Trouble feeding right size mice

[oaktreehokie]

I'm having some trouble feeding the appropriate sized meal to my BP. He is about 10 months old now and is still on adult mice that I get from the pet stores. I feel he is underweight and undersized for his age.
He is about 24inches long and weighs 310 grams. He hasn't grown a lot in length since I've had him.

The mice that i have been feeding him are roughly 20-22grams which is only 6% of his body weight. I had picked up a box of 50 rat pups (25-30 grams each) from big cheese rodents, but he has absolutely refused to eat them. I've tried them on about 10 different occasions without luck. The rest are just sitting in my freezer.
What could I possibly try to feed him that is more appropriate for his size and so he grows better? The petstores don't carry any mice that are bigger than the adult mice.

I even tried the small rat they had at Petco a couple times but he doesn't even look at it.

[bivman]

Have you tried feeding 2 mice, back to back? Just wait a couple minutes and try a second one.

[Doggtyred]

When we assumed care of our Normal a few months ago he was 3 years old and 600 grams or so and being fed 3 F/T Fuzzy mice a week.. We quickly stepped him up to adult mice, then two, then eventually three adult mice before transitioning him to rats. He can handle a Small Rat and its equivalent in weight to 3 adult mice, roughly, but we've been giving two rat pups/crawlers when available instead of small adult rats... He's already up to 730 grams since Labor day.

With the crawlers and the mice, they aren't as dangerous in my opinion, and I just place the entire feeding session in the tank live and let him do his thing. I would not put more than one adult rat in the tank at a time... and of course, I observe him directly until all feeders are consumed, or I remove a feeder from the tank.

If you can get rat pups give it a try one more time. I've read here from several posters that mice are "like candy" to snakes but that the rats have more crude protein and are more "nutritious" than mice. Someone in the archives had posted the nutritional breakdown.. perhaps you can search to find it if you want it..

[StillBP]

have you tried scenting the rats with mice

just rub a mouse on the rat or put the rat in the mouse bedding for a wile he may take it then
you could also leave the pup in his cage over night that works sometimes

[oaktreehokie]

He never takes 2 mice after he's done by the first. Now I know that could mean hes not hungry any more, but isnt an adult 20-22 gram mouse every 6-7 days too less for him? Ive tried making the feeding schedule every 5 days but thats been leading to more wasted mice since he doesn't seem to be 'ready' before the 6th day.

As far as the rat pups go, I've warmed them in chicken broth. And scented them with the very same mice he likes.
I think the next thing I'm going to try again is feed him an adult mouse as always and try following it up with a hopper a few minutes later.