Converting from stunned to f/t

[daftperception]

Is it easy? How do you stun? And were should i put the tonges on the mouses body?

[JLC]

Have you tried f/t yet? You may not even have to make that transition. I'm not sure I'd try to stun an animal anyhow...if I had to incapacitate a live animal, I'd go ahead and kill it outright. Much less chance for either suffering for the mouse, or danger for your snake if the mouse comes around at the wrong moment.

I've never used tongs, so I'll leave that answer to someone more familiar with the technique...but again, you may not even have to go that route if you have an easy feeder who will just take a f/t rodent dropped into its enclosure or feeding box.

[daftperception]

Sorry about that i was in a rush i was changing clases i recently bought a new bp and the breeder i bought it from said it was feeding on stunned so i was wondering if it would be easy to convert from stunned to f/t and when i do how should i go about it. And if it doesn't go for the f/t how should i go about preparing his favorite meal.

[Eddie_Z]

I was in the same position that you are in Daft. The people I bought Hissy from were feeding him stunned, or as they put it thumped, mice. I did not even fuss witht that at all. Once I were sure that she was comfortable in her new home, I got the f/t mice from rodentpro.com & to thaw them, I put them in a ziplock bag & fill a small tupperwear bowl with warm water. I put the ziplock bag in the container & put the lid on it for probably half an hour or so to make sure it really thaws nicely. Take the mouse out & dry off any moisture that might be on it from thawing. Then I take the mouse & put it on top of the screen & under the heat lamp. This gets that mousey scent going through her enclosure. Usually this prompts her to peek her head out & take a look. When you grab the mouse with the tongs, you want to try to hold the mouse by the upper back. Holding it by the tail can lead to far too many missed strikes as BP's have TERRIBLE aim. Make the mouse do a little dance & your new snake should strike. It might take a bit & trust me, even when holdin the snake with tongs the strike will startle the hell out of you. That is what worked for me. Hope it helps! Let us know how it goes!

[gozetec02]

Where i am from it is cheaper to buy a small rat for $1.50 and kill it myself then to buy F/T in bulk. But I use the tongs and grab the (DEAD) rat by the tail and make it dance around a little and Jojo goes for it without hesitating it was hard at first but now he knows that a rat hovering upside down in the air is food. It take a little practice but lots of times the will not strike if the rodent doesnt move. When Jojo strikes at it and coils it up i tug on the tail a little to simulate live prey he tightens up then finishes the job.

[freakoverdose1]

no, its a lot cheaper buying f/t in bulk. Order online and you will save a lot of money.

As for me, i don't use tongs. I just hold the f/t mouse by the tail and sometimes I don't even get a chance to dance it around because hydras feeding response is so good.

[jotay]

I just thaw the f/t like you would meat. I sit in bottom of fridge for a few hours then I sit out on the counter for about an hour then under heat light for about a min or two.
I feed my bp in a seperate box and he hardly waits for me to lower in on tongs he meets me half way up the box.
I hold mine by the tail and he strikes right at the head/neck and Eddie is right that strike will scare the heck out of ya.
Mine hit's so hard and fast I dont have time to tug back before he has got it and wrapped around it

Freak,
As your bp gets older you may want tongs cuz sooner or later your gonna get hit holding like that

[JamminJonah]

I take my little frozen mouse out around noon or early evening and set him in one of those disposable tupperware deals. Then I let him sit at room temp for a few hours (I usually feed around 9pm) then I poke his belly to make sure it is soft and pop the mouse under the heat light for about ten minutes. The mouse actually feels more like a fresh killed than f/t - and so far it's the only way I can get Icc to eat.

[gen]

Okay, so I fed my bp a fresh killed last night since that's what the breeders fed him, and I wanted to ease the transition. Well he ate with no problem, and I want to switch to f/t, so should I go ahead and try f/t next week? Or is it still too soon?

[Wizill]

it's always worth a try, gen. if he doesn't take it, at least you now know that it isn't bc he doesn't want to eat, only bc he doesn't want an old frozen rodent.