Feeling Like a Failure (Feeding)

[zina10]

Sometimes using the blow dryer alone doesn't raise the internal temp of the rodent enough, just transporting it to the cage they loose heat rapidly, esp. if the ambient in your room is getting cooler during winter.

Try warming it up in hot water (AFTER its thawed) then dry off some with paper towel, offer while toasty warm.

Having the prey slightly wet doesn't hurt at all, i've fed F/T this way for many years.

I thaw them in cold water for a few hours, usually take them out mid day, put them in a bucket of cold water, then leave them until evening. After that I drain the cold water and add hot water, not boiling hot mind you, just like you would drink a tea I suppose? Wait 10 minutes, drain the water and add hot water again, this time a tad hotter, but not burning hot. Wait 10 minutes, remove the rodent, roll it in some paper towels, carry it to the cage. By then its dried off some but the heat is preserved. Dangle!

With small/medium rats I do this cycle of drain/add hot water 3 times.

With rat pups/weaned rats twice is sufficient.

Do NOT add water that is boiling hot, or the rats might pop..the water needs to be hot, but not so much that it is uncomfortable to your hands. The rats should feel toasty warm through and through when you take them out.

I've had some BP's that take even luke warm food or not evenly heated throughout while they are in their "ravenous" phase. As they slow down, they get pickier and having the rodent prepared right (warm throughout) becomes more important, or I get refusals.

You can still hit them with the hair dryer for a few seconds if you want, but they should be warm enough as is.

Can't hurt to try

If you are keeping in a glass tank, try to insulate it, sides and back and part of the top. Glass tanks are horrible for keeping ambient heat and humidity. You could get some sheets of styrofoam and attach them on the outside of the tank. You could first attach some black construction paper on the outside of the tank, to provide better privacy. Glass tanks are SO exposed. You want to make the entire tank feel like a giant hide, and then have smaller hides within that hide.

Its typical that some BP's go through phases of being simply ravenous and not as picky, and then slowing down enough to either refuse or become very picky with what they eat. Before you go to live, try some other methods of F/T, esp. hotter meals and/or mice instead of rats.