Congrats!
If he is eating pups now then I would continue to feed pups. "Pups" can mean somewhat different things to different people, just ask to see one, or better yet put one on a scale to find out how big it is to get a better idea of what you are looking for. I feed my hatchlings fuzzy rats from RodentPro, they ship at a particular weight (if I have a runt I may bump down to pinkie for a couple weeks but not usually). A good rule of thumb is that the food item should be as big around as the snake.
Unfortunately switching from live to f/t doesn't have a cruising lane. There are instructions in sticky form on the husbandry forums that can explain the process of thawing, the thing to note is that you are heating them up more than they would be naturally and I would suggest thawing them inside the fridge instead of at room temp. Lots of nasty stuff in a whole rat (its not prepared). I would try to match up what they are being fed now with what you want to thaw. If your breeder feeds some f/t (some pre-kill food when it gets to the larger rat sizes) ask if they could freeze a couple for you to take with. This way the snake will have a better chance of continuing to recognize the food even though it is now f/t instead of getting confused by suddenly being offered f/t instead of live and for example a mouse instead of a rat. I would also try to get maybe a half dozen live meals in him in his new home so that he is not changing too much at once.
It may take a while for the snake to switch over though so don't worry if it goes for a while (its a hatchling so a little while) without eating. It will eat when it's hungry. If it doesn't then that is a different conversation... but don't be worried about time elapsing only behavior (no energy etc.etc.).
Reply With Quote