Switching my picky princess from live to f/t rats

[Ellizaryn]

My husband bought Nagini from PetSmart as a Christmas gift as a 50g juvenile. She didn't eat for a full three months, no matter what we tried. After a few visits to the vet, we put her on the tube for a week and then got her eating live prey.

Once she took her first live fuzzy mouse, she never missed a feeding. She would nearly jump out of the tub the moment it was within striking distance. She's now 270g and easily eats small rats. I let her take the first one alive, after which I started knocking them out before feeding them to her. She would not act as excited about the knocked out ones, but would still take them.

A few feedings ago, I warm-water thawed and scented a small rat and presented it to her. She didn't act super enthusiastic but did end up taking it after a few seconds. I was thrilled and left her be for a few hours. When I came back to return her water dish to her tub (she tends to knock it over in the struggle), the rat was lying beside her. I removed it and returned it to the freezer. The next morning, Nagini had shed. I missed her blue eyes and didn't realize she was going into shed (she does so quickly and rarely gets to looking scruffy), so I figured this was why she "killed" without eating.

I asked the vet, who said I could try the same rat twice, so I thawed it again a few days later. Nagini sniffed but didn't strike. I tried again four days later a fresh f/t rat, and when she didn't take it I offered a live and kicking rat a few hours later which she jumped on without hesitation.

My niece and nephew were in town for Nagini's next feeding and I wanted to give them the educational experience of letting them see her take down live prey. The pet store was out of all but the largest rats, so I got two adult mice instead. I presented them to her, live, about an hour apart. She didn't hesitate to take either of them.

That was a week ago. Last night I attempted to feed her a f/t rat. I let it thaw at room temp before warming it hot water and rubbing it against the mouse droppings from the previous week. She sniffed but didn't take. She instead proceeded to do what my husband and I call "the hungry dance," pacing her cage, sniffing around, and tracking us with her eyes.

Long post, but I wanted to get the details down. Suggestions on how to proceed?

[HanabiraAsashi]

Im no snake psychiatrist, but it looks like going back and forward between live and frozen makes her think that if she holds out, you'll cave and get her what she wants. Probably have to just stick to your guns and try offering once every 2 weeks or so. I just got a young one to eat who wouldnt eat -anything-

[chrid16371]

Idk what you consider small rats but Ik my 336g killer bee could not take a small rat, at least not without waiting a couple weeks without another meal. I would weigh your feeders and offer 10%-15% of body weight every 5-7 days.

This is how I prepare my f/t feeders. Put rat in leak proof bag, run tap water as hot as it will get, fill tub or pot with hot tap water, thaw until no frozen or cold spots, take rat and hair dryer and heat head for a minute or so while blowing smell into cage, offer rodent while holding it with tongs. If you have a ir temp gun heat head up to 100 or little more if you don't have a temp gun leave hairdryer on head for a minute and a half to two minutes. You can heat the body a little but main focus should be head so the snake can see heat signature and know have a point of aim. This is the method I use for all my snakes and works great for me. I recently bought an ivory off a friend that he tried several times to switch to f/t and kept getting refusals so he kept with live, I tried a f/t the day after I bought him using the method above and the ivory took it no problem. He took a f/t his second feeding also with this method and tomorrow will be his third feeding with me and I'm completely confident he will take another f/t.

If this does not work the first time do not feed a live, wait till next feeding and try another f/t using the same method and if she refuses again don't feed live, try again in a week. Your just going to have to give a little tough love or keep feeding live.

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[SnakinNShakin]

There's this thing online called Mouse Maker. I, personally, have never used it, but I've read that chicken broth has the same effect. Give a few drops to the snake/on the mouse and it should eat without hesitation. It would also help not to switch between f/t and live, as it may be confusing and make the snake more stubborn.
Best of luck!

[blue roses]

I ran into a similar problem. my girl was switched from live to FT, then she went off feed for 8 weeks, Itried everything, but no go finally she took a live white rat, so now i've been giving her live to get some weight on her. I will start the switch back to FT this coming week, and hope for the best, since she took the FT before she stopped eating, i'm hoping she'll do it again. Its a matter of who's will is stronger mine or hers, or who is more stubborn, me or her. If she won't eat FT i will feed live, i would rather have her happy, and totally unstressed rather than have everything my way. I'm a little crazy over my pets, and the last advice you got was right on, thats the way i do it. rat in plastic bag in very warm water, then hit the head with hair dryer, then offer. Good luck.

[Ellizaryn]

Idk what you consider small rats but Ik my 336g killer bee could not take a small rat, at least not without waiting a couple weeks without another meal. I would weigh your feeders and offer 10%-15% of body weight every 5-7 days.

This is how I prepare my f/t feeders. Put rat in leak proof bag, run tap water as hot as it will get, fill tub or pot with hot tap water, thaw until no frozen or cold spots, take rat and hair dryer and heat head for a minute or so while blowing smell into cage, offer rodent while holding it with tongs. If you have a ir temp gun heat head up to 100 or little more if you don't have a temp gun leave hairdryer on head for a minute and a half to two minutes. You can heat the body a little but main focus should be head so the snake can see heat signature and know have a point of aim. This is the method I use for all my snakes and works great for me. I recently bought an ivory off a friend that he tried several times to switch to f/t and kept getting refusals so he kept with live, I tried a f/t the day after I bought him using the method above and the ivory took it no problem. He took a f/t his second feeding also with this method and tomorrow will be his third feeding with me and I'm completely confident he will take another f/t.

If this does not work the first time do not feed a live, wait till next feeding and try another f/t using the same method and if she refuses again don't feed live, try again in a week. Your just going to have to give a little tough love or keep feeding live.

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I've heard the "tough love" mantra before. How long to I let her go without feeding, though? She's gone 3-4 months turning down food before and I don't want the nightmare of trying to nurse her back from the brink of death again. This time she's gone 2 1/2 weeks without eating and keeps refusing the f/t -- I've tried the hairdryer trick, I've tried broth (maybe I need a different brand?), I've tried scenting with live animals first.

She's very active and acting hungry. Has been acting that way for a week, and even behaved that way when I presented her with her last f/t about a week ago. She looks enthusiastic when I open the tank, posing to strike, but then she gives the rat a good sniff and a poke with her nose before attempting to get out of her tub as though on the hunt for something better.

I had her eating adult mice (20-30g ea), but she was acting hungry again in just 3-4 days. My pet store doesn't have rat pups, so their next size feeder after a mouse is their fully weaned/small rats starting at 45-50g. She can easily kill and swallow one of these rats or two adult mice. She defecates within 48 hours and starts acting hungry again after 6-7 days. No trouble swallowing and no uncomfortable bulge--she's got a stocky build for her length. I have been knocking out the rats first, and though it takes her longer she will take the fresh killed ones, particularly if she gets to hear/smell them when they are still alive.

I'll feed her live for the rest of her life if I have to. I love this little critter. It's just a lot of work for me and people I run into seem to have this attitude that frozen is somehow better.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I mainly feed F/T and I will say that F/T is not better or worse. It is just more convenient for us humans.