It Happened! Conversion from Mice to Rats!!!

[ckuhn003]

Many you know I've been battling the conversion from f/t mice to f/t rats. I've been unsuccessful so many times after trying the tricks I've read about on here. I was almost ready to give up but I had one more thing that I wanted to try.

So here's what I did.......

Besides buying a whole new batch of rat pups and going through the process of thawing, refreezing and thawing again together...... I went to the local reptile store and asked for a container of soiled mouse bedding. I brought it home and man did it smell bad when I opened the container. Smelled like dead fish in there. Since there was so much of it, I started sorting threw it to put a clump of it in a ziplock bag. While doing so, I found a dead mouse in the bedding. Nasty!!!!

Anyways, I hit the rat pup w/ the hair dryer and immediately ran the pup through the zip locked bag of mouse bedding. As soon as I presented the rat, my BP attacked and coiled!!!! Usually he'll act interested and back away when he realizes its a rat. I went back to check an hour later and he was in his hide pocking his head out so I'm assuming (fingers crossed) that he ate the rat pup!!!

If this is the case, should I keep up w/ this practice and if so, for how long????

[Sunnieskys]

Decrease the amount of bedding each time until none.

[tttaylorrr]

While doing so, I found a dead mouse in the bedding. Nasty!!!!

🤢
did you tell the store? i would let them know...

Anyways, I hit the rat pup w/ the hair dryer and immediately ran the pup through the zip locked bag of mouse bedding. As soon as I presented the rat, my BP attacked and coiled!!!! Usually he'll act interested and back away when he realizes its a rat. I went back to check an hour later and he was in his hide pocking his head out so I'm assuming (fingers crossed) that he ate the rat pup!!!

If this is the case, should I keep up w/ this practice and if so, for how long????

congrats!!! i know you were all prepared to accept him as a mouser; this is awesome!!!

Decrease the amount of bedding each time until none.

️️️ this is what i would do.

[ckuhn003]

🤢
did you tell the store? i would let them know...

congrats!!! i know you were all prepared to accept him as a mouser; this is awesome!!!


️️️ this is what i would do.

I'm super excited! I woke up this morning and ran downstairs hoping not to see the rat somewhere in the cage. Couldn't find it and I'm hoping it's not in his hide

I didn't tell the store. It's not a place I usually frequent and I'm not surprise of my finding. None of the snakes had any hides and were laying on white scott towels as bedding; heated only by Lamps. It was a pretty sad sight.

Hopefully I can convert him fully over!!

[tttaylorrr]

I'm super excited! I woke up this morning and ran downstairs hoping not to see the rat somewhere in the cage. Couldn't find it and I'm hoping it's not in his hide

I didn't tell the store. It's not a place I usually frequent and I'm not surprise of my finding. None of the snakes had any hides and were laying on white scott towels as bedding; heated only by Lamps. It was a pretty sad sight.

Hopefully I can convert him fully over!!

you will. you're nothing if not an excellent snarent.

[WhompingWillow]

I'm super excited! I woke up this morning and ran downstairs hoping not to see the rat somewhere in the cage. Couldn't find it and I'm hoping it's not in his hide

Speaking from personal experience, you might want to check the hide just to be sure... While converting our most recent guy to F/T mice, I assumed he had eaten the one he struck at and brought into his hide, only to discover a very uneaten and decaying mouse in his hide 3 days later, after it legit stunk up the entire room.

[ckuhn003]

Speaking from personal experience, you might want to check the hide just to be sure... While converting our most recent guy to F/T mice, I assumed he had eaten the one he struck at and brought into his hide, only to discover a very uneaten and decaying mouse in his hide 3 days later, after it legit stunk up the entire room.

Yes, I wanted to give him a good 48 hours before I did anything that might disturb him. About a year ago (when I offered a rat pup for the 1st time), I left it there and came down the next morning to find it gone. I went on a 3 day vacation and came back and found it regurgitated so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one. It was the worst smell as you can imagine!

[ckuhn003]

3 Weeks in a row my BP took a f/t rat!!!! After refusing rats for months!! Scenting w/ mice bedding really does work wonders. Last week, after taking the rat pup he was very active and looked super hungry so I decided to thaw out two tonight. Thirty minutes after I offered the 1st one (which he quickly took), I offered the 2nd one which he didn't seem too interested so I'm leaving it in the cage until tomorrow.

Since he's 400plus grams, should I move up to weaned rats?? The rat pups were about 25grams a piece. Before the pups, he was eating about 30gram f/t mice.

[Sunnieskys]

I always give used bedding to my snarents at work. "Usually" works like a charm.

[tttaylorrr]

3 Weeks in a row my BP took a f/t rat!!!! After refusing rats for months!! Scenting w/ mice bedding really does work wonders. Last week, after taking the rat pup he was very active and looked super hungry so I decided to thaw out two tonight. Thirty minutes after I offered the 1st one (which he quickly took), I offered the 2nd one which he didn't seem too interested so I'm leaving it in the cage until tomorrow.

Since he's 400plus grams, should I move up to weaned rats?? The rat pups were about 25grams a piece. Before the pups, he was eating about 30gram f/t mice.

yes, weaned rats are the appropriate size for that weight.

i'm so happy to read he's doing so well.