how do i...

[snoopylove]

how do i switch a baby ball to f/t mice and at that im not sure what to do with the f/t mice itself lol...sorry im new to owning snakes as some of u know hes the rescue i found by a dumpster so i was hoping i could get him to eat f/t mice but i dont even know how to do it or how to prepare it...any help would be appreciated...thanks

[Sammy412]

I thaw mine out in hot water....you have to feel it/fondle it all over to make sure it's completely thawed and warm, especially the head...lol. Most of the time it takes several changes of the water, as the water cools quickly. I have a pair of long-handled hemostats, and I just hold the prey item by the tail, and wiggle it a little in front of the snake. Warm, smell, and movement usually are all that's necessary. Main thing is.....completely thawed, and use tongs/hemostats that are long. Snakes sometimes have bad aim....LOL! Good Luck!

[snoopylove]

so i just put it in a baggy and run it in hot water from the faucet or boil water?? i wasnt sure if you run the water straight on the mouse or through a bag???

[Sammy412]

I put the rodents in a cool whip bowl, no baggie, with hot water. you can blot it with a paper towel before you offer it....the water makes it smell really good (to the snake) and extra water never hurt. You may have to change the water a few times, empty the bowl and run in fresh hot.....just make sure it's completely thawed before feeding. Offer it warm. Don't boil the water, and for Heaven's sake, do NOT put it in the microwave....LOL! You will explode the mouse, and have to buy a new microwave. And the smell will run you out. One of my friends tried that once, it was not pretty

[snoopylove]

LOL no never thought of putting it in the microwave. but thanks for the advice. if he doesnt take it, do i make him wait and try again? or feed him a live? if i make him wait how long do i make him wait???

[Sammy412]

I had one once that was stubborn, he went 4 weeks without eating before he took it.....but he was a big male and it was fine. If your snake is healthy, and has a good weight, I'd try 3-4 feeds before giving in. Also, I do have one baby who won't take from tongs..I have to leave it in the hide, where he'll "find" it and "kill" it himself

[theartofsolitude]

forcing your baby ball python to take f/t by missing 3 to 4 eating routines is a no no. pros on this site had been telling it all over that ball pythons can really starve themselves to death just because they dont wanna eat f/t. seems like ball pythons are not like our typical pets that would eat anything when hungry, some ball pythons can be really really picky even if it would mean their life.

i would recommend feeding it live first if you haven't fed it yet... then transition from live to a pre-killed, then go for f/t next. converting from live to ft is NOT always possible, some snakes will never ever take FT. hope this helps.

And oh, do not use boiling water when thawing okay? i made this mistake before and it was a very unpleasant experience and the smell was horrible and ofcourse, i didnt feed the rat to the snake, i just threw it away but you wouldnt want me to go on detail about this, its disgusting. haha.

what i do though is i pull the frozen mouse/mice out of the fridge and let it just sit there for like 30 mins to 60 mins or so to room temperature. then soak in hot water (the hottest you can go without 'burning' you, probably something like jacuzzi hot water haha) then let it stay there for like 3 mins, prepare a paper towel / napkin and dry the f/t there before feeding the snake so it wont drip.

[Sammy412]

My bad, I wasn't clear on holding out on a baby.. but it is OK when trying to switch an adult. SOrry I wasn't more clear

[snoopylove]

haha no worries im not very successful at holding out on his meals lol, he has had 4 meals since i found him, every 5 days. the last feeding i tried a f/t and he didnt take it so i was told to hold out and try again in a couple days....i lasted a whole 2 hours beforei started feeling guilty and went and got him a live mouse which he took immediately lol. i dont mind keeping him on live its just that i was told when he gets bigger i will have to feed him rats which may hurt him, that i do mind.

[Sammy412]

it may be easier to switch his from live to prekilled before going to f/t. I have had some that would go that route. Either way, good luck