Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 627

0 members and 627 guests
No Members online
Most users ever online was 47,180, 07-16-2025 at 05:30 PM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,910
Threads: 249,115
Posts: 2,572,187
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, coda
Results 1 to 4 of 4
  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran SRMD's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-07-2012
    Location
    Only my Snake knows
    Posts
    981
    Thanks
    180
    Thanked 173 Times in 154 Posts

    Suggestions on switching BP to rats?

    Soon enough I am going to start feeding my ball rats, well I am wanting to. Before I tried rats and he just turned his face and left them, but he loves mice, I was just wondering on any methods except for live I am not feeding live.

    I know there are many methods on feeding like pre-scenting and all, i use most of these methods to feed my ball mice and he is an animal at eating, he has eaten every week straight for 2 months, so if you have ever had a struggle getting your ball on rats, but then succeeded what did you do?

    Thanks a lot
    Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran SRMD's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-07-2012
    Location
    Only my Snake knows
    Posts
    981
    Thanks
    180
    Thanked 173 Times in 154 Posts

    Re: Suggestions on switching BP to rats?

    bump
    bump
    Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.

  3. #3
    Registered User Riv's Avatar
    Join Date
    09-21-2011
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    384
    Thanks
    74
    Thanked 57 Times in 47 Posts
    Images: 10

    Re: Suggestions on switching BP to rats?

    I have 3 Ball Pythons and 1 Burmese python, and have had a 100% success rate thus far using the following method.

    Step one: Do not feed snake for 2 months (As long as the snake is a healthy enough weight to fast)
    Step two: Holding a prekilled Rat by the tail with tong, keep the rats body on the snakes eye level and jiggle the rat

    Ive never had one fail to strike and eat, as long as it was eating regularly first. Ive always give them 1 prekilled rat smaller than an average meal for them would be. I dont try F/T until the next weeks feeding.

  4. #4
    BPnet Lifer reptileexperts's Avatar
    Join Date
    03-26-2012
    Location
    Southeast Texas
    Posts
    2,334
    Thanks
    443
    Thanked 2,357 Times in 994 Posts
    Images: 1
    Here's what I did to get some of my older 2011 BP's onto rats already

    Offered there normal mouse one week
    Scented a normal mouse with a little bit of rat next week
    Offered a smaller than normal sized rat scented in a mouse the next week
    Offered a proper sized right scented with mouse the next
    Offered a rat.

    Switch complete :-)

    If they refuse any of those steps, don't freak out or worry, skip that week and repeat that step the following week till it eats. . . once a snake gets hungry enough they will eat anything, like the person above said, stopping food for a while can entice an apetite for rats, but I found my method works just as well and keeps their growth rate constant!

    Good luck.
    -------------------------------------------------------
    Retics are my passion. Just ask.

    www.wildimaging.net www.facebook.com/wildimaging

    "...That which we do not understand, we fear. That which we fear, we destroy. Thus eliminating the fear" ~Explains every killed snake"

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1