i tried f/t

[melodyb1985]

i tried to feed my snake a thawed rat a coupel weeks ago but he didnt take...first..i left it in a bowl of warm water to thaw it out...than i dried it off and stuck it on top of his cage so he could get a good wiff of it....than i heated its head up with a blow dryer because the heat light realy didnt do much for making it a little warm..and guess what......he still didnt take...so i left it there over night..and well next morning he still didnt take..so i got rid of it...so bought him a live rat the following wensday and he ate so i know he was hungry....well i have another frozen one that i bought at the same time....so how do i switch him..i have a gerbil...i but i use newspaper in his gage so i realy have no idea how to get the smell of a gerbil on the rat with newspaper...so what do i try now? help..buying live rats at the local pet stores..range any were from 4-6 dollars...depends on who ringing me up that day...and i get frozen for 2-3 dollars.....but i do know i can get them for cheaper and in bulk..from a breeder an hour away from me....but i just have to get him switched so any help will be much appreciated..and im sorry this is a repeat thread..but iv done everythin i can remember reading from other threads...am i missing something

[Crazy4Herps]

You're not missing anything, it's just tough to get a stubborn ball to make the switch, and it will take some time. You just have to hold out on him. Keep offering f/t every week (just as you were, thawing, warming, wiggling it around with tongs for 5-10 minutes, then leaving it in overnight and throwing it out in the morning), but the key is to absolutely refuse to feed him live. Send him the message "it's this or nothing". He'll take f/t if he's hungry enough.

You can also try a prekilled rat, just for the heck of it. For some, that's enough to get them used to eating from tongs.

[chet1028]

I just fed mine a fresh killed rat. It took a minute for him to strike. I noticed that he did not strike until I gently touched the ray to the tip of his nose. He actually askers to do this for live rats too. He won't strike until try just barely touch his face. So maybe you can give that a try with the F/T.

[melodyb1985]

forgot to add...he has eaten f/t before..when i first got him..i was told to feed him one f/t mouse every 2 weeks..so my first feeding i bought one live and one frozen...and he took both....and i did this for a month every week...i fed him one live and one frozen mouse..so he has taken it..but i was making a big no no than..i was putting it in the microwave for 15 secs like the people who have gave him to me told me...luckly i found this forum...before it was too late..and i stopped feeding him mice and f/t...and just went straight to live small rats after that...

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how do you kill a rat..without blood going every where...iv smashed one int he head with a baseball bat in my backyard..and it was disgusting...