I have tried everything

[ed4281]

I just cant get my female bp to eat frozen rats, I have taken everyones suggestions but no luck. I have even tried skiping a week. My question is should I just offer only ft and if she doesnt take it just skip until she does. I hate her not eating but I have a freezer full of dead rats and only one snake who will eat them not to mention it cost 8 dollars for a live one vs $ 0.99 for a dead one.

Anymore advise?

[GoingPostal]

Is she at a good weight? You can certainly try skipping a couple weeks and waiting her out, did you try feeding a small live one followed by f/t?

[ed4281]

She is 600g, 8 months old. I have not tried the live with the dead chaser I think I will try that next but would that get her eating ft?

[Crazy4Herps]

Holding out on them is sometimes the only way to go. Give her a couple of live meals to get some protein in her, then buckle down and just don't buy any more live! With adults, I am willing to hold out on them, offering only f/t, for up to four months. She'll get hungry and take it eventually. The problem with feeding her live while she refuses f/t is that she gets fed whether or not she takes the f/t. Making f/t the ONLY option is often times the only way to convert from live to f/t.

[Aleria]

That was what I had to do with my biggest problem feeder. It took nearly a year to get him to finally switch after trying all kinds of different methods. But making him go a few weeks or even a month without, along with figuring out that he apparently likes his rats thawed directly in hot water rather than keeping them dry, finally got him switched and eating on a regular schedule.
As long as they are currently healthy there is no harm in making them go without for a month even if they are being stubborn. They do it in the wild all the time.

[SlitherinSisters]

She's a really good weight. Offer one week, late at night and leave it in all night. If she doesn't take it, wait a week. Repeat repeat repeat. She can easily go 3-4 weeks without eating. I personally wouldn't push it past a month because she eats live just fine.

Holy cow your rats are expensive!!!

[Dragoon]

my stubborn male went 2 months refusing frozen. showed every sign of wanting to eat but would not take a dead rat. i tried every size and tactic but i gave up and gave him a live rat and it took him 2 seconds to take it. im stuck with feeding live to him and i have the same cost problem you do.

[reno-cg]

She is 600g, 8 months old. I have not tried the live with the dead chaser I think I will try that next but would that get her eating ft?

What do you mean by dead chaser? Do you mean putting a dead rat in its mouth as it eats the (formerly) live rat?

[JNballs]

What do you mean by dead chaser? Do you mean putting a dead rat in its mouth as it eats the (formerly) live rat?

Hello,

I think whats ment is to offer a dead one, after the living one is all eaten up. After eating it, the snake maybe won't make a difference.

[reno-cg]

Just wondering, will every ball python EVENTUALLY switch over to f/t or will they literally starve themselves? I ask because my lesser has gone about a month without a meal. She was fed live the majority of her life. Thanks