Need to try and feed live-Questions

[Michelle1221]

Ok so I have two snakes that are refusing.

One has refused since Nov and now his weight loss is starting to concern me. He has always been on f/t. So I'm thinking maybe live will hopefully get him back to eating.

One is is my newest but she was always fed live and we have had her a month and tried 3 times on f/t and she shows interest but won't take it.

they are the only two out of 9 refusing. They have hides and husbandry has been the same as the others and they are housed in rack systems.

I have never ever fed live. I'm assuming get a smaller prey than the f/t and I know not to leave them alone with the rat. Anything else? Where do I get them from? My feeder supplier is about an hour away so I would like to avoid driving down there for 2 rats if possible. But I'm worried about where I'm getting them from also.

[OctagonGecko729]

Keep tongs or a pencil on hand in case the strike goes wrong. You might need to put them in the feeders mouth to prevent biting. Just make sure the feeders are well hydrated, fed, and relaxed. No shaking, swinging, slamming, or other such nonsense and everything will go fine. Removing hides and water bowls can help but it may also scare the BP into not eating.

[Mr. Misha]

I feed all mine live. My personal preference is to feed in a separate enclosure/tub because you have a lot more control just in case something goes wrong. Also, mice and rats can defecate a decent amount if your snake doesn't make the kill right away so I guess it makes it a bit more sanitary. I usually put the snake in a separate tub first. Then, I calmly put the feeder in the tub wit the snake.

Like OctagonGecko729 mentioned, don't shake the feeder. The calmer they are, the less chance that they will bite the snake. Also, definitely make sure you supervise the feeding.

[Michelle1221]

Thanks for the advice. I'm picking up the live rats tomorrow. Hoping it goes well. I'm not comfortable with it but want these two snakes to eat. I gotta do what I gotta do.