BP still wont eat f/t

is a frozen mouse supposed to look like a live mouse? some of these mice i pull out of the box, are NOWHERE near what a live mouse looks like, im starting to understand why she wont eat frozen, im doing the hair dryer thing but the dam mouse looks like a wet noodle, and i cant blast it anymore than 10-15 seconds? starting to get frustrated again, snake loves live but a regular adult mouse is nowhere the size of a meal she needs, and im scared as hell to drop a young adult rat in there with her, should i do a double live mice feed?

How old and how big (weight in grams if possible)? How long have you had her again? She's pretty established, correct?

Where are you getting your F/T rodents and how are you defrosting them? Both of those things matter a lot.

How long between feedings are you going?


See below for F/T defrosting and offering instructions.

This is my step by step list on defrosting F/T rodents.

Others may do it differently and that's fine. This how I do it and it works for me.


STEPS FOR DEFROSTING F/T RODENTS/PREY

1. Put prey item(s) into appropriate size plastic bag. I use Quart size ziplock bags up to a medium rat. NOTE: Bags are optional. Some people just throw the prey in the water. I like the bags, but you have to squeeze the air out of them.

2. Fill the container/storage box 3/4 of the way with room temp to slightly warm water. If you have a temp gun (which you should, so if you don't, get one), make sure the water is not hotter than 85-90F, or there about.

3. Put F/T prey item(s) in water. Cover (optional) and leave for an hour +/-.

4. After an hour, rotate/flip prey. If in plastic bags, they often will stay on whatever side you put them in on. So if mouse is on left side, turn to right side, etc.

5. Leave for another hour +/- for a TOTAL of about 2 hours (up to medium sized rat - longer if bigger prey).

6. Check that prey is defrosted totally through. Squeeze at different sections of the preys body. Should be cool/room temp to touch, but be soft with no cold spots. If hard (except for bone), in abdomen, for example, or cold, put back in water until room temp and soft.

7. Take prey out of the container/storage box and put aside. THEN FOLLOW STEPS 8-11 OR STEP 12

8. Fill container with hot water from tap. If using temp gun, water temp should be 110-130F, not more.

9. Drop prey item into water for 30 seconds +/-. If multiple prey items, do one at a time. You want each item hot when you offer.

10. Remove (if hot water, with tongs).

11. Dry as best as you can, and is quickly as you can, with paper towels. I dry with paper towels while I am walking from the bathroom where I defrost to the snake tanks. I kind of wrap the prey item up in them. It's ten feet, so by the time I get to the tanks, the prey is drier, but still warm.

12. If not using hot water, use a hairdryer to heat rat so it entices snake

13. Open tank and offer ASAP.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thomas S

is a frozen mouse supposed to look like a live mouse? some of these mice i pull out of the box, are NOWHERE near what a live mouse looks like, im starting to understand why she wont eat frozen, im doing the hair dryer thing but the dam mouse looks like a wet noodle, and i cant blast it anymore than 10-15 seconds? starting to get frustrated again, snake loves live but a regular adult mouse is nowhere the size of a meal she needs, and im scared as hell to drop a young adult rat in there with her, should i do a double live mice feed?

---

If she’s on adult mice and you want to feed her rats instead she should be having a rat pup or weaned rat. Not a young adult rat. Another way you could try to heat the prey up is under a heat lamp, I let my rats thaw out in the fridge over night then stick them under a heat lamp until they’re up to temp and offer. The only problem with that is the rats could explode but I’ve heard that also can happen when you thaw in water too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Snow Balls

If she’s on adult mice and you want to feed her rats instead she should be having a rat pup or weaned rat. Not a young adult rat. Another way you could try to heat the prey up is under a heat lamp, I let my rats thaw out in the fridge over night then stick them under a heat lamp until they’re up to temp and offer. The only problem with that is the rats could explode but I’ve heard that also can happen when you thaw in water too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

The only way a rat should be exploding is if you microwave it. So I wouldn't worry about it happening with a heat lamp, heat pad, or hot water. None of those things are going to get a rat hot enough where something boils and causes expanding gas inside the body to "blow it up".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tempo36

The only way a rat should be exploding is if you microwave it. So I wouldn't worry about it happening with a heat lamp, heat pad, or hot water. None of those things are going to get a rat hot enough where something boils and causes expanding gas inside the body to "blow it up".

---

Not exploding during the thawing process. Exploding as in the snake exploding said rat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Eh, I had a mouse "explode" when I fed it to my KSB. He mostly cleaned it up himself. I quit feeding from that source after that, since it looked like their mice had been stabbed rather than gassed (they all had wounds in their abdomens, which is how it broke open). Never had it happen since, and I thaw in water.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spicey

Eh, I had a mouse "explode" when I fed it to my KSB. He mostly cleaned it up himself. I quit feeding from that source after that, since it looked like their mice had been stabbed rather than gassed (they all had wounds in their abdomens, which is how it broke open). Never had it happen since, and I thaw in water.

---

Oh, that's awful! :O Glad you changed sources!

I know, right? 🤢

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spicey

I know, right? ��

---

Sickening sure, but terribly cruel too. I would think about reporting the source- just don't let A/R activists get wind of it- such sources are outliers, for sure. :rolleyes:

Dry it with a towel before hitting it with the hairdryer. A weaned rat is the same size as a jumbo mouse. If you gas your own or snap trap them it's safer then live. Live is safe "if" the prey isn't hungry an you don't leave it (prey) in over 30-45 minutes.

Size chart:
Ball Python Feeding Guidelines (ball-pythons.net)

Time to find some backyard prey breeds in your AO.

Good luck!

