Unsuccessful Transition to Rat Pups

[ckuhn003]

Sorry to create another thread but my question(s) seemed to get buried in several pages and I'm at a loss for what steps I should take next.

In summary, my BP was a successful but shy eater on F/T mice; eating every week until I offered his 1st Rat Pup in which he regurgitated a couple days later.

With the help of the board, I took all the necessary steps in making sure the 'regurgitation process' was carried out properly.

After 2-3 successful weeks of 'aggressively' eating smaller F/T mice, I switched back to a F/T rat pup and there was no striking and the prey was in the cage the next day.

A week later, I offered another F/T rat pup and there was a 'strike' and he seemed very interested but still did not take it. ***NOTE: I thawed this pup in the same bag as a mouse as well as used the hair dryer method ***

So my question is do I keep trying every week in hopes that he'll eventually eat?

Are there cases where BPs just won't eat Rats and if so, can I stick to mice the remainder of their lifespan?

*** He weighs about 250-265grams ***

[Ba11er]

Some snakes are hard to transition over once they get started on a particular prey item. Your snake is young so keep trying to switch it over, if you can get live rat pups that might help move things along.

However some snakes are just picky and will only take mice, even adult snakes. If this is the case you will have to feed multiple mice to the animal to ensure it's getting the necessary amount of food.

Good luck, keep at it sometimes it just takes some time for things to click.

[ckuhn003]

Some snakes are hard to transition over once they get started on a particular prey item. Your snake is young so keep trying to switch it over, if you can get live rat pups that might help move things along.

However some snakes are just picky and will only take mice, even adult snakes. If this is the case you will have to feed multiple mice to the animal to ensure it's getting the necessary amount of food.

Good luck, keep at it sometimes it just takes some time for things to click.

Thanks Ba11er for the response. I'll keep trying but not sure at what point in time does one give up and feed on mice going forward. I'd like to avoid feeding live rat pups. He's such a shy BP that I can imagine him retreating to his hide when seeing a live rat.

[EL-Ziggy]

I'm a firm believer that hunger ALWAYS wins in the end and I have yet to see a healthy animal starve itself to death. If you have a finicky feeder that won't eat weekly then try offering food bi-weekly. If they're still being stubborn then offer food every 3-4 weeks until you find the sweet spot. One of my carpet pythons was frustrating me to no end with her inconsistent eating habits. She LOVES chicks and will eat them anytime, she eats mice sometimes, but she would rarely eat rats. Once she started only getting food every 17-21 days she stopped refusing her meals and ate whatever I offered. She's eaten two rats and a chick for her last 3 feedings and she's hanging out near the front of her enclosure more often looking for food. I used to worry whenever a snake refused food. Now, as long as I know their temps are good, and they're not sick, I just wait them out. They always get back on track sooner or later. Best wishes with your BP.

[ckuhn003]

I'm a firm believer that hunger ALWAYS wins in the end and I have yet to see a healthy animal starve itself to death. If you have a finicky feeder that won't eat weekly then try offering food bi-weekly. If they're still being stubborn then offer food every 3-4 weeks until you find the sweet spot. One of my carpet pythons was frustrating me to no end with her inconsistent eating habits. She LOVES chicks and will eat them anytime, she eats mice sometimes, but she would rarely eat rats. Once she started only getting food every 17-21 days she stopped refusing her meals and ate whatever I offered. She's eaten two rats and a chick for her last 3 feedings and she's hanging out near the front of her enclosure more often looking for food. I used to worry whenever a snake refused food. Now, as long as I know their temps are good, and they're not sick, I just wait them out. They always get back on track sooner or later. Best wishes with your BP.

This is really good information EL-Ziggy! I'm optimistic from the missed strike on the last attempt so I'll keep at it!