converting to solely F/T

I have had some luck with getting julius to take prekilled prey, but she has been refusing it lately. I managed to get her to take F/T once, and that was one that was killed that same day, frozen and offered to her many hours later.

Now i am trying to get her to take just F/T and I am having a lot of difficulty doing it. I know people on here say that 99.9% will take F/T - but if you would please give me some advice on how to coerce her into doing so - it would be greatly appreciated

I have tried pithing and rubbing dead prey with live prey to no avail.

suggestions will be welcomed!

Why would you force your snakes to accept frozen thawed rodents? they will thrive on live rodents, just watch the feeding responce you get when you feed live. that should tell you what they like. :confuzd:

i get mixed opinions everywhere... people tell me i am insane to feed live, and then people tell me to feed live..

which is it?

You will get different opionions on this, i feed live because i breed my own rodents and also think that there is a higher moisture content in live. works for me. :)

If you try f/t a few times with no avail, then just go back to p/k or live. Let the snake tell you what it wants. BTW, is your RTB taking f/t?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by _BoidFinatic_

If you try f/t a few times with no avail, then just go back to p/k or live. Let the snake tell you what it wants. BTW, is your RTB taking f/t?

---

yeah she is absolutely fine now.. i can just drop a fuzzy in her box with her and she will sniff at it then attack it.. sometimes she will just take a defrosted pinkie from my hemostats and swallow it. shes perfect

julius is just being difficult and i am on my last nerve

I only feed live (supervised) and I've had no problems. I dont see anything wrong with feeding live (i mean...it happens in the wild...lol).


I think it really just comes down to preference. Good luck. Hope you get your snake to eat soon :)

Yes, you'll get LOTS of different opinions on this topic. And if you are set on finding a precise right answer, you'll be even more frustrated than you are already.


Decide what YOU are most comfortable with...and then just stick with it. It may take a great deal of patience and persistence to get Julius to eat f/t. But if you are absolutely sure that's the best way for you to feed, then go for it.

If you're trying to avoid live just because some people are vehemently against it, then maybe you need to rethink and reevaluate to see if live feeding might be better suited to your snake and your ability to provide prey.

If you can't be bothered with monitoring a live-feeding situation...making sure a rodent is not starving or freaked out when placed in with your snake...and making sure it won't ever stay in there for more than 20-30 minutes before you remove it......then by all means, stick with f/t, because these are the sorts of issues that make live feeding "dangerous."

I had no problem switching a couple over from live prey to f/t. I put some shredded newspaper from a mouse cage in the corner of their tubs for about ten minutes prior to presenting the f/t prey. It seemed to work just as well if I was giving them f/t mice or rats. The smell just got them into feeding mode.

I wouldn't agree that 99.9% will take F/T. I have a number of BP's that would rather starve then take any prey that is not live. Having said that, I think feed non-live prey is a learned feeding response and a good percentage of them can learn it. Some however will not. Only your snake will be able to tell you by it's responses what it will and won't accept.

Live feeding is as responsible a feeding decision as is frozen/thawed or pre-killed. As with anything to do with your snake though it's up to you to educate yourself. There is tons of information available on the proper and safe methods of live feeding which are important to understand before you put your snake into any situation where it is in an enclosed space with a live prey item.

I am not going to get into a debate on Live V's F/T as it is an endless debate and me and Jo have debated this before ...lol its how we met and became bosom buddies after all until she turned on me:groinkick....lol just kidding Jo.

As has been said it really is something the keeper needs to think long and hard about, its really not for some people "feeding live" where others are comfortable with it you need to find where you sit and what your snake prefers.

I would say alot can be turned onto F/T but as Jo said some wont.

Patience and persistence as Judy said ........pick a road then off you go and try it.

I have turned a few Balls into F/T eaters but it was not easy and took some time to do so. As has been siad it's a "learned feeding response" and you are the teacher as far as the snake is concerned, how well you teach it often determines the success.

:sweeet: good luck in whatever method you choose there is plenty of help either way you choose here.

