How long should i leave f/t in a tub?

[mbaker8686]

I am trying to get my newest snakes to take f/t. I have had 2 out of the 5 eat and being that today is my feed day i gave it a go with everyone again. The same 2 ate and i left the other 3 in their tubs in hopes that they will eat sometime tonight. What is a safe amount of time to leave the rats in the tub with them (PREKILLED of course)

[Mike41793]

People usually say they leave them in their tanks over nite to see if they eat and if they didnt they throw out the rat in the morning. So my guess would be like 12hrs?

[R&DP]

Just leave it over night. If they don't eat it, throw it away.

[RestlessRobie]

I leave mine in the enclosures for 10-12 hours then toss them out

[mbaker8686]

Well i pulled them out after 5 hours, because if i didnt they would be in there for almost 24 before i could get back to them. These are the first refusals ive ever had. The three that refused were a male pastel~850 grams, a female pastel ~1000 grams, and a female het albino ~700 grams. Should i keep trying f/t or go ahead and try and get them to take live? Also, should i give them another shot this week or wait until my next feeding day (that will be next tuesday, which will make it 3 weeks since their last meal).

[mattchibi]

Well i pulled them out after 5 hours, because if i didnt they would be in there for almost 24 before i could get back to them. These are the first refusals ive ever had. The three that refused were a male pastel~850 grams, a female pastel ~1000 grams, and a female het albino ~700 grams. Should i keep trying f/t or go ahead and try and get them to take live? Also, should i give them another shot this week or wait until my next feeding day (that will be next tuesday, which will make it 3 weeks since their last meal).

Wait until next feeding day. If they refused tonight, its always best to give them a full week before offering again.

Were they on f/t before you got them? If so, then I would just keep trying and they will eat when they are hungry. If they were on live before, then I would still keep trying f/t. They are at pretty good weights, missing a few feedings is not the hugest deal for adults. Get a digital food scale and start tracking their weights every week so you will be able to notice if they are losing an unhealthy amount of weight from not eating. Also, the male might be refusing because its the breeding season.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I have very few ball pythons that will eat FT off the cage floor--most are only interested if it's doing the zombie dance. I would only leave them in for a few hours, because it doesn't take long for them to begin to decay, and if they haven't taken them by then, chances are they aren't going to.

[Annarose15]

Make sure you're heating the F/T completely, not just thawing. I usually hit the head with a blow dryer for ~30-40 seconds after they are completely thawed, then offer with tongs (holding behind the head, not by the tail).

[mbaker8686]

I have never thought about holding behind the neck, i always went for the tail. I may have to try this braining thing out. I also have a scale and i am keeping up with their weights. All of the snakes in question have taken f/t before, but the seller could have added a little cushion on how easily they do take them.

[jason_ladouceur]

I have very few ball pythons that will eat FT off the cage floor--most are only interested if it's doing the zombie dance. I would only leave them in for a few hours, because it doesn't take long for them to begin to decay, and if they haven't taken them by then, chances are they aren't going to.

x2. i've tried leaving f/t rats in cages for animals that didn't take them off tongs. but i can't ever remember one eating one that was left in a bin. There may be some that will but in my experience if Balls dont take them from tongs they are probably not going to eat so don't ever bother to leave them in the tub at all.