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  1. #11
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    Re: Help! Not eating!

    Quote Originally Posted by CooperSchardt View Post
    I don’t know what I’m doing wrong then...
    You don't have to watch the rat thaw...
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 09-17-2018 at 02:07 PM.

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  3. #12
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    Re: Help! Not eating!

    Quote Originally Posted by craigafrechette View Post
    Defrost the day before. Leave it in the fridge. Then it heats up in just a few minutes the next day when you're ready. Easy breezy.
    But yeah, I see what you're saying. It takes a good 10 minutes for my BP to eat. My other snakes are quicker.

    What do you mean putting the cage back up like it was?


    My snakes eat on different schedules. But occasionally all four eat the same night. Takes me 20 minutes tops to feed all four.
    What’s the best way to heat it? I heat up some water in a pot, wait till I see bubbles on the bottom(right before boiling) take it off, and stick the frozen rat into it for 10-15 minutes and when the water cools I’ll heat it up on low heat. And Like if her waters low(I usually wash it out and refill it every week or when she dirties it up) I’ll refill it, spot clean, put hides back in, put lamp back ontop(should I leave that on while I’m feeding her? Ive never done that but I’m thinking that might help)take out uneaten rat/soiled substrate to trash and general stuff like that.

  4. #13
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    Re: Help! Not eating!

    Quote Originally Posted by CooperSchardt View Post
    What’s the best way to heat it? I heat up some water in a pot, wait till I see bubbles on the bottom(right before boiling) take it off, and stick the frozen rat into it for 10-15 minutes and when the water cools I’ll heat it up on low heat. And Like if her waters low(I usually wash it out and refill it every week or when she dirties it up) I’ll refill it, spot clean, put hides back in, put lamp back ontop(should I leave that on while I’m feeding her? Ive never done that but I’m thinking that might help)take out uneaten rat/soiled substrate to trash and general stuff like that.
    And I stick the rat in the water straight out of the freezer


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  5. #14
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    Re: Help! Not eating!

    Quote Originally Posted by CooperSchardt View Post
    What’s the best way to heat it? I heat up some water in a pot, wait till I see bubbles on the bottom(right before boiling) take it off, and stick the frozen rat into it for 10-15 minutes and when the water cools I’ll heat it up on low heat. And Like if her waters low(I usually wash it out and refill it every week or when she dirties it up) I’ll refill it, spot clean, put hides back in, put lamp back ontop(should I leave that on while I’m feeding her? Ive never done that but I’m thinking that might help)take out uneaten rat/soiled substrate to trash and general stuff like that.
    Ok, there's your problem I think. Your best bet is to keep everything in place prior to feeding. Do the spot cleaning as needed, rather than at the same time you're feeding. Any kind of disruption can cause a BP to refuse, especially moving their hides.
    As for defrosting and heating...I let the prey item defrost in the fridge. Then, my tap water gets hot enough on its own to heat the prey. Depending on the size of the prey, I may have to dump the water and refill it once or twice though. That's enough to heat the prey to approx 100 degrees and serve.
    The way you're doing may actually be starting to cook the prey on the outside while the middle is still cold. You shouldn't need 212+ degree water to get to 100 degrees.
    Last edited by Craiga 01453; 09-17-2018 at 02:33 PM.

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  7. #15
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Help! Not eating!

    Quote Originally Posted by CooperSchardt View Post
    What’s the best way to heat it? I heat up some water in a pot, wait till I see bubbles on the bottom(right before boiling) take it off, and stick the frozen rat into it for 10-15 minutes and when the water cools I’ll heat it up on low heat. And Like if her waters low(I usually wash it out and refill it every week or when she dirties it up) I’ll refill it, spot clean, put hides back in, put lamp back ontop(should I leave that on while I’m feeding her? Ive never done that but I’m thinking that might help)take out uneaten rat/soiled substrate to trash and general stuff like that.
    You are cooking the rats!???

    Thaw either IN the refrigerator (takes a long time!) or (my way) thaw in cold water...yes COLD. Takes about an hour (depends on size of rat), can change the water midway in thaw process- if it's too cold it takes longer than necessary, but you do NOT want to use hot water (I know, some others do...ahem) because part of the rat is spoiling while the rest (inside) is still frozen. (it's just basic food safety, like thawing a turkey for humans...but we cook our food & that destroys bacteria, while snakes eat it raw, so it's best for them to cause as little bacterial growth as possible during the thawing process. And that means keep
    it cold until thawed, then briefly warm...& FYI, NOT in the microwave oven either...they explode & smell really awful, though your dog may come running?

    Once the rat is soft throughout (yes, feel & squish it by hand so you know), then & ONLY then, immerse it for a few minutes only in hot tap water (not boiling water) & offer it to the snake, or, many here like to use a blow-dryer (hair dryer) to briefly warm to to the temp. of a living rat. The heat is ONLY needed for snakes like BPs that care about it being life-like...I no longer keep BPs, so once my feeders are thawed, I briefly rinse under warm tap, blot off on paper towels & feed my snakes. (mostly colubrids but a few boids too)

    A few snakes won't care if you tidy up their cage while they're eating but MOST of them do...it's distracting & if I did that, some of mine would bite my hand...hey, they smell food (the rodent) & they're even HOLDING it, but if they see MY motion? ("must be a mouse!") they'd come after me, & BAM! Do that stuff another time for best results.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 09-17-2018 at 02:41 PM.

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  9. #16
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    Re: Help! Not eating!

    Quote Originally Posted by craigafrechette View Post
    Ok, there's your problem I think. Your best bet is to keep everything in place prior to feeding. Do the spot cleaning as needed, rather than at the same time you're feeding. Any kind of disruption can cause a BP to refuse, especially moving their hides.
    As for defrosting and heating...I let the prey item defrost in the fridge. Then, my tap water gets hot enough on its own to heat the prey. Depending on the size of the prey, I may have to dump the water and refill it once or twice though. That's enough to heat the prey to approx 100 degrees and serve.
    The way you're doing may actually be starting to cook the prey on the outside while the middle is still cold. You shouldn't need 212+ degree water to get to 100 degrees.
    I do the spot cleaning and water bowl after I feed her, and I move her hides after I offer it and she doesn’t stick her head out of her hide, what should I do if she doesn’t stick her head out? And thanks for the thawing info, I’ll definitely do that from now on.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  10. #17
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Help! Not eating!

    Quote Originally Posted by CooperSchardt View Post
    what should I do if she doesn’t stick her head out?....
    Assume she's NOT hungry & wait a few days+ until she does...this helps avoid over-feeding & cuts down on wasted food too.
    They do NOT have to eat on an exact schedule & they don't get that in the wild either. The schedule mainly helps US remember...
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 09-17-2018 at 02:45 PM.

  11. #18
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    Re: Help! Not eating!

    Quote Originally Posted by CooperSchardt View Post
    I do the spot cleaning and water bowl after I feed her, and I move her hides after I offer it and she doesn’t stick her head out of her hide, what should I do if she doesn’t stick her head out? And thanks for the thawing info, I’ll definitely do that from now on.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Yeah, leave the hides. Do spot cleaning on a seperate day. They don't hunt using their vision, they hunt using their sense of smell and their heat pits. So even if she's in her hide, she smells it, she knows it's there.
    That's why it's important to thaw properly and present at roughly 100 degrees.

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