frozen rat problem

well its the 3rd week since i went from mice to rats.this week i tried a frozen one that i thawed out with a hair dryer.he was in strike position for 25 mins but nothing so i put him back in his tank then took him out 15 mins later and tried again still no luck. a friend of mine said to leave it overnight in his tank but im worried about tank aggresion.hes in hunt mode now and i really dont know what i should do i know he is hungry.any suggestions

Through him a live one! Bet he eats it!!:gj:

i know he would but the pet store is closed now.and he almost got bit last time.

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Originally Posted by beardieguy

i know he would but the pet store is closed now.and he almost got bit last time.

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Then pick one up Tomorrow an Stun it first.. Or just sell it and buy a frog!

how do you stun it

Dont give up, or sell it for a frog. I wonder if thawing it with a hair dryer was a bad idea? I leave my frozen rats out for a half day or longer to thaw, then (in a plastic bag) run them under hot water to get their temp up. Just be patient. Some are more stuborn frozen eaters than others.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by beardieguy

well its the 3rd week since i went from mice to rats.this week i tried a frozen one that i thawed out with a hair dryer.he was in strike position for 25 mins but nothing so i put him back in his tank then took him out 15 mins later and tried again still no luck. a friend of mine said to leave it overnight in his tank but im worried about tank aggresion.hes in hunt mode now and i really dont know what i should do i know he is hungry.any suggestions

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Tank aggression is not likely to happen because you feed inside the tank. I had the same fear when I started out with my first bp. Now I have 15 snakes, all fed inside their enclosures, and not a single one is aggressive.

I would really recommend you try feeding in the cage, and feel free to leave the prey in overnight. If you do though, don't try to refreeze if it is not consumed.

Try and develop a very set feeding routine. Let the prey thaw in the room, and then set in warm water (I usually use a plastic bag myself) Once the prey is warm, then offer it. That would be my suggestion.

If frozen/thaw works best for you and your snake then go for it.

I had the same problem with one of my Boas. And I left it in there overnight and it was gone by morning.:)

well my friend said theres stuff i can put on the rat to make it smell like a mouse so im going to try to maybe get a small enough live one.i think hes still not used to the rat smell yet.the mice never lasted more than 10 seconds when he ate them.ill try to go frozen when i could get him to eat the rats like he ate the mice

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Originally Posted by beardieguy

how do you stun it

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i have squeezed their little neck with tongs or hit em on the head with them. just leave a little life in them to twitch a bit. i cant say its the most fun thing to do but the snake is your pet the rat is dinner and must die one way or another

I usually thaw my mice and rats either in hot water or under a spot light. If the rodent feels warm to my hand, the balls usually accept them more easily.

You probably don't want to heat it up many times, after a while the skin on the stomach gets so worn out it'll break when the snake constricts... Not a pretty sight. Or smell....

well i tried 2 small live mice today.the first one i left live he got it in 10 seconds.the second one i stunned with a pen.it took him about 5 mins to go get that one and he wasnt even going to strike just swallow it and as he was biting him the mouse woke up but he just took it down.i think the problem is more of it being a rat that the fact that it was frozen.they didnt have any mouse scent stuff left so i think i might do the frozen rat crawler with the scent stuff next week see what happens

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Originally Posted by beardieguy

i might do the frozen rat crawler with the scent stuff next week see what happens

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I wouldn't bother spending your money on any artificial scent. Just ask the pet store for some of their smelly mouse bedding out of the mouse tank. Then, thaw the rat, put it in a bag with some of the nice stinky mouse bedding and heat it up in a bowl of hot water.

Brush off the bedding and offer that to your snake. If he doesn't take it, you may need to wash the rat with a gentle soap and lots of water rinse, then repeat with the mouse bedding and heating it up.

Another thought is, just keep feeding him mice. Some ball pythons like mice better than rats and that's just the way they are.

well i think he is still hungry and i gave him 2 small ones.i couldnt imagine how many he would eat whens hes bigger.hes only about 6 months old now.ill tell them to put some mouse bedding when i try the frozen rat crawlers again