Question....(prekilled)

[Nate]

Ok well Jeeper is getting a little big so i decided to go with 2 mice today. i'm nervous on switching to prekilled...so i havn't quite done that yet. i know i need to switch for many reasons (all if which i know...so you can save your self the time and not type them )
well he ate one...should i have let him kill both of them...and then let him eat? or should i go feed him the other (live) one now? i don't want to stress him out and make him throw it up...or should i kill the other one and freeze it for a few days?
HOW should i kill it?

and how should i thaw the mouse out when it's feeding time again?

[Nate]

microwave?

lol.........(joke)

[gozetec02]

You can put it in a plastic bag a swing it into a hard surface like a counter top or a cabinet door. They are not that hard to knock off they are only mice. Now dont swing too hard or you might get a mouse pancake just enough to make a thud. The mouse will twitch but that is just nerves. Use some hemastats or some tongs and dangle the mouse in the enclosure and they will go for it. DON'T EVER USE YOUR HANDS TO DANGLE THE MOUSE OR RAT. Otherwise thats about it.

You can thaw out a frozen mouse by puting it in a ziploc bag and seal it up. Then put some hot water in a pot or bowl and float the mouse or rat in it. Replace the water every 10 minutes and it will take about an hour to thaw it out completely which is very important because the animal will start to decay in your snake's stomach before the center it thawed out.

I feed Prekilled and have never had a problem. At times where a snake wont eat you can put the mouse in a ziploc bag and feed it frozen/thawed later. Its a good way to save money.

I am sure there are many ways to off a mouse but i found the above to be easiest.

[rex322]

to kill a mouse or rat just put in it a pillow case and swing it hard into something hard/solid like a rat, and yes, you can freeze it

[elevatethis]

If you are going to feed p/k, and insist on feeding 2 rodents, offer them one after the other. Snakes in the wild are oppurtunistic predators, and will eat more than one rodent if they come across a burrow with multiple prey items contained.

As far as freezing and thawing rats...good luck with getting him to take it if you currently feed live. Sometimes its difficult to make the switch.

To thaw a rodent, place the rodent in a watertight bag and place in warm water for 45mins to 1 hour. After that, replace the water with hot water and get the rodent up to temperature (90+ degrees if you can). Offer the DRY rodent immediately.

Now for the advice you probably don't want to hear, but I'll give it anyway. If you're snake is big enough for 2 adult mice, its time to switch to rats. This is easy if you have a good eater. Simply select a small rat that is just about equal to your snake's max point of girth. You can place the rat in mouse bedding for a couple of hours to scent up the rat, and make it more familiar to the snake. As soon as the snake hits it, it tastes like a rat, and hopefully it will then identify the rat taste/smell as food, and a successful switch will be made.

Rats are more nutritious than mice, they have much more lean meat, bone mass, etc. than mice. Mice really are just a lot of skin, fur, and thin bones. Small rats = a plump healthy ball python.

[Nate]

eh well....i just gave him the second and he took it without hesitating...he's munchin on it right now. i read some topics on the "gas chamber" and thought it was an interesting way to take a mouse out. i also just found out that the pet store i get my mice from is getting rats in next week yay...gonna try those out. he's over 3 feet long now..but a skinny lil feller (because of mice)..hopefully he'll get nice and fat once i start with the rats.

[Nate]

thank you all for the help