If you’re pulling your f/t mice from a box it sounds like they might be coming from a pet store. If that’s the case, I’ve seen some pretty icky pet store feeders too, and you should consider finding a local or online supplier. My f/t feeders always look healthy and robust. If you want to stick with feeding live that’s certainly an option, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it’s usually a bit more expensive than feeding f/t and you may have to feed small-medium rats, or 2-3 mice, per serving. If you really want to transition her to f/t it may take some time and tough love. I’m a firm believer that the hunger always wins in the end and have adopted more of an eat or starve philosophy with my snakes. I’ve had a few stubborn holdouts, BPs being the worst of them, which is a major reason I don’t keep BPs anymore, but they ALL eat eventually.

thanks a lot for the step by step feed process. Ive had my B.P for about 7-8 months, she is around 325g now. I bought my frozen food at one of the big chain pet stores, it is made by Artic Mice in a blue and white box, they did not have a lot of fur, maybe they were in the freezer too long? There is another pet store near me that sells frozen ice/rats without a box so i can see more of what im buying. I do have a temperature gun but i question how accurate it is? I usually go 2 weeks between feeds, when she starts to get hungry, she pops her head to the front of her hide, so thats a dead giveaway that she's hungry. The last time i tried to feed her i did use a blow dryer but not my Temp gun, i forgot i had it, what a idiot i am sometimes..The bathroom where i prep the mice is like your is, the cage is about 10-15 feet away, so i dont have to worry about the mouse becoming cold before it hits the cage..I usually let the mouse defrost in the plastic that it comes in on the sink, no water in cup or nothing like that. the snake is pretty established, she eats live mice within a minute after i drop it, so shes not starving, my cage set up is good, thanks to the people who helped me earlier in the year on this website. Ok i will do your step by step this weekend, and see what happens, thanks again

thanks for the info, i just worry about a live rat in there with her, i do what is recommended, by feeding the rat before i drop her in the cage so that it aint hungry and bite my BP, before she can fly out of her hide and do the wrap around thing on it, so far so good as bites go..Why did you stop owning BP"s, just curious if you dont mind? thanks again

I've only ever used frozen-thawed, but like nearly every BP owner on the planet, have experienced the eating dry spell.

Not much worries me more with the BP's than when they go off their food, even when it's expected around breeding season (with my small collection).

But when I am concerned over an eating habit, or lack of more accurately, I will introduce multis just to try and reignite the feeding instinct.

Multis are native to Africa and haven't failed me yet. I've also read gerbils are like candy to a baby with BP's but have never had to get to that point.

So what may be worth a consideration is just getting her used to frozen-thawed, whether that be something like gerbils or multis, something she'll find hard to resist, and once established on frozen-thawed, try to introduce normal rats when you feel it is the right time.

Hope this helps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bleh

I've also read gerbils are like candy to a baby with BP's but have never had to get to that point.

---

I've read the same but would exercise some caution if going that route. I've heard from a few keepers that BPs will get hooked on gerbils and refuse any other feeders. Since gerbils are a bit more expensive than rats as they're not typically sold as feeders, you may end up with a bit more expense for upkeep than if you were still feeding rats. Also if you ever needed to rehome your snake for any reason other keepers may be hesitant to take it if all it'll take are gerbils.

Nutritionally I don't know if there's much of a difference, but would rather someone with more knowledge on the subject comment. My only concern would be that while you could get her eating regularly which is the goal regardless of cost, does she then refuse any other feeder and make you buy gerbils for the next 30+ years.

Also just to add after re-reading your initial post, rat fuzzies and pups are probably the size your BP is on currently. If you have issues feeding F/T feeding a live fuzzy or pup, with your supervision of course, shouldn't pose much if any risk to your snake. Just my 2 cents.

I agree with Hugsplox ^ ^ ^ & incidentally, BPs love hamsters* too. ;) But as with gerbils (& ASFs), that makes feeding your BP FAR more costly, & typically the BP may refuse to ever switch back to rats or mice; plus, hamsters tend to be less "lean" (not sure about gerbils) so they may promote unnecessary weight gain in a snake. (*I used to raise hamsters to supply local pet stores, so I had a surplus- that was back when I also kept BPs, as I no longer do. FYI, I didn't make a habit of feeding hamsters to the BPs I kept- I mixed up their meals, as I raised rats & mice too back then, but I can vouch for their ready acceptance of hamsters.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thomas S

Ive had my B.P for about 7-8 months, she is around 325g now.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hugsplox

Also just to add after re-reading your initial post, rat fuzzies and pups are probably the size your BP is on currently.

---

I didn't see the approximate size at first, but I would have assumed she'd be on weaners by >300g?!

That being said, when I was collecting frozen rats the other day, I mentioned I may try my growing male on a size up soon, from large weaner to small rat, and the shop owner was telling me about a mate of his who only feeds his males large weaners and said they were massive... so whatever works for you and yours I suppose!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bleh

I didn't see the approximate size at first, but I would have assumed she'd be on weaners by >300g?!

That being said, when I was collecting frozen rats the other day, I mentioned I may try my growing male on a size up soon, from large weaner to small rat, and the shop owner was telling me about a mate of his who only feeds his males large weaners and said they were massive... so whatever works for you and yours I suppose!!

---

I try to go by physical size rather than weight when picking feeders. You're probably right thinking a weaned rat would work here but I've followed Thomas' BP journey for awhile and I figured his BP might be a tad smaller so a pup might be a better option at first. Weaned rats are obviously an option too, but you just have to go off the size of your animal.

I'm always a little hestitant to offer feeder size advice because my store might sell a small rat that another store considers a weaned, or a medium that some other place might call a small, etc etc. Seems like every shop has a different opinion on what qualifies as a weaned/small/medium lol so I'd rather just go in and see myself.