How many of your hatchlings actually take F/T on the 1st try?

Or how many meals does it take to wean them to it? I only ask because i have 14 eggs getting ready to hatch with 6 heads out, and where i am it is 2 bucks a mouse=24$ a week/ every 5 days. So just curious how long i takes to switch them.

Depending on how strong of feeders they will be it can be done after very few feedings (3 to 5).

If you are getting into breeding BP you might want to consider starting a feeder colony (at least for your hatchlings)

i wanted to but my mom wont let me :P the only way is to keep them in my room with my snakes nd i dont want that smell in my room

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Originally Posted by reptidude1

i wanted to but my mom wont let me :P the only way is to keep them in my room with my snakes nd i dont want that smell in my room

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Smell isnt bad if kept clean. I have A LOT of mice and rats in a 82F room and smell is barely there. I clean every 4 days but with a small colony you can get away with every 7days.

i used to keep mice to breed and got rid of them cauz of the smell

I usually feed them the 1st meal live and as long as they eat the 2nd meal is F/T. 90% of the time they will take the F/T with no problems but I'll always has one that wants to be difficult lol.... I am in the same boat as I am unable to breed my own feeders at this time...

I usually start with hopper mice, but this year tried f/t rat pups right off the bat and had about half of the babies take them.

7 egg clutch & only 1 of the 7 ate frozen thawed 2 times now..

My first 5 meals are live mice, then prekilled for 5 meals and now i just moved to f/t rat pups. Only one didnt want the f/t rat pup out of 11

2 of my first 9 have taken F/T on the first go. Another 2 took the day after. 5 left to go. :banana:

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"How many of your hatchlings actually take F/T on the 1st try? "

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10-15% if you're lucky.

The last few years I've produced just over 50 hatchlings and all were started on F/T. I have 1 or 2 a year that don't want to start after a few weeks and need assist fed to start. The few that needed assist fed wouldn't take live either.

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Originally Posted by mykee

10-15% if you're lucky.

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I was thinking the same thing. My average is closer to 20% but it does take some work.

I have a few hatchlings that started on f/t this year and haven't looked back.


Gavin

most get started on live then after 3-4 i switch to the frozen. Some take it right away others take a few more feedings of live to the do the switch.

My ball python was being fed live before I got him and he ate the first F/T I gave to him. However, I only have one ball python at the moment.

So far, I've had all but two hatchlings take F/T right after their first shed.
And, the two that didn't took f/t the week after that.

I've never yet found the need to feed live, except to one of our sub-adults because she never got used to humans, and will not eat if we're near.:)

You can put one drop of vanilla extract to 12 oz of water for mice/rats....it neutralizes urine odors and is completely safe.