Juice took his first F/T meal since being in my care

I am super stoked to report that my Borneo STP, Juice took his first two F/T mice since I brought him home. He took January through early June off from eating, but finally took live mice a few weeks back.

Well, he was in shed so I skipped his last feeding hoping to wait him out...
He shed yesterday and I figured I'd try a F/T mouse tonight. He took it like a champ with no hesitation so I thawed another and he took it instantly!!

Now, my question for other STP/blood keepers:

Should I stick to mice for a while just to keep him eating? He could use the weight, he's a bit on the thin side.
Or, should I try to switch to rats sooner than later?

Thanks in advance?

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I am super stoked to report that my Borneo STP, Juice took his first two F/T mice since I brought him home. He took January through early June off from eating, but finally took live mice a few weeks back.

Well, he was in shed so I skipped his last feeding hoping to wait him out...
He shed yesterday and I figured I'd try a F/T mouse tonight. He took it like a champ with no hesitation so I thawed another and he took it instantly!!

Now, my question for other STP/blood keepers:

Should I stick to mice for a while just to keep him eating? He could use the weight, he's a bit on the thin side.
Or, should I try to switch to rats sooner than later?

Thanks in advance?

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Good to yours has taken f/t. My red I got a few weeks ago came in on the thin side as well so I feed him the third day live mouse(not good considering he was supposedly already eating f/t). Tried a f/t rat pup next feeding and he turned his nose up at it, then a f/t mouse..more interest but no go, then live and bam. Went into blue and recently just shed and tried frozen pup again yesterday and no go. I’m just gonna wait him out and if need be next feeding rub mouse on the rat pup. Maybe scent and hunger will persuade him to not be picky lol. He does look a lot better though from when I got him.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...471a458734.jpg


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If he’s not to thin I would go ahead and try to convert to rats. Sooner the better. Any pics of the Borneo? Love to see him


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I am super stoked to report that my Borneo STP, Juice took his first two F/T mice since I brought him home. He took January through early June off from eating, but finally took live mice a few weeks back.

Well, he was in shed so I skipped his last feeding hoping to wait him out...
He shed yesterday and I figured I'd try a F/T mouse tonight. He took it like a champ with no hesitation so I thawed another and he took it instantly!!

Now, my question for other STP/blood keepers:

Should I stick to mice for a while just to keep him eating? He could use the weight, he's a bit on the thin side.
Or, should I try to switch to rats sooner than later?

Thanks in advance?

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Excellent news !!


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Originally Posted by Hmoore1984

If he’s not to thin I would go ahead and try to convert to rats. Sooner the better. Any pics of the Borneo? Love to see him


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That's my thought process as well. The sooner he's on rats the better.
Buuuut, I'm on the fence about him being too thin. He pooped too, so he looks pretty thin. Spine is very noticeable (more so than it should be) and he's got some loose skin in the saddle areas.

I'll get some pics tomorrow after he's had a solid 36+ hours to digest. I'm very curious to hear what others think and know pics will help others give their best advice. I've got a plan in mind, but would really appreciate feedback from others who are more experienced with STPs.
Who knows maybe the shed and the poop took a lot out of him and he'll plump up a bit now?

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Originally Posted by Hmoore1984

Good to yours has taken f/t. My red I got a few weeks ago came in on the thin side as well so I feed him the third day live mouse(not good considering he was supposedly already eating f/t). Tried a f/t rat pup next feeding and he turned his nose up at it, then a f/t mouse..more interest but no go, then live and bam. Went into blue and recently just shed and tried frozen pup again yesterday and no go. I’m just gonna wait him out and if need be next feeding rub mouse on the rat pup. Maybe scent and hunger will persuade him to not be picky lol. He does look a lot better though from when I got him.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...471a458734.jpg


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He's shown no interest whatsoever in F/T rats, but would seem intrigued by F/T mice, but never took one, before I broke down and fed live. So I just crossed my fingers and stuck with mice, for now...

Good news that he's eating frozen now.

You can always offer him rats and keep mice as a fallback if he won't take them. Lots of snakes have a little trouble switching over just because the rats are an unfamiliar scent initially.

When I was switching my carpet to rats I had to scent them with mice for a while - rubbing a mouse on the rat or just keeping them in a plastic bag together for a while. It took a few weeks, but now she takes f/t rats enthusiastically.

That's awesome Craig, super happy for you!

Congrats! I switched Rambo over to rats as quick as i could, he out grew mice fairly quickly anyways. I'd say go for the switch!

I've done the feed him a F/T mouse followed up by a F/T rat so I could get him to switch. It's worked a few times for me. I've never had to with my Blood because that dude will hit anything. I've done rats, quail and rabbit kits.

Juice was out for a bit, freshly shed and fed. He obviously looks a little better with about 70 additional grams of mouse in him, but he's still thin.
But, he's eating regularly now, so he'll fill out.
I'm thinking I'll try getting him on rats after one more feeding. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e0bdbda4dd.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0111bdcf46.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...43d029459e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8d5375bbad.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c588312b42.jpg



Sorry bout the inconsistencies in color, cell phone pics plus I was playing around with the lighting in the room....


