WOOHOO! She took FT!!!

[Argentra]

YES! Success!!

My biggest normal female, Hera (rescued from the Vicks idiot), took her first frozen/thawed rat tonight!! I made sure it was nice and warmed up, even though that meant spreading the wonderful odors...(that's why I want to raise and freeze my own rats, cleaner!) and I guess it was warm enough cause she nailed it. Bit of trouble getting the legs down since they were rather stiff, but she did it.

Now I just want her to keep it down and keep taking them! That's one BP on FT...4 to go.

[Kathleen]

Awesome! Congratulations (and good luck with the rest). :D

[starmom]

[python.princess]

Congrats! How long did it take? I wish I could get Tank switched over!

[Argentra]

Thanks!
This was the first time I'd tried with her. She had been taking PK before. The key is making the prey item actually warmer than a PK or live rodent. Thaw it in hot (but not scalding) water and whenever the water starts to cool replace it with more hot. Once the rodent is well thawed, dry/heat it with a hair dryer first on low, then a good blast on high especially around the head.

Must have been enough, because she grabbed it and squeezed for a while as though she thought it still alive.

I think I can get three of the others onto FT, but I doubt I'll be able to switch Nagini over to rats, let alone FT... eh, there's always one.

[froggsong]

Thanks!
...The key is making the prey item actually warmer than a PK or live rodent. Thaw it in hot (but not scalding) water and whenever the water starts to cool replace it with more hot. Once the rodent is well thawed, dry/heat it with a hair dryer first on low, then a good blast on high especially around the head.

Must have been enough, because she grabbed it and squeezed for a while as though she thought it still alive. ...

Thank you, that is actually very helpful! My new BP was not as interested in the first mouse I have offered it (Friday was the first feeding for me) as I would have liked... I have watched some videos, and the feeding response was non-existent compared to them! He also took the F/T mouse backwards. I think perhaps I had the back end warmer than the head. I'm going to feed again tomorrow because my snake is very thin, and I will try your heating method to see if I get a better feeding response.

[edie]

Thanks!
This was the first time I'd tried with her. She had been taking PK before. The key is making the prey item actually warmer than a PK or live rodent. Thaw it in hot (but not scalding) water and whenever the water starts to cool replace it with more hot. Once the rodent is well thawed, dry/heat it with a hair dryer first on low, then a good blast on high especially around the head.

Must have been enough, because she grabbed it and squeezed for a while as though she thought it still alive.

I think I can get three of the others onto FT, but I doubt I'll be able to switch Nagini over to rats, let alone FT... eh, there's always one.

Thats exactly how I do it, it takes too long to thaw them in bags and they hate the wet rats so they get blow dried before going to the snakes. Good luck switching everyone over, I have been able to get all of my snakes to take f/t! I'm so glad too, I'm too lazy to raise my own

[Argentra]

It's because I'm raising my own that I want to make the switch! That, and for the times when I don't have the right sizes on feeding day.

I want to switch everyone (or at least the BPs and the adult corns) to rats and breed rats (quieter and cleaner than mice). Since rats grow so fast and get too big as adults for even a full grown BP, I would have to gas n freeze. Freezing means getting everyone on FT. My corns already take anything that is rodent-like, be it live, PK, or FT so I'm not concerned about them.

Raising your own feeders is totally rewarding! The FT I gave Hera last night was from Willards Rodent Fac. and was rather dirty. When you gas and freeze your own, you don't have to crowd them into the chamber and there's a lot less mess spread around.

Ok, sorry for the ramble. I guess I'm just talkative this morning.

[munding]

congratulations!

[froggsong]

Argentra, I just want to thank you for posting how you thaw your rodents. I did that today with my BP (I've had him about two weeks or so, and fed once, with a poor feeding response), and he was VERY eager for the mouse before I even warmed the head up more with the hair dryer (warming the head more was suggested to me because he kept going for the butt end of the mouse the first feeding and had trouble getting it down). I was NOT expecting him to strike based on the way he fed last time, and it startled me so bad I dropped everything right on his head ! He struck a second time, but didn't get a good grip. I wrote all about it in the thread I started, "New owner with some questions and concerns...". I am soooo happy with the healthy feeding response. I am not nearly as worried about my guy as I was before.