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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Gurgie's Avatar
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    feeding question

    ok, I have had Nag and Nagaina on live prey since May when I got my girl. They were eating well, every 7 to 10 days without problems.

    now however, this weekend was 5 weeks they have refused to eat. I killed the rats and put them in the freezer.

    my big question is, after feeding live for so long, can they get used to eating f/t? I really hate blowing $9 a week at the pet store for rats that end up getting frozen anyway.

    how do I make the transition with them to f/t?
    "I'm pink, therefore I'm SPAM."

    1.1.0 ball pythons, Nag (4) and Nagaina (3 yrs)
    1.2.0 kitties, Jack(3), Bootsie (8), and Nani (8)
    1.0.0 leucistic texas rat snake, Bloop (1 year)
    1.0.0 well trained fiance, Mark
    0.2.0 lovely daughters, Alyda (14) and Elise (10)
    ...And he BETTER obey! - Bill Cosby

    Wendy

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran juddb's Avatar
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    Re: feeding question

    maybe just try stunning them. (the rats) how big are the bp's?

  3. #3
    Cloacal Popping Engineer xdeus's Avatar
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    Re: feeding question

    Quote Originally Posted by juddb
    maybe just try stunning them. (the rats) how big are the bp's?

    Stunning them is cruel. They should either be fed live or pre-killed.

    How big were the rats that they were eating, and how big are your snakes? Some snakes will take to F/T pretty fast, and others never will... you won't know until you try, but they should have a good feeding response with their normal prey (live) before you try to switch. You might also try to feed live mice instead of rats to see if they prefer them.

    Usually when Balls stop eating it is due to being overfed or a husbandry issue. Take a look at our care sheet and make sure nothing is wrong with their environment. As a last result, consider getting a cage to keep the mice. This will save you money from buying rats every week and the mice will stay at an appropriate size compared with the rats until your snakes start to eat again.

    Good luck!

    -Lawrence

  4. #4
    Telling it like it is! Stewart_Reptiles's Avatar
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    Re: feeding question

    Quote Originally Posted by Gurgie
    ok, I have had Nag and Nagaina on live prey since May when I got my girl. They were eating well, every 7 to 10 days without problems.

    now however, this weekend was 5 weeks they have refused to eat. I killed the rats and put them in the freezer.

    my big question is, after feeding live for so long, can they get used to eating f/t? I really hate blowing $9 a week at the pet store for rats that end up getting frozen anyway.

    how do I make the transition with them to f/t?
    Well before the next feeding it would be good to see if you have any issues that could affect your BP

    Can you describe how you are housing your BP

    Size of your BP, size of the enclosures?
    What are your temps and humidity and how to you measure them (What type of thermometer)?
    Describe your hides and how many you have.
    How big are the preys you are feeding?
    Deborah Stewart


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