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Hopefully, he LOVES rats!

Shayna (BP) seemed to like them more than mice, so that worked out for me.

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Originally Posted by dakski

Hopefully, he LOVES rats!

Shayna (BP) seemed to like them more than mice, so that worked out for me.

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He's shown very little interest so far, but fingers crossed...

Love that head on juice. Very nice looking Borneo. Makes me want one


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hmmm i swear i thought Juice woulda ended his hunger strike on Feb 4. he doesn't look chunky or thin. slim but not terribly thin or skinny. he's what? 400grams? i would get at least 3 nice size mouse meals in him or wait until the next shed to convert him. i haven't converted all my snakes to rats either, but always get them eating regular again first and always offer rats first, before settling on a mouse. good luck!

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Originally Posted by Hmoore1984

Love that head on juice. Very nice looking Borneo. Makes me want one


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Thanks. I'm definitely loving him so far.

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Originally Posted by Ax01

hmmm i swear i thought Juice woulda ended his hunger strike on Feb 4.


he doesn't look chunky or thin. slim but not terribly thin or skinny. he's what? 400grams?

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Ouch!! Low blow!! Hahahahaha!!!

I weighed him today, 694 after his latest meal (about 70 grams).

I tried the old mice bedding trick on striker today and he had his first frozen rat pup. He hesitated for a while but once his tongue started going he moved forward and took the rat from tongs. Only problem now is I don’t wanna have to get mice bedding for every feeding but I can’t complain to much. Movement in the right direction.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3eb8f3c820.jpg


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Maybe the above is something you could try with juice to get him plump with rats??. I’ve always heard of the mice bedding scent trick but never had a reason to use. Next feeding I’ll try without scent manipulation.Anyone know of any vendors with young Borneo? My guy always has reds and black Sumatrans


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Both of my Bloods were originally eating frozen/thawed week after week for months with no problem then they suddenly started refusing to eat them for some reason. So, I had to switch them to live, unfortunately. My Sumatrans and Borneos would probably eat a frozen/thawed hot dog if you dangled it in front of them... lol

Well, so far Juice is still a "mouser". I tried defrosting a mouse and rat together, then rubbing the mouse on the rat before presenting it. No dice. After barely tongue-flicking at the rat, I offered the mouse and BAM!
Next week I think I'll try to get some mouse bedding and try that, but for now, mice it is. At least he's eating F/T!

Keep at it, it can take a while. With my carpet python, after she didn't eat the mouse-scented rat I let her wait another 1-2 days and tried again with the rat and and mouse stored together in a plastic bag so the smell could keep soaking in. I also tried braining which I'd read about, puncture the skull of a f/t pinky and squeeze some brain juice on the rat. Supposedly this is an attractive scent to them. Repeat for several weeks...

Anyway, I went through several mice during the conversion and it was really annoying but finally after a month or so she's taking rats no problem.

If you have snakes that can thrive for life on mice, chicks, asf's, or rats then keep it simple and feed them whatever they want. For those with larger snakes that need to be on rats, or if you need your animal to eat f/t because you don't have access to live feeders, you have to stay the course. If your temps are dialed in and you know your snake isn't sick just wait them out. We've all given in/up at some point and offered another chick, mouse, or live prey item that the snake prefers but if you really want your snake to eat rats then only offer rats. If you really want your snake to eat f/t then only offer f/t. Trust me, they will get the message sooner or later.

I've developed a foolproof feeding system over the years with a 100% success rate. It's guaranteed to work with any animal species. The DVD normally sells for $9.99 but I'm going to share the secret with all of you for free ;). It's called the Tough Love Approach or TLA for short. It's an eat or starve regiment and I can proudly say that I haven't had one animal starve yet. Our motto here is, " Time is on our side and Hunger Always Wins". I've had voracious kings, bulls, and carpets go off feed. When I first got into the hobby I'd worry about every missed meal and drove myself mad when my king took his first extended food break for 3 months. I tried all the go-to tricks. Scenting, braining, live prey, etc. All to little or no avail. Through extensive study and research, countless sleepless nights, manically checking temps and constantly second guessing myself, I've come to realize that they're just doing what snakes do and they'll eat when they want to. They'll also eat anything if they're hungry enough and those survival instincts kick in. Remember, Time is on your side and Hunger ALWAYS Wins.
For those of you that would still like the DVD please PM me. We have a special today for $5.99 per copy. Call now and we'll throw in the advanced "Get Tougher" DVD for free. Just pay separate shipping and handling. Unlimited supplies available.

@El-Ziggy,
That's exactly what I did to get him on F/T. If he doesn't switch over before his next shed, I'm going to wait him out and offer rats after he sheds. He'll be hungry enough to take one eventually.