Hard time feeding F/t

[Damondpeppers]

I changed my snake from live to frozen rats because I couldn't find the size prey that I needed. I feed my snake every week I had him since he was a month old and he never dined food he is 5 months now going on 6 and I switch him over to f/t 3 weeks ago, I had a success with getting him to eat it but have a feeling I'm not doing something right or he just don't like the tub I feed him in he takes the food but it's take some time to get him to strike at it might not be heating up good enough or what but what's the right way to thaw out a rat and warm it up ect!

[Damondpeppers]

[Damondpeppers]

[thejennabird]

Congrats on getting him to switch! Am I correct in understanding that he IS eating, just not as quickly as before? And your question is: how to properly heat up a frozen rat?

Here's the usual protocol, with plenty of options:
1) Defrost the rat (approx. 30min in cool tap water, about an hour at room temperature, or a few hours in the fridge)
2) Heat the rat until warm to the touch (10min under HOT running water, OR submerged for 10min in not-quite-boiling water, OR heated with a hair dryer). NEVER microwave the rat!

Step 1 is optional if you would rather leave the rat for longer in hot water. You just want to make sure the rat is completely warmed all the way through and quite warm to the touch - as if it were still alive!

By the way, when you say he "doesn't like the tub you feed him in"... is it the same cardboard box in which you were feeding him live rats?

[albinos_rule]

I always put my rodents in a ziplock baggie to thaw them out. That way they don't get wet, I just prefer to feed them dry. I would be very careful about the "near boiling" water thing. I think it would be much too hot for your snakes, and could burn their mouth

[thejennabird]

Ha, sorry, I should have been more specific! When I say "near boiling" I mean steaming and hot to the touch. Then I remove the water from the heat and stick the defrosted rat in (I use the ziplock baggie too). 10min later, the rat is warm and the water is warm, but nothing is close to boiling by the end of the process.

I prefer this method because my tap water gets hot-ish but never steamy, and therefore seems to take FOREVER to even get the rat above room temp. I guess the bottom line is still: get the rat warm enough that it feels life-like.

[Damondpeppers]

He used to eat in the small tub I got him in I always take them out the tank when I'm going to feed him but he got bigger since I first had him so I started using a cardboard box only used it twice or 3 times but I went and brought a bigger tub for him but it seem like he was more focus on getting out the tub then ratting even when I had the rat in his face and shaking it around so I took him out out him in his out tub same thing then I finally just put him in the cardboard box and he strike at the rat and ate it. Now the way I been thawing the rat out is the night before eating I take the rat out the freezer and sit it on top of his tank inside the ziplock bag still and leave it till mid next/night then I dip the body in hot water but I'm not sure if I'm getting the rat hot enough or what cause I have to dip it a few times before he takes it idk if he only taking it cause I keep pressuring him by keep trying or that when he do take it right before I was about to give up that I finally got the rat hot enough for him to want it

[Damondpeppers]

Yea used to strike at the live rats within mins of them being in the tub with him never took longer then 5 minutes to strike now with frozen it take me like 30mins to get him to strike at his pray yesterday makes it the 3 f/t he ate since I switch him over I am a first time snake owner btw

[thejennabird]

OK, so it sounds like your BP prefers to be in the cardboard box rather than the large tub. There are benefits and downsides of feeding outside the cage (many will tell you it's unnecessary - and you can feed your BP in its cage). You have discovered one of the downsides: if your snake is uncomfortable or stressed in a separate tub, it will try to escape rather than eat. Shoving things in its face or forcing it to eat may not always work, either.

In the end, you should follow whatever method produces the best feeding response. So if your snake seems to eat best in the cardboard box compared to the tub, I would continue to use the cardboard box. BPs are creatures of habit, so changing something in their routine may cause them to reject food! Try to keep things consistent.

I dip the body in hot water but I'm not sure if I'm getting the rat hot enough or what cause I have to dip it a few times before he takes it

It ALSO sounds like you may not be getting food hot enough. "A dip" isn't really long enough to heat a rat all the way through. You should be leaving it in hot water for at least a few minutes. Try the recommended method Albinos_Rule and I describe above. (You really don't need to leave a rat out overnight, just an hour or two is fine). Make sure the rat feels warm to the touch!

Again, I just want to emphasize that getting your snake to eat f/t without rejection is good and I'm glad your snake continues to eat for you!

[Damondpeppers]

This is my ball python call him Jr this pic was taken after he ate had to give him a bath cause he had A little blood juice on him from the rat opening up on the stomach a little