Question about feeding F/T mice?

[Generationshell]

So I've recently decided to switch Xander (my Bp) to F/T mice because it would be more convenient for my parents to feed him when i go off to college in about a month and a half. That way I can just stock up in the freezer lol

Well I did the trial run tonight. My ball is far from picky foodwise. But it did take about 15-30 mins of effort for him to take it. I thawed it...then had to reheat it w the hairdryer every so often and finally he bit into it.

The question is. How long does it take to fully transition them to F/T. Where they will accept it without any hesitance? A few weeks? I'm just wondering if he will eventually get used to it.

here are some pics.

He played with it for awhile. swinging it around by the tail.


He decided to eat it tail first....


I just walked away after seeing this... figuring it would take awhile for him to figure out he needed to put the other foot in....

[takagari]

every snake is different

I would get him on f/t rats though! mice are a no no. and never even really need to be used.

[Generationshell]

you shouldn't feed f/t mice? Why is that?
I don't think he is big enough to do rats yet.

[Oxylepy]

Rats are "preferred." There isnt anything wrong with mice, I fed my Lesser mice from the first feed til he was around 350g, then I moved him onto weened rats. All of those were f/t and there was never an issue.

However the best option is to bulk purchase frozen rodents, I got one bag of mice for him when I got him and that lasted him all the way through 275g of body weight gain. And I wouldnt have it any other way

[Generationshell]

Thank you!

Is it possible to order online f/t mice in bulk? Cause I def plan to stock up. That way i will be set for awhile! Hopefully the rents can get used to thawing out the mouse. :]

Do you think if they were to just put it in my bps cage...he would eventually eat it on his own? because i doubt my parents would be willing to wiggle it around in front of him.

My snake is on large mice right now. So im sure were will be making the switch to rats as soon as he can handle it. Im hoping he'll have a growth spurt in the next couple months.

[Seru1]

If he is on large mice he can handle rats. A baby can even handle fuzzy rats.

There are lots of sites to buy bulk f/t's

I like this one http://www.themousefactory.com/


Weigh him and the pros here can tell you more about the sizes he could take than me! But I am betting he could take a small or medium rat.

[Oxylepy]

They grow if you feed them enough. If you dont they get longer and look anorexic.

http://rodentpro.com/products.asp

That's where I get mine. And you should be able to move him over to weened rats pretty easily.

Good bit of advice is to buy a scale, and there are tons of threads on this site suggesting different ones. If you get one you can use it to find out the snake's body mass in grams, then take 10-15% of that and you should have the appropriate size of food for him. It will cost an extra 30 dollars to get it shipped, so you may want to tally up how much he can eat in 6 months and if it will be worth it (I suggest getting a bag of appropriate sized food and a bag of the next size up, so when he finishes one he can move to the next size).

As for if you have to wiggle it; try and find some hemostats. http://www.reptilebasics.com/hemostat-12.html

[Generationshell]

great site! Thank you!

I'm gonna go out tomorrow and buy a scale lol. After owning him for awhile it never dawned on me to buy one. But I am now quite curious.

[Generationshell]

He was underfed when I got him, growing slowly but surely. And feeding him weekly.

Im def gnna go get a scale! Thank you so much for the advice also.

[Vypyrz]

Do you think if they were to just put it in my bps cage...he would eventually eat it on his own? because i doubt my parents would be willing to wiggle it around in front of him.

That is entirely up to the individual snake. Some will eat it if it's just laying there, and some require the dance. One way to find out is on the next feeding day, try just laying it about 3-4 inches in front of the hide. Leave the snake alone for an hour or so and see if he takes it. If not, reheat it up and zombie dance it...

Definitely get some feeding tongs or feeding tweezers. Remember, if you dangle or dance the prey by hand, you hand/fingers are about the same size as the prey, they smell like the prey, and as the prey cools down, the heat signature of your hand will remain...