I'd say if your BP will take f/t, do it. Although live can be "safe," there is a small chance that the snake could constrict the mouse in such a position that it could bite the snake, possibly in the head, and seriously hurt/kill it. Of course, many of the injuries that occur when feeding live come from irresponsible owners, but there is a small chance that your snake could get hurt, which is why I feed f/t. Also, my mom wouldn't let me feed live even if I needed to get a non-eater eating. :P

i think the problem is that she wont eat white mice

I got her a brown mouse this morning and she took it in like less than a second. has anyone ever heard of them developing color preferences?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bchapman

i think the problem is that she wont eat white mice

I got her a brown mouse this morning and she took it in like less than a second. has anyone ever heard of them developing color preferences?

---

Yes, some BPs do. I have been feeding mine mice/rats/hamsters of various colors and so they aren't 'hooked' on one color. Colors include: cinnamon, grey, black, white, black & white, brown, cream, etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bchapman

0.0.1 mouse in the freezer (roger)

---

Did you name it before or after its demise?????

:D

Oh, so that this post is "on topic" ;) , I haven't experienced color preference first hand (that I know of), but in my local "feed store", I overheard a guy discussing with the proprietor whether the rats he was getting were the proper color. He said he had one snake (don't remember the species) that would not eat white rodents.

Steve

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hoo-t

Did you name it before or after its demise?????

:D

Oh, so that this post is "on topic" ;) , I haven't experienced color preference first hand (that I know of), but in my local "feed store", I overheard a guy discussing with the proprietor whether the rats he was getting were the proper color. He said he had one snake (don't remember the species) that would not eat white rodents.

Steve

---

before.. my wife had a hard time with that one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bchapman

before.. my wife had a hard time with that one.

---

Oh, ok, sorry if I hit a sore subject. Don't mean to be insensitive.

Steve

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bchapman

i get mixed opinions everywhere... people tell me i am insane to feed live, and then people tell me to feed live..

which is it?

---

WHATEVER your snake will eat heartily, works for your budget and is convenient and easy for you to use!!!!!

As long as you do live responsibly, there is no "right" or "wrong" to the feeding FT vs. live debate. The only part about LIVE, is that most ppl don't understand or realize the DANGERS of leaving the prey unattended for extended lengths of time if the snake doesn't want to eat. That's how snake injuries and deaths occur.

Some snakes won't ever take FT and some convert very easily. I've had both, but right now, all of MY collection are FT. It takes a little more work and coordination for the thawing and feeding routine, but I couldn't get my mice to breed, and right now I don't have rats big enough. I occas. breed for fuzzy rats, gas them and freeze them. I'm still feeding FT, but raising my own small rats to do it.

Do a SEARCH. There are aaaaaaall sorts of different threads debating. But YOU are the decision on what's best for your pet and for your lifestyle/budgetary needs.

:D

RuLyn

While @ the pet store, there was a guy buying for his ball. The snake prefered white. They can't see color differences, but maybe there is a HEAT (body temp) or odor difference from one to the next. I haven't done a search for an experiment topic about it.....but maybe it's just us and our interpretation. U just have to play around and see what he'll eat. Easy way is to find out from the previous owner or breeder how THEY were feeding the snake and then do that until he's eating regularly for you, then U can start changing them to what works for you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hoo-t

Oh, ok, sorry if I hit a sore subject. Don't mean to be insensitive.

Steve

---

hahahaha, no i didn't mean it like that :)

I did it as a laugh and she thought it was rotten to name it and then feed it! :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bchapman

I have had some luck with getting julius to take prekilled prey, but she has been refusing it lately. I managed to get her to take F/T once, and that was one that was killed that same day, frozen and offered to her many hours later.

Now i am trying to get her to take just F/T and I am having a lot of difficulty doing it. I know people on here say that 99.9% will take F/T - but if you would please give me some advice on how to coerce her into doing so - it would be greatly appreciated

I have tried pithing and rubbing dead prey with live prey to no avail.

suggestions will be welcomed!

---

My RTB has always eaten F/T from the beginning. My Ball was eating live but I just converted him over to F/T for convenience's sake (had to go to the pet store when it was feeding day + live is about double the price as frozen) as well as the "safety" feature. He has had no problems changing over. I feed one medium rat a week and I thaw it out overnight at room temp in a bag. Then I take the rat and put a blowdryer to it for about 30 seconds to warm it up real good, then I drop it near him and he strikes and eats it like normal. My RTB is a little more of a pain as I feed him pup rats and I prepared the same way but he will only strike if I make the pup rat "walk" around his tank with my tongs.... what a nut..

Peace.