How often should I try F/T during transition from live

[Midwest]

Our male BP is just over 6 months old and currently around 280 grams. He was on live when we got him and I fed live rat pups the first couple weeks until I felt he was settled in. The first time I tried a F/T pup he did not take it initially but I set it on top of his hide and about 10 minutes later he ate it. The next week I tried F/T again (from the same supply) and nothing, he showed a little interest but never struck. Tried again a week later and nothing so I went ahead and got him another small live rat. Next week I tried another F/T and again nothing. He showed interest but did not strike and I left it in all night. Nest week another live and he took it perfectly and very quickly (this was the day after X-mas). A week later I tried another F/T and nothing and the next week he started to show signs of shed so I didn't feed him. It was two weeks since last live and since he had gone 2 weeks and a fresh shed I tried another F/T. This time he seemed more interested in it and at one point he very lightly struck it but did not coil and let it go about a second later. I went ahead and got him another live today and he again grabbed it instantly. He will hit a live rat the second it hits the ground and gets within striking range but the F/T he will slowly approach them.

Just for some background I have been letting the F/T thaw in the room (the last one on top of his cage). I check them and ensure completely thawed and check the body temp with my heat gun. I hit them with the hair drier prior to trying and get the temps at the head around 95 degrees or so. I have tried different methods of movements etc. I will blast them with the hair dryer several times after they have cooled off. He doesn't seem scared of them, he will get in a striking pose and follow it as I move it and will some times get nose to nose with it. I have tried F/T from two different suppliers now and he reacted about the same to both. I have tried live from 2 different suppliers and he gets them instantly. Being fairly young I don't want him to miss too many meals but I don't want to be setting myself back by reverting back to live. Should I try F/T once a week for several weeks and see if he gets hungry enough to take one? I don't want to stress him out either way. Didn't know if I should just go live for a few weeks in a row to keep him happy or if I should try a F/T each week?

[303_enfield]

Read the feeding guide here:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...=feeding+guide

Good luck!

[303_enfield]

I would try again in a week. If he doesn't eat try again in another week.

[Bogertophis]

I'd say not more often than once a week, but going 2 weeks between offering probably won't hurt either. Just keep in mind that too often can cause them stress,
& that they're pretty good at skipping meals anyway. I hope you do get him switched ok, & sooner rather than later- it's for the best.

[rufretic]

I agree with the others, offering once a week is plenty, a little longer is ok too.
If you want him to switch, it's better not to give him live again because they tend to want that again. Once I get them to take f/t, I don't offer live again unless months go by and weight is dropping which has rarely happened and I've converted many snakes. The good thing is he has taken f/t, so that is the hardest step. At this point, you just need to let him get hungry enough to take it again. 99% of the time they eventually get used to it and take them weekly. If you want him on f/t regularly you need to stop feeding live. I know it's hard because you want them to eat but you need to stay away from live if you want him to take f/t consistently.

[Albert420]

Some might agree some may not , but this is how i did it. Leave your snake ALONE for 10 days and just do the needed water maintenance etc. then get a live rat in a small margarine tub with drilled holes. Cover the tub with paper towels but not too much the rat inside the tub must give off "live scent" and alive like scratching noises.

Very IMPORTANT get your thawed rat to 98 degrees then place the thawed rat at the front of the tub so your snake spots the thawed rat first and leave keep watch from a far distance to not bother the snake but too keep an eye that the live rat does not escape and harm your snake...

Might work for you might not... I have a male ball yearling at 800 grams and he only ate live rats all his life i struggled twice like you did and then tried this method, he took it with such a blast the rat inside the tub pooped its pants.

It worked like a charm and he is on one thawed small rat once a week and has not refused a meal since.

Good luck, patience is key.

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[Annageckos]

I'd warm the rats up more, normal rat temp is around 100F. I go a bit warmer than that and seem to have better results that way. If you can get some dirty rat bedding to scent the F/T rats with. Otherwise just give it time.

[Midwest]

Also I might have worded my original post incorrectly. I know I should only offer once a week, I just didn't know at this age if I should be no longer offering live at all for a certain period of time or not. I know they can go decent periods of time between meals but have also been told that when they are young and growing I shouldn't let him go to long between feedings. Since he ate a small rat yesterday I am going to wait 7-10 days and offer a F/T, if he doesn't take that one I'll wait until the following week and try again. I just didn't know at this age how long I should let him go. Worst case scenario if he refused to eat F/T how long should I go before giving another live, once he starts dropping weight??

[Albert420]

Also I might have worded my original post incorrectly. I know I should only offer once a week, I just didn't know at this age if I should be no longer offering live at all for a certain period of time or not. I know they can go decent periods of time between meals but have also been told that when they are young and growing I shouldn't let him go to long between feedings. Since he ate a small rat yesterday I am going to wait 7-10 days and offer a F/T, if he doesn't take that one I'll wait until the following week and try again. I just didn't know at this age how long I should let him go. Worst case scenario if he refused to eat F/T how long should I go before giving another live, once he starts dropping weight??

One question, you say a small rat thus meaning the rat weighs about 60 grams? How big is your snake? Both my males eat one small rat (55 to 65 grams) once a week and they both top the scale at almost 1000 grams, your prey might be 2 big by the sounds of it

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[Midwest]

The rats I have been getting weigh between 35-45 grams. Might have used the wrong terminology.