BP: Feeding Issues (Normal Fast vs Old Frozen Rats)

[ckuhn003]

Sorry for the millionth post on BP feeding issues. It seems like we all have them. Mine has never been a consistent eater and the latest drought doesn't have me too worried but I'm always questioning if it's par for the course with a 2 year old adult male or is there another factor involved such as the FT has been stored for too long in the freezer.

He hasn't eaten for almost 2 months and up until this week he wouldn't even come out of his hide when presented w/ food using the hairdryer technique. I was feeding my BOA two nights ago and the BP perked up like he was 'ready for food'. I felt so bad because I didn't have any ready for him so I made sure the next night I had a FT Rat waiting for him. I heated it up and he WAS READY TO GO. Head Cocked and Out of His hide....and then NOTHING. Almost like it didn't smell right so he passed on it. Left it in his cage and it was still there this morning.

The feeders are about 7 months old and stored in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Do you think they may not be 'fresh' enough for the BP? I haven't noticed any smells other then when I heat them up but I'm willing to order new ones if that might do the trick.

One other note which may or may not be a factor, he hasn't eaten since I moved my new male BOA to the same room and his enclosure was moved to a new spot in the room (on top of the Boa enclosure).

[ckuhn003]

Just checked again tonight and he's very alert and looks to be in feed mode. Something I haven't seen in months. So I don't know if he's playing games with his current feeding supply or if they aren't fresh enough, etc..... Regardless, I'll wait another week to try again. Just not sure if I should pull from the same supply or order new.

[Jellybeans]

I would order new

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[Jellybeans]

Also noving them can affect their eating.....some BPs are really difficult.
Try everything then take for a vet visit if no luck

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[Dianne]

I would suspect the prey doesn’t smell fresh enough. If you vacuum seal the prey, it lasts longer and stays fresher. When I’ve used just the ziplock bags, I’ve seen ice crystals form on the mice and rats. It isn’t freezer burn per se, but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t effect smell and/or taste...not that I plan to lick any to find out. If I vacuum seal the rats, I don’t have that issue with the ice on the rodents. It’s also handy for thawing in water because the rats stay dry but can still be submerged.

[ckuhn003]

I would suspect the prey doesn’t smell fresh enough. If you vacuum seal the prey, it lasts longer and stays fresher. When I’ve used just the ziplock bags, I’ve seen ice crystals form on the mice and rats. It isn’t freezer burn per se, but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t effect smell and/or taste...not that I plan to lick any to find out. If I vacuum seal the rats, I don’t have that issue with the ice on the rodents. It’s also handy for thawing in water because the rats stay dry but can still be submerged.

Interesting points Dianne. Do you vacuum seal individually or a couple at a time? I have a vacuum sealer for food but never thought of it for frozen prey.

[Bogertophis]

The best is sealing individually, unless you regularly feed a couple snakes at the same time...then seal those together.

I think the room changes may be the culprit here, or maybe both issues (plus winter!). If this is the only "symptom" you're seeing, I wouldn't run to the vet.

[Dianne]

Interesting points Dianne. Do you vacuum seal individually or a couple at a time? I have a vacuum sealer for food but never thought of it for frozen prey.

It depends on the prey size what grouping I do. For the xl rats for my redtail, I either seal them by themselves as one serving, or more often I add the 2 medium rats for my Colombian rainbow and normal bp since they are all on the same schedule. The small rats get sealed in pairs (2 snakes on these) and the weanling rats will either be pairs or small groups of 4-6 that I open as needed (2 snakes on these). The mice I group by how many I expect to feed at one time (currently 8 per bag for that group of snakes).

When I seal per expected feeding group, it makes dropping them in a container of water for thawing easy. The only drawback is if there’s a snake in shed which means I either have to open, separate, and reseal or risk wasting a rat. I don’t worry as much about not using the mice as there is typically someone willing to eat an extra mouse.

As a side note, I use my vacuum sealer for food as well. It just gets wiped down with either rubbing alcohol or disinfecting cleaner after I use it on rodents. Realistically there isn’t anything that gets on the machine from the rats, its just my own internal ick factor at play. lol

[ckuhn003]

The best is sealing individually, unless you regularly feed a couple snakes at the same time...then seal those together.

I think the room changes may be the culprit here, or maybe both issues (plus winter!). If this is the only "symptom" you're seeing, I wouldn't run to the vet.

Noted on sealing individually. The enclosure is still in the same room but moved from opposite walls and now it's closer to a heating unit and now at eye level instead of closer to the floor.

I agree that the Vet isn't probably the right call here. And hopefully it won't get to that point.

[ckuhn003]

It depends on the prey size what grouping I do. For the xl rats for my redtail, I either seal them by themselves as one serving, or more often I add the 2 medium rats for my Colombian rainbow and normal bp since they are all on the same schedule. The small rats get sealed in pairs (2 snakes on these) and the weanling rats will either be pairs or small groups of 4-6 that I open as needed (2 snakes on these). The mice I group by how many I expect to feed at one time (currently 8 per bag for that group of snakes).

When I seal per expected feeding group, it makes dropping them in a container of water for thawing easy. The only drawback is if there’s a snake in shed which means I either have to open, separate, and reseal or risk wasting a rat. I don’t worry as much about not using the mice as there is typically someone willing to eat an extra mouse.

As a side note, I use my vacuum sealer for food as well. It just gets wiped down with either rubbing alcohol or disinfecting cleaner after I use it on rodents. Realistically there isn’t anything that gets on the machine from the rats, its just my own internal ick factor at play. lol

Sounds very well thought out Dianne. I only have two snakes so sealing individually might be the way to go for me. I might have to hide the thought of using my food saver for mice/rats from the wife