Live to F/T

[wulf]

Hey guys I’ve been feeding my ball live rats now for 12 years. My live rat contact is closing and no one locally is selling live rats and now I want to know what’s involved in changing over to F/T. I’m clueless with this practice and look forward to hearing from you guys. Thanks

[Bogertophis]

Wow, 12 years of eating live rats might be quite the habit to break for your snake. But some snakes switch easily, while others don't, so the first thing is not to assume the worst.

I'd wait until you're sure he's good & hungry- this time of year (it's winter where I am, not sure where you are) some snakes may decide to fast no matter what you do.

You could just try offering a f/t (frozen thawed) rat at his next meal, but the way I like to get snakes to switch is by feeding 2 smaller items instead of one larger, with the first one being the live "appetizer" & then while he's still pumped up ("in feed mode") offer the thawed & warmed (!) f/t rat using tongs. Some snakes will easily grab that second item, but not all do. If yours will though, it gets him acquainted with the fact that f/t rats are perfectly edible. I hope you have time to try it this way, but if not, you'll just have to go straight to the f/t rats & hope for the best.

It's important to thaw frozen rats correctly to make this work. Thaw in COLD water- change the water as necessary to facilitate thawing (larger rats take a while, & you need to feel them by hand to make SURE they're soft throughout, otherwise if it's still frozen inside, your snake will be regurgitating it- & you must avoid that. Besides being gross, snakes can choke & aspirate into their lungs- regurgitating food is a health risk for snakes- they're not good at it.)

Once the rat is thawed in cold water (warm water causes spoilage* which your snake can smell & which is likely to cause him to refuse to eat- BPs are not into eating carrion!) only THEN immerse it in very warm water briefly- a few minutes. Not boiling hot water- do not cook the rat!

*About spoilage & thawing rats: remember that this isn't a steak you're thawing- it's a whole animal with a gut-load of bacteria just waiting for a little warmth so they can party-hearty. Freezing keeps bacteria from growing, but it doesn't kill them- they're quite patient, actually. Your snake doesn't want spoiled food. (gag) Thawing correctly will help prevent wasting prey items that get refused.

At that point, your snake make accept it from tongs (blot the water off, & offer quickly before it cools) but what many here also do is a heat-blast from a blow dryer, especially on the rat's head, where your snake should be aiming for a heat signature.

One thing before your rat source closes: ask them for a bag of dirty rat bedding (urine & feces- well used!). When you thaw rats in water, much of their scent washes off, so a trick is to roll that thawed rat in some dirty shavings too, for the proper "aroma" he's used to. YUM!

No telling if all these steps are needed- every snake has their own opinion. By now, you know what your snake looks like when he's hungry- so offer when he's "ready to eat". And good luck, let us know how it goes?

[wulf]

Wow, 12 years of eating live rats might be quite the habit to break for your snake. But some snakes switch easily, while others don't, so the first thing is not to assume the worst.

I'd wait until you're sure he's good & hungry- this time of year (it's winter where I am, not sure where you are) some snakes may decide to fast no matter what you do.

You could just try offering a f/t (frozen thawed) rat at his next meal, but the way I like to get snakes to switch is by feeding 2 smaller items instead of one larger, with the first one being the live "appetizer" & then while he's still pumped up ("in feed mode") offer the thawed & warmed (!) f/t rat using tongs. Some snakes will easily grab that second item, but not all do. If yours will though, it gets him acquainted with the fact that f/t rats are perfectly edible. I hope you have time to try it this way, but if not, you'll just have to go straight to the f/t rats & hope for the best.

It's important to thaw frozen rats correctly to make this work. Thaw in COLD water- change the water as necessary to facilitate thawing (larger rats take a while, & you need to feel them by hand to make SURE they're soft throughout, otherwise if it's still frozen inside, your snake will be regurgitating it- & you must avoid that. Besides being gross, snakes can choke & aspirate into their lungs- regurgitating food is a health risk for snakes- they're not good at it.)

Once the rat is thawed in cold water (warm water causes spoilