Hamster for bp

[Malum Argenteum]

I have tried offering f/t he will not take it and I keep an eye during feeding time so right when it happens if the meal bites I can take it out if/when he doesn’t want it

A snake that will take live but not FT will often take a prekilled rodent. Some snakes that don't take FT (or better: some instances of snakes not taking FT) are due to the fact that the snake doesn't like something about the particular source of the rodent; often enough, switching sources (a different store that buys from some other rodent producer) is enough to get the snake feeding on FT. More on that below:


[QUOTE=Ziggy31984;2789086]Thank you this isn’t his first hunger strike with me and the occasional is around thanksgiving, Christmas and birthday thing and now when there not the size rat that I’m looking for I have noticed that he started liking smallish rats he was getting medium before a few months ago to last year as long as he’s healthy,eats when he wants and hopefully happy that’s all I care
/QUOTE]

A male BP is likely best on small rats anyway, and the smaller prey items have some tendency to keep a snake from refusing food.

Related to this and the 'different rodent source' issue: buying a bag or two of frozen rats from a quality online supplier (which as far as I've figured out at this point is Perfect Prey and no others) will both help avoid the occasional 'doesn't like this source' risk and also eliminate the issue of not finding the size you're looking for locally. Having rats shipped is not as expensive as a person might think, though the benefit to the snake would be worth extra money anyway.

[Ziggy31984]

I have tried 2 x f/t pre kill he doesn’t take it


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[Malum Argenteum]

f/t pre kill

"Prekilled" means that you take a live rodent and kill it immediately before offering it to the snake. "F/T" means that the rodent was frozen, and is thawed before feeding it to the snake.

Also keep in mind that some snakes need the movement of prey in order to accept the prey, which can be accomplished with either prekilled or FT by presenting the prey on a long tongs and moving it around a little bit.

Just to clarify, all my comments are just informational. There seems no reason to do anything out of the ordinary for a male BP that hasn't taken a meal for three months this time of the year, especially as you mentioned this is the snake's usual annual routine. But if the failure to accept anything but live prey is long standing, I personally think that once the snake is back on food it would be beneficial to get him off live prey for the reasons mentioned by others above.

I agree with dakski that giving it a hamster is not a good idea. Snakes don't celebrate birthdays, and it isn't worth the amusement to risk giving the snake an eating disorder, IMO.

[Ziggy31984]

What eating disorders


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[Bogertophis]

What eating disorders


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Refusing to eat normal prey items. Often because they get "stuck on" something more appealing (like a hamster or ASF) that was fed on a whim.

This can also happen for no obvious reason, or can be caused by the snake getting even a tiny nip (that you missed seeing) from a live rodent, & thereafter the snake decides that type of prey (or sometimes even the COLOR of the rodent) is no longer worth the risk to eat.

As also previously mentioned, not all sources provide good quality feeders; too many feed their rodents crappy food, or they're not healthy (& kept in filth), & then the rodents smell differently to the snake, causing refusal to eat. Or (has happened before), the prey was allowed to thaw even part-way, & that allowed some spoilage prior to you receiving it- again, making it smell bad to the snake. It matters who you buy snake food from.

[Malum Argenteum]

Yep, that.

As also previously mentioned, not all sources provide good quality feeders; too many feed their rodents crappy food, or they're not healthy (& kept in filth), & then the rodents smell differently to the snake, causing refusal to eat. Or (has happened before), the prey was allowed to thaw even part-way, & that allowed some spoilage prior to you receiving it- again, making it smell bad to the snake. It matters who you buy snake food from.

All true. My specific concern relative to the 'refusing prey from certain sources' issue is that most of the online feeder companies (and by extension most brick and mortar locations selling frozen feeders, which are purchased from these online companies) purchase some or all of their product from sources outside their own facility. This leads to irregular quality and characteristics (taste, smell, freezer burn amount, etc) even within one vendor's supply.

So far I've found only Perfect Prey (and MiceDirect, whose pricing seems extreme and which I haven't tried) to raise all their rodents in house and thus provide a consistent product. Of course, raising one's own rodents is the only real way to ensure quality and humane conditions, but that's unrealistic for nearly all snake keepers.

[Bogertophis]

... Of course, raising one's own rodents is the only real way to ensure quality and humane conditions, but that's unrealistic for nearly all snake keepers.

Yup. Did that for way too long...decades! But now I'm just using what's in my freezer for a while, then I'll buy from Perfect Prey. I sure don't miss raising rodents!

There are many kinds of snakes that aren't picky eaters (prone to "eating disorders"), like most boas, most rat snakes, most king snakes, most Pituophis (bull-gopher-& pine) snake, etc. But BPs are not in that easy-feeder club, even though some may be. But it makes sense to generalize.