How to switch from live to frozen?

[snakelover88]

I keep offering frozen to my ball python and my east african sand boa and neither will take! I have tried pre-scenting the room, tried different times of the day. I have even given a live to start feeding frenzy and then tried a frozen and they completely ignore it! How do I get them to switch? My hognose and my two RTB are all on frozen, and I want these two guys to switch too but it is becoming almost impossible! What do I do?

[dr del]

Hi,

How are you preparing and offering the F/T?


dr del

[snakelover88]

I buy frozen from Petco and then bring home set out to thaugh, then put them in boiling hot water to get them warm from the inside out (still in the plastic bag) then dry them off. The rest of our guys take but not these two.

[dr del]

Hi,

I'd be carefull of the boiling water - it can cause them to split. And that isn't fun.

Do you leave them out to thaw near the tanks so the snakes can smell them for a good half hour or so b efore you try and offer them?

When you say you dry them so you use a hairdryer? Have you tried really blasting their heads with it?

Do you do the zombie mouse dance or do you just leave them lying in the cage overnight?


dr del

[snakelover88]

I will be careful with the boiling water, I have had that happen and it does become a mess! Yes we leave them in the same room as the snakes so that the smell of the rats brings there little noses popping out. We have tried drying with just a towel and also blow drying to make the fur more fluffy. We usually do the funky zombie dance the little drag to make them look like the are walking we have tried just hanging them in the air to let the snakes come and check them out and they do and then they turn uninterested. I have left the mice in the cages before overnight and the Ball python did eat his but the sand boa left it there. This past weekend during feeding we tried all of the above again with both and neither one of them touched them even after leaving them in the cages overnight. Stressful but i just know that frozen is better for them and I hate it when we get mite infestation so trying to stay away from the live for those reasons as well as others.

[kc261]

Well, you won't get mite infestations from feeders, and a lot of people would argue the point about whether or not f/t is better than live. I'm not trying to dissuade you from switching to f/t, because there is nothing wrong with it, but those 2 particular reasons don't make much sense.

I find the most important thing in trying to get my snakes to eat f/t is that it has to be plenty warm. A rodent's normal body temperature is a few degrees higher than a human's, so it should feel definitely warm to the touch. I think I usually heat them up even a bit more than that, although I don't have an accurate way to measure. Then try to find the right balance between moving the prey item around just enough to be enticing, without scaring the snake.

I also believe that many snakes that "won't" eat f/t would come around with a little tough love. If they don't eat the f/t, don't feed them at all. As long as a snake is otherwise healthy, missing a few feedings won't hurt it. I'm not knowledgeable about the sand boa in particular, but I'm pretty sure this statement applies to all snakes. For sure the BP can miss a few feedings without ill effects.

[snakelover88]

Well the sand boa has lost his vision in one eye from a rodent scratch to the eye, so that is a big reason and we have seen a few scratches from mice on the snakes. All of them were taken to the vet and they are fine. As for the sand boa and only one eye visual it is just sad and don't want it to happen to anyone else.

[Slim]

1) I've found that heat it the key. Thaw your feeders by whatever method works for you, then right before you present each rodent, heat the dog junk out of it with a hair dryer. After doing this, often times you can just place the F/T a few inches in front of their hides, and they will come right out after it. Just make sure you present it quickly because they cool off pretty fast.

2) Some BP's need scent, heat, and movement to trigger a feeding response. You may have to grasp the feeder by the nape of the neck with tongs and make it "Zombie Dance" around a little to get a strike.

3) Feed closer to the evening if you don't already. Feed in a darkend room, if you don't already. Both are good ideas in general, but feeding when they are normally active, and in a more natural environment seems to help.

4) If they don't take it right away, leave it in there for a few hours. There is no danger with F/T, and some BP's take a little longer to figure out that F/T is food.

5) For your first F/T feeding, go with a rodent that's one size smaller than you normally feed live. I can't tell you why this works, but it does. Then once they figure out that F/T can be food, you can move them up to regular size rodents with little trouble. Like I said, I don't know why this works, but it does.

6) If they won't take it this week. Just wait till the next scheduled feeding day and try all over again. I don't have a real issue with letting them refuse for up to 3 straight weeks before I would start thinking about offering them live again. So far, all mine have switched with in 3 weeks.

[bamf64]

im considering switching my bp to FT... if she doesnt eat it the first time, can i refreeze it to save some money?

[h00blah]

im considering switching my bp to FT... if she doesnt eat it the first time, can i refreeze it to save some money?

no. trash it.