Milk hooked on live

[ispitroseas]

I do not mind feeding live...save for the risk of safety to the snake. My Honduran had been fed on live for 4+ years. Is it possible to switch to f/t or is he too conditioned to live? Last feeding I did a cervical dislocation and offered a freshly killed. After a good amount of zombie mouse dancing, a fake struggle, and positioning the food item so he would finally take it.
For awhile, I do plan on doing freshly killed, but may he eventually switch over or should I plan on lots of cervical dislocation? None of the options, save for live make me squeamish, and even then it's worry because this snake has some battle scars from feeding live.
Thanks in advance

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Milk tend to be garbage disposal live, f/t, rat or mice they generally do not care.

I used to feed my breeders anything I had available and rarely offered the same thing.

Hondos don't really care much about dangling and do just fine if you leave the prey in the enclosure, this is what I use to do with mine.

[ispitroseas]

Milk tend to be garbage disposal live, f/t, rat or mice they generally do not care.

I used to feed my breeders anything I had available and rarely offered the same thing.

Hondos don't really care much about dangling and do just fine if you leave the prey in the enclosure, this is what I use to do with mine.

Thanks! I will try and see how he does with a f/t next time. IMO it's a huge PITA to keep live. It's easier to store frozen
If he gets picky I'll keep some things to scent it or cut it a bit

[vangarret2000]

Have you had any luck with the ft? I have switched a few snakes over. Some can be really tough. There are certain things you can do to aid the process. A big thing is when you are switching over you really need to commit to it. If you try feeding ft for a while and he won't take them and you give back live it teaches them they just need to wait it out and eventually the food they want will come along.

That being said I have never done the pre killed in between so I can't say what aspect that will add to the process.

[PitOnTheProwl]

When mine wants to eat he will put down anything offered.

[mfedzen]

Here's my 2 cents.

Milks that prefer live sometimes never change their minds... The milks I work with are l.t.annulata, the mexican milk snakes. I started breeding them in 2012, and I started breeding mice the same year. Hatchlings often refuse f/t at all costs (including death). I still have 5 of that I produced in 2012, out of those 5 one of them will eat anything. One of them used to eat f/t but then stopped. The other 3 have never taken f/t even one time. Having live mice at all times is a wonderful thing for snake breeders, if you have the time to do both of course. As far as switching them over the best thing I can recommend is offer them live from your fingers (holding mouse by the tail if possible), and this will condition the snake to know you are bringing it food. A couple feedings of live and whenever you offer it it's next prey item there's a much greater chance it will eat anything you offer it. Though this is only my experience with keeping snakes in drawers in snake racks.