Switching from Live to F/T

[thedragonsflame]

I recently acquired a baby ball (3 1/2 - 4 months old) and was told by the owner would only eat live. Not a problem for me to do except we're having a very difficult time finding a source for live mice in our area (neither pet store sells them, only frozen).
So I'm looking for advice/suggestions to getting her to take F/T. Is she young enough still to make the switch? What sizing do you normally use-comparative to body width, yes?
We've only had her a few days too, so we haven't had the opportunity to feed yet, but plan on it by this weekend. I'd actually prefer to get her on frozen because it would be easier for our pet sitter to handle too since we're out of town pretty regularly.

Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated and if there are already some threads here (have been seaching) point me to it!
Thank you!!!
Shell

[IndySnake]

First off....Welcome to BP.NEt and the wonderful world of snake owning!

With a snake that young, it shouldn't be that hard...just go for it. I had a friend get his first BP, Cooper, last weekend and it was on live only but yesterday I went over to help them feed him the first time and he took a f/t no problem.

Just thaw it in hot water, then heat it up with a hairdryer, then dangle it in from of the snake and see if he takes it. Cooper was hesitate at first but I heated the hopper a little more and then he pounced it! And yes...feed appropriate to size, you typically want to give it a meal that is slightly larger than the thickest part of your snake.

I hope this helps you out. Good luck and keep us posted!

[Animals As Leaders]

Time IMO has nothing to do with the switch. Its how your present the prey to the animal. First make sure it really warm. Once the rat is thawed I usually drain the water, and add new hot water to increase the temperature right before offering. Snakes go off of heat and smell, so its important that it is thawed properly. Once you are ready to lower it into the enclosure, grab the skin behind the neck, and make it act like a live mouse/rat. I usually wait for the snake to come out of its hide, and once I know its interested I slowly wiggle it and bring it closer. Sometimes the snake will want to check it out first, and give it a little sniff before jumping it. Just make sure its always moving, and don't just shove it in the snakes face. This is what a lot of people do when transitioning, and to me is why it results in such high failure. I personally was able to transition ALL of my snakes to f.t. All were live feeders, but due to a couple of pet stores closing down it became hard for me as well, so I switched.

Another thing I did for ONE of my snakes was give in and feed it live anyway. If you can't find then this obviously isn't an option, but if you can I think it works wonders. Once they are used to the enclosure, just feed them a live prey item. I would do this for about a month, and then after a few feedings when you know he's ready to eat offer a f.t. Most of the time they are so used to you feeding them live as soon as they see the thing its gone. Good luck, hope this helped.

[alexOATH]

Yep, main thing is make sure its hot enough, without being so hot that it explodes 0.e

I have a picky little female ball that won't touch the thing if its not hot enough. But if its high enough of a temp. she pounces it instantly. Most people heat it to a temp of about 103*.

[Animals As Leaders]

Yep, main thing is make sure its hot enough, without being so hot that it explodes 0.e

I have a picky little female ball that won't touch the thing if its not hot enough. But if its high enough of a temp. she pounces it instantly. Most people heat it to a temp of about 103*.

I've actually never looked to see what temp I thaw at. I just crank the warm water as high as it goes lol

[IndySnake]

Time IMO has nothing to do with the switch. Its how your present the prey to the animal. First make sure it really warm. Once the rat is thawed I usually drain the water, and add new hot water to increase the temperature right before offering. Snakes go off of heat and smell, so its important that it is thawed properly. Once you are ready to lower it into the enclosure, grab the skin behind the neck, and make it act like a live mouse/rat. I usually wait for the snake to come out of its hide, and once I know its interested I slowly wiggle it and bring it closer. Sometimes the snake will want to check it out first, and give it a little sniff before jumping it. Just make sure its always moving, and don't just shove it in the snakes face. This is what a lot of people do when transitioning, and to me is why it results in such high failure. I personally was able to transition ALL of my snakes to f.t. All were live feeders, but due to a couple of pet stores closing down it became hard for me as well, so I switched.

Another thing I did for ONE of my snakes was give in and feed it live anyway. If you can't find then this obviously isn't an option, but if you can I think it works wonders. Once they are used to the enclosure, just feed them a live prey item. I would do this for about a month, and then after a few feedings when you know he's ready to eat offer a f.t. Most of the time they are so used to you feeding them live as soon as they see the thing its gone. Good luck, hope this helped.

I agree that you can switch them at anytime during their life but it seems to be a lot easier when they are younger.

[thedragonsflame]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I'll keep ya posted!