Hello, I have received a relatively new Ball Python, she was about one month old, and we started feeding her live mice pups. For the first month in a half she ended up eating very well with small mice, and I wanted to switch to pre-killed rats. The first time she ever ate one was when she was hungry, there were not mice at the stores, and we had a pinky frozen rat we decided to try. Amazingly, after thawing and blow-drying, she struck and ate it after we made it dance for a bit.


About a week later, we went to a Reptile Expo and bought some small pre-killed rat pups, on the same day we put the rat in a plastic bag and put the rat in warm water for about an hour until it was warm to the middle. After that I blow dried it until it was warm and dry. We tried to feed her a rat, we did the zombie dance, she struck the rat and held it for a bit, but she was at a bad angle and was trying to eat the rat from the middle and not the head. She gave up eventually and dropped it.


A minute later she tried to eat the rat again, without striking first. She still had a hard time getting the head to her mouth. My mom tried the nudge the rats head to my snake’s head so it would be a little easier for her to eat it. We left her with her food for 15+ minutes until we came back and took the rat out and put it in the same plastic bag and put it in the freezer.


We waited 3 days to feed her again, she was very busy in her tank and kept trying to get out, so we couldn’t do the zombie dance. So we left the rat on the opposite side of the tub, and although she seemed very interested and sniffed it a lot, she didn’t strike or attempt to eat. We waited 30 minutes and when we came back she wasn’t eating it she was slithering on it like it was her best friend. Then we decided she wasn’t going eat in, so then we threw it away.


So I want to know, what ways can I teach my snake to eat pre-killed frozen rats based on what she has eaten so far? I am concerned that she isn’t eating, but at the same time I am afraid that since she started taking rats, if I go back to mice now, she won’t go back to rats. Should we get a mouse or try again after rolling a F/R rat in mouse bedding?

Also, and tips on doing the zombie dance without my snake leaving her bin?


Thank you for any help!