switching live to frozen help

[lance]

Just wanted to hear what you all use and do when switching live eating ball pythons over to frozen any tips, help, etc.... would be greatly appreciated

Thank You

Lance

[cmack91]

i thaw mine in hot water, and heat them on a heat pad if they need it, but my boa took it first time, and my bp just finally took one last time after 5yrs of refusal.

just offer it, and if they dont take it leave it in there overnight, and if they still dont take it keep trying i guess

[Vypyrz]

There are several different tips and tricks, but for me, it comes down to a few basics:

1) Feed tongs.
2) Proper thawing/heating
3) Pre-scenting
4) Presentation

1) I recommend using feed tongs, because it will let you present the prey and keep your hand, which has it's own heat signature, away from the prey and prevent the snake from mistakenly striking at your hand.

2) Make sure the rodents are thoroughly thawed. You can do this by slowly thawing them in water, or leaving them out for a while, or in the morning of feed day, move them from the freezer to the fridge to thaw.

3) Pre-scenting can be accomplished by letting the prey set next to the enclosure for a while before feeding. This gives the snake the opportunity to smell it and get into feed mode. Heating is important because some snakes will not strike if the prey is too cool, and some don't care. I use a blow dryer to heat the prey up to 99-100F just prior to offering. This is the natural body temp of live rats.

4) When presenting the prey, I grab it by the scruff of the neck, so that when I present the prey, it will be in somewhat of a natural position. Next, lightly wiggle it (the Zombie Dance), but don't make rapid or big jerky motions, as this will sometimes scare the snake. If they don't take it, leave it laying about 2-3 inches in front of their hide, turn out the lights and leave the room. If it is still there in the morning, discard the rat and try again on the next scheduled feeding day.

I also recommend skipping a feeding day before starting this so they get good and hungry. Here is a video I made a while back on how I feed F/T. It was my first attempt at making a video so it is a bit rough, but you can still get the point. Good Luck...

[mattchibi]

Vypyrs has got everyting spot on. ^

I too will be switching my new lesser hatchling to f/t once I get her. And I was wondering, should I try and feed her one live rat first (after I wait a week for her to settle in?) I feel like feeding her a live rat at first will make her feel more secure at my house because she is already getting the option of food; however, I am also reluctant to feed her any live meals at all because I dont want her getting "stuck" on live. Should I just make the transition right away as soon as she moves in with me & attempt to only feed her f/t ?

How long do I keep trying to feed f/t until it becomes unhealthy for her to not eat? My snakes well being is my biggest concern, so if after a decent effort at getting them on f/t, how long until I should give in and just feed her live?

[kitedemon]

Vypyrz posted every thing you will need.

make sure you are well established before you start trying. You need 3 or four good feedings before you try to switch. Make sure you are offering the same prey item too.

[Missy_Misfit]

Vypyrs has got everyting spot on. ^

I too will be switching my new lesser hatchling to f/t once I get her. And I was wondering, should I try and feed her one live rat first (after I wait a week for her to settle in?) I feel like feeding her a live rat at first will make her feel more secure at my house because she is already getting the option of food; however, I am also reluctant to feed her any live meals at all because I dont want her getting "stuck" on live. Should I just make the transition right away as soon as she moves in with me & attempt to only feed her f/t ?

How long do I keep trying to feed f/t until it becomes unhealthy for her to not eat? My snakes well being is my biggest concern, so if after a decent effort at getting them on f/t, how long until I should give in and just feed her live?

When i got my male he only ate live, and i was gonna try live to encourage him to eat better and feel more secure like your saying but decided just to try F/T and i just made sure it was dry and he struck at it within a couple minutes. I may have just been lucky but he's still eating like a champ *knock on wood* lol, I've also noticed he strikes quicker now, like hes used to it lol

If he didn't take it I was prepared to buy him live but was gonna wait a week and try F/T again first, luckly he took it the first time.

hope your new lesser eats like my champ lol

[Hypnotic Exotic]

First switch them to pre-killed off the tongs. Once they start taking that, then try f/t. I make sure mine aren't wet. I leave them out until they are thawed to room temps and then I put them in a Ziplock in hot water to warm them up to mid to upper 80's. I present them with tongs grabbing by the scruff of the neck. For stubborn feeders, I picked up a trick from VPI where I will have it peek out from behind the water dish and when the snake flicks its tong it goes back behind it. I tease for a bit like this and then have it "walk" by the snake and it usually grabs it. Of course, I have a few stubborn ones that just won't take f/t no matter what but I've gotten probably 90% on them.

[lance]

Thank you all so so much, you all have greatly helped me in my pursuit of being a great ball python keeper and breeder.

Lance