?

PM me if youd prefer.....

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Originally Posted by DBD

Your lucky you have yours feeding at all... My guy wont touch either...

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I havent tried pre killed yet, im afraid im gonna kill it he wont take it and that would just be a waste of a rat, iv stunned the live rat and he took it right away... iv tried taking a rat out of the freezer thawing it for about 4 hrs at room temp and then put it under a heat lamp to warm it up before offering... also iv tried taking the rat directly from the freezer put it in a zip lock sandwich bag and run it under really hot water for bout 10 mins till its thawed and warm before offering...he eats in a little tub usually but iv tried his cage, the tub, the tub in a dark place??? all No goes

I leave my rats out all day in ziploc bags while I'm at work. When I get home I hit they're heads with a blow dryer for 10 seconds or so and feed immediately, then the next rat and so on. I feed in the cages only, there's no need to pull em out. Can you describe your setup? Hides? Temps? Humidity? What kind of enclosure?

yeah i think i got setup right but i got him in a tub, 80 dgree ambient temp, 60% humidity, water dish, a few hides and aspen substrate... i have no problems feeding unless its frozen/thawed. i dont know i guess ill try the blow dryer method, thanks man

hey 2kdime, iv tried anything i could think of/read on the internet to get my blood to eat F/T, you think i should maybe starve him a lil until he eats it or is that just a bad move. i have a 4ft tegu so i have plenty of frozen rats and really wanna get my blood on F/T rats cause i can get them for way cheaper and i dont want him to get bit by one of those rats

No go on the blowdryer method?

I don't think starving him would be the greatest idea. Some snakes just won't take F/T or pre-killed, etc etc.

Little more problem solving....

How old is the snake?

What size is the enclosure/tub?

What time of day are you feeding?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big K

hey 2kdime, iv tried anything i could think of/read on the internet to get my blood to eat F/T, you think i should maybe starve him a lil until he eats it or is that just a bad move. i have a 4ft tegu so i have plenty of frozen rats and really wanna get my blood on F/T rats cause i can get them for way cheaper and i dont want him to get bit by one of those rats

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im not exactly sure on the age of the snake, pretty young ill show you pictures when i got a chance. Hes right around the 30inch mark length wise. his tub measurements are 34Lx13Wx6H, and the time of day i feed him is never the same, sometime morning, sometimes afternoon, or i even tried leaving a F/T in his tub over night. i read some where that i should get him in the feeding mode with a live one and when hes about to strike replace it with a F/T, thats the next one im gonna give a try

Try feeding a prekilled rat real late at night when they're awake.

Like right before you go to bed or even a little later.

Your setup sounds fine.

Where did you get the animal?

Sometimes sick or unhealthy animals won't eat, especially in real bad cases.

I got him from Ben siegels reptiles prolly 2 months ago, i dont think hes sick or anything, if its a live meal he eats it in a matter of seconds. ill be sure to try the pre-killed, thanks for all your help man

No problem.

Sometimes all it takes is a little time and a little patience.

Get him to eat the pre-killed

Then switch over to F/T.

It really helps if you offer pre-killed and F/T off of tongs, shaking the rat around to entice a strike.

I had a similar situation, and this is how I solved it. First make sure the enclosure is warm enough and has high humidity. Offer the food only at night. Your python senses the heat of the prey animal, so try wrapping the thawed rodent in a paper towel and then microwave it for several seconds. It should not be hot, just warm. Experiment a few seconds at a time— you don't want the rat exploding on you! This heating method worked better for me than a blow dryer, but there is a bit of a learning curve— that's why wrapping in a paper towel or something similar is essential. If the snake doesn't strike at the offered food immediately just leave it for a while. Make sure the room is quiet and the lights are lowered. The food will usually be gone before it has time to cool.

Any update? :)

I have read that one should not use the microwave for any part of rodent thawing or warming. Part of the trouble is that the innerds can get too hot. And as suggested, they can explode... then its not a usable meal. I don't do it, similar to using hot water... too easy to overcook. Overcook = stinky kitchen and a rodent that a snake won't eat.

I do it similarly to 2kdime. I leave my rodents to thaw in ziploc bags in the fridge in the evening and the next evening/afternoon pull 'em out. I let them get to room temp for an hour or so. Then I blow dry the head/chest of the rodent so that it is warm to the touch, dangle with tongs, and if no strike, just drop it in the container and cover with a dark towel. Best to feed the animal in a small-ish container.

I'm stoked to say that my otherwise f/t-reluctant [ball] python hatchlings were easily switched over to f/t this way. Made me very happy. Each snake will have different results. ;) Good luck!

Also note, reptiles can't digest any part of that rat that might have gotten cooked in the microwave.

Just lay em out all day and feed when you get home from work.

Leave the microwave for the hot pockets