Ugh, I think I have a mouser....help!

[EL-Ziggy]

I'm currently experiencing the same issue with my Bredls python. He had been eating rats, mice and chicks just fine but has refused rats his last 3 meals. He has eaten the last 2 jumbo mice that my kings have rejected on their winter fast. I've decided to try scenting but if that doesn't work it's tough love for me. I refuse to feed an adult carpet 5-6 jumbo mice when 1 large rat will do.

[DennisM]

.... I might try again later when she is bigger and mice start to be noticeably too small for her. Right now she is about 3.5' like I mentioned so its not a big deal yet.

I think you're making a mistake by waiting if you hope to convert her to rats. the longer you wait, the less your chances. in my experience if you don't have them converted young, you've got almost no chance. Not saying it's not possible, but in my collection which has seen more than 60 carpets at one time or another, none has ever made the conversion to rats after about 18 months of age.

of all those carpets, 7 never made the switch, 2 JCP, 4 IJ and 1 coastal. a few others stubbornly made the switch. Most took rats right away.

[Sauzo]

ok, so what are some ideas to get her switched? I tried scenting and it was a fail. I've tried the double up method with feeding her a mouse and then a rat behind it, she wasn't having any of that. I've tried rubbing the rat on her body and all she does is look at it and then crawl off, if I follow her, she just gets mad and crawls off faster or drops down to the lower perch lol. I mean other than just tough love and starving her into submission which might be awhile as she has been eating pretty healthy on her double mice a week lol, is there any other tricks?

She is about 3.5' and was about 2.5' when I got her and was told she was about 1-1.5 years old. I think she was messed with as a baby as she was VERY defensive and bit me every time I even went in the cage. She also would only eat live mice at night for the gal but once I got her, I got her switched to F/T mice during the day in the first feeding. I've had her about 3 months now and she has really mellowed out and isn't nearly as defensive as before and eats her mice like a champ but now you all got me worried about having to feed 5-6 mice a week to her when she gets bigger lol. I already have my retic tugging at the wallet for food 24/7 and my BP is a garbage can now too since I got the retic. I think she is trying to keep up with him on food.....so I've got 2 tugging at my wallet 24/7 lol.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Try offering a mouse first smaller than the usual size soon as it's down offer a rat equal the size of that first mouse.

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[DennisM]

Try Deborah's advice. Also try the reverse scenting I mentioned in my previous post. With JCP it may still come down to tough love. However, even if she never accepts rats, you won't need to feed multiple mice. Switch her over to chicken, quail and rabbit. I had a coastal that never accepted rats all and she fed on these all her life (she lived to 16 yrs) and grew to over 8 ft and 20 lbs. I have yet to see a carpet that refused any of these delicacies.

[Sauzo]

Try offering a mouse first smaller than the usual size soon as it's down offer a rat equal the size of that first mouse.

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Alright, i'll see if that works.

[Sauzo]

Try Deborah's advice. Also try the reverse scenting I mentioned in my previous post. With JCP it may still come down to tough love. However, even if she never accepts rats, you won't need to feed multiple mice. Switch her over to chicken, quail and rabbit. I had a coastal that never accepted rats all and she fed on these all her life (she lived to 16 yrs) and grew to over 8 ft and 20 lbs. I have yet to see a carpet that refused any of these delicacies.

Yeah see I did that more or less. I was thawing her mice in the bag with all the rats I feed my other snakes. But that still didn't work. Then I would try and literally rub the mice and rats together like I was rubbing 2 sticks to start a fire lol and again, nope, the JCP could pick em out. Maybe it was the size difference? Since a weaned rat is a lot bigger than an adult mouse. Maybe try a large fuzzie rat? And then try Deborah's method with that?

As for quail, chicks and rabbits, I got access to all that as that's what I feed my boas and retic but the JCP is way too small for a rabbit and honestly I don't even know about chicks or baby quails. Her thickest part is only about 1". She's about 3' to maybe 3.5'. I was told when I got her about 3 months ago that she was 1-1.5 years old but I'm not sure. She seems so small for that age. Heck even large mice make a noticeable lump in her lol. Heres a picture of her. Not the best but hopefully gives kind of an idea. Her head is only about 1" long and maybe 1" wide at the jaw hinges.

[DennisM]

Yeah see I did that more or less. I was thawing her mice in the bag with all the rats I feed my other snakes. But that still didn't work. Then I would try and literally rub the mice and rats together like I was rubbing 2 sticks to start a fire lol and again, nope, the JCP could pick em out. Maybe it was the size difference? Since a weaned rat is a lot bigger than an adult mouse. Maybe try a large fuzzie rat? And then try Deborah's method with that?

As for quail, chicks and rabbits, I got access to all that as that's what I feed my boas and retic but the JCP is way too small for a rabbit and honestly I don't even know about chicks or baby quails. Her thickest part is only about 1". She's about 3' to maybe 3.5'. I was told when I got her about 3 months ago that she was 1-1.5 years old but I'm not sure. She seems so small for that age. Heck even large mice make a noticeable lump in her lol. Heres a picture of her. Not the best but hopefully gives kind of an idea. Her head is only about 1" long and maybe 1" wide at the jaw hinges.

I don’t know if the size difference comes in to play or not, but I think it best to stick with one change at a time.

I’d say this snake can definitely take day old chicks, but that’s not really the issue right now since she is feeding. I’m thinking long term as she gets larger it would be more convenient and economical to feed her appropriate sized birds as opposed to half a dozen mice per feeding. Rabbit pinks, which are admittedly hard to come by (at least for me), are about the size of weaned rats and she may not be up to size there.

At this point I would probably take the tough love approach. After all, the snake is proven to take rats.

[Sauzo]

Alright. Yeah I cant get rabbit pinks. The smallest my local gal has is small rabbits which is what I feed my 6.5' boa. She does have very young chicks and quails though. I feed those to my retic who is 6 months old but he is actually bigger than the JCP lol.

As for proven to take rats, my JCP hasn't taken rats yet. She was always a mouser. She looks at them but hasn't attacked one yet. Guess i'll give Deborah's idea a shot next week when everyone eats and if that doesn't work, guess i'm stuck with tough love and keep trying the thawing of a mouse with rats as my baby dumerils is still on mice so I can still scent and keep trying. Maybe that combined with just time will get her to grab a rat. Although I pray Deborah's idea works lol.

My BP was easy to switch. She grabbed a F/T rat the first try and never looked back although she doesn't like to eat medium rats. She only likes small rats but eats them like clockwork once a week.

Oh and the reference for the picture is the PVC pipes she is sitting on are 1" wide. Forgot to mention that and it really doesn't convey the size right anyways lol.

[DennisM]

...As for proven to take rats, my JCP hasn't taken rats yet. She was always a mouser.

Well, somehow I blended the combined posts of xcjumper and Sauzo into a single conversation. Nonetheless, good info on the thread for both of you.

The subject of how to get the stubborn carpet to take rats has been pretty well covered in this and many other threads., best of luck to both of you. And remember, in the carpet world there are no “mousers” , but “non-rat eaters” are not uncommon