It Happened! Conversion from Mice to Rats!!!

Many you know I've been battling the conversion from f/t mice to f/t rats. I've been unsuccessful so many times after trying the tricks I've read about on here. I was almost ready to give up but I had one more thing that I wanted to try.

So here's what I did.......

Besides buying a whole new batch of rat pups and going through the process of thawing, refreezing and thawing again together...... I went to the local reptile store and asked for a container of soiled mouse bedding. I brought it home and man did it smell bad when I opened the container. Smelled like dead fish in there. Since there was so much of it, I started sorting threw it to put a clump of it in a ziplock bag. While doing so, I found a dead mouse in the bedding. Nasty!!!!

Anyways, I hit the rat pup w/ the hair dryer and immediately ran the pup through the zip locked bag of mouse bedding. As soon as I presented the rat, my BP attacked and coiled!!!! Usually he'll act interested and back away when he realizes its a rat. I went back to check an hour later and he was in his hide pocking his head out so I'm assuming (fingers crossed) that he ate the rat pup!!!

If this is the case, should I keep up w/ this practice and if so, for how long????

Decrease the amount of bedding each time until none.

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

While doing so, I found a dead mouse in the bedding. Nasty!!!!

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did you tell the store? i would let them know...

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

Anyways, I hit the rat pup w/ the hair dryer and immediately ran the pup through the zip locked bag of mouse bedding. As soon as I presented the rat, my BP attacked and coiled!!!! Usually he'll act interested and back away when he realizes its a rat. I went back to check an hour later and he was in his hide pocking his head out so I'm assuming (fingers crossed) that he ate the rat pup!!!

If this is the case, should I keep up w/ this practice and if so, for how long????

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congrats!!! i know you were all prepared to accept him as a mouser; this is awesome!!!

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

Decrease the amount of bedding each time until none.

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[emoji121]️[emoji121]️[emoji121]️ this is what i would do.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

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did you tell the store? i would let them know...

congrats!!! i know you were all prepared to accept him as a mouser; this is awesome!!!


[emoji121]️[emoji121]️[emoji121]️ this is what i would do.

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I'm super excited! I woke up this morning and ran downstairs hoping not to see the rat somewhere in the cage. Couldn't find it and I'm hoping it's not in his hide ;)

I didn't tell the store. It's not a place I usually frequent and I'm not surprise of my finding. None of the snakes had any hides and were laying on white scott towels as bedding; heated only by Lamps. It was a pretty sad sight.

Hopefully I can convert him fully over!!

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

I'm super excited! I woke up this morning and ran downstairs hoping not to see the rat somewhere in the cage. Couldn't find it and I'm hoping it's not in his hide ;)

I didn't tell the store. It's not a place I usually frequent and I'm not surprise of my finding. None of the snakes had any hides and were laying on white scott towels as bedding; heated only by Lamps. It was a pretty sad sight.

Hopefully I can convert him fully over!!

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you will. [emoji6] you're nothing if not an excellent snarent.

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

I'm super excited! I woke up this morning and ran downstairs hoping not to see the rat somewhere in the cage. Couldn't find it and I'm hoping it's not in his hide ;)

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Speaking from personal experience, you might want to check the hide just to be sure... While converting our most recent guy to F/T mice, I assumed he had eaten the one he struck at and brought into his hide, only to discover a very uneaten and decaying mouse in his hide 3 days later, after it legit stunk up the entire room.

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Originally Posted by WhompingWillow

Speaking from personal experience, you might want to check the hide just to be sure... While converting our most recent guy to F/T mice, I assumed he had eaten the one he struck at and brought into his hide, only to discover a very uneaten and decaying mouse in his hide 3 days later, after it legit stunk up the entire room.

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Yes, I wanted to give him a good 48 hours before I did anything that might disturb him. About a year ago (when I offered a rat pup for the 1st time), I left it there and came down the next morning to find it gone. I went on a 3 day vacation and came back and found it regurgitated so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one. It was the worst smell as you can imagine!

3 Weeks in a row my BP took a f/t rat!!!! After refusing rats for months!! Scenting w/ mice bedding really does work wonders. Last week, after taking the rat pup he was very active and looked super hungry so I decided to thaw out two tonight. Thirty minutes after I offered the 1st one (which he quickly took), I offered the 2nd one which he didn't seem too interested so I'm leaving it in the cage until tomorrow.

Since he's 400plus grams, should I move up to weaned rats?? The rat pups were about 25grams a piece. Before the pups, he was eating about 30gram f/t mice.

I always give used bedding to my snarents at work. "Usually" works like a charm.

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

3 Weeks in a row my BP took a f/t rat!!!! After refusing rats for months!! Scenting w/ mice bedding really does work wonders. Last week, after taking the rat pup he was very active and looked super hungry so I decided to thaw out two tonight. Thirty minutes after I offered the 1st one (which he quickly took), I offered the 2nd one which he didn't seem too interested so I'm leaving it in the cage until tomorrow.

Since he's 400plus grams, should I move up to weaned rats?? The rat pups were about 25grams a piece. Before the pups, he was eating about 30gram f/t mice.

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yes, weaned rats are the appropriate size for that weight.

i'm so happy to read he's doing so well. [emoji4]

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

yes, weaned rats are the appropriate size for that weight.

i'm so happy to read he's doing so well. [emoji4]

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Thanks! Pretty exciting and such a relief......

Do you think it's ok to leave the 2nd f/t pup in there all night and retrieve in the morning if it's not gone? I've done it before w/ mice and it's been 50/50 whether it's gone in the morning.

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

Thanks! Pretty exciting and such a relief......

Do you think it's ok to leave the 2nd f/t pup in there all night and retrieve in the morning if it's not gone? I've done it before w/ mice and it's been 50/50 whether it's gone in the morning.

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yes that's fine. i do it with my two eldest fairly regularly.

Late to the party on this but congrats!!! Must be so exciting and relieving!

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

Thanks! Pretty exciting and such a relief......

Do you think it's ok to leave the 2nd f/t pup in there all night and retrieve in the morning if it's not gone? I've done it before w/ mice and it's been 50/50 whether it's gone in the morning.

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Congrats & yes, I'd leave it too, what have you got to lose? (just don't forget, LOL)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Congrats & yes, I'd leave it too, what have you got to lose? (just don't forget, LOL)

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Thanks! I left it but it was still there this morning. I was concerned leaving it over night might pose a health risk with the rat spoiling. On the same note, he was active tonight which leads me to believe the small rat pup wasn’t enough. Just ordered some weened rats from Big Cheese today.

Just got my 1st order of Weaned Rats today from Big Cheese and was a little nervous to see if he would take the larger size rat since he’s had such a history of problems.

I’ll let you be the judge ;)

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It’s amazing how awesome a bag of soiled mouse bedding works. I’d pay top dollar for it!!!!!


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Isn’t it amazing??? Congrats!! It’s always so super satisfying to watch their inner hunter come out aha

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

Isn’t it amazing??? Congrats!! It’s always so super satisfying to watch their inner hunter come out aha

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Even more satisfying now because I was almost at the edge of giving up on rats. It wasn't too long ago that I was dropping small mice and having to come back in the morning to see if they were gone.

I've never seen him fly out of the cage like this and attack his prey. I wasn't sure how to get him back in at 1st ;)

How's your little guy doing???

yaaaaaaay!!! so so so happy! i always knew you'd both get it, i swear! he is amazing. [emoji4]

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Originally Posted by ckuhn003

Even more satisfying now because I was almost at the edge of giving up on rats. It wasn't too long ago that I was dropping small mice and having to come back in the morning to see if they were gone.

I've never seen him fly out of the cage like this and attack his prey. I wasn't sure how to get him back in at 1st ;)

How's your little guy doing???

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All that patience and persistence finally paid off! Soon you’ll have him waiting expectingly up against the glass on feeding day and be grateful you have tongs :p don’t be surprised if this starts happening when he knows it’s dinner time haha.


https://www.instagram.com/p/BiXx6V-A...by=hyrulesneks


Tapioca is doing great! A hungry little savage as ever haha but still the sweetest boy :p He’s on weaned mice as well but honestly he might be ready for small rats soon!

Last night marked six consecutive weeks my BP (formerly a mouser) took a Rat w/ aggression. If I could make a recommendation to anyone struggling to convert from mice to rats would be to scent w/ dirty mouse bedding!

And last night was the 1st night I chose not to scent and it worked like a charm. In fact, he was waiting for me to offer. I was almost fearful of opening the sliding glass door because he was cocked and ready...haha.....

So my BP has being going strong on F/T weaned Rats but the last two times he has eaten he's refused a week in between. The 1st time, he barley came out of his hide and then last night he came out like he was interested and then went back in after trying to heat/offer him 4-5 times. I'm wondering I just need to increase the feeding days from 7 days to something like 10-14 days? The days he has eaten have been a nice aggressive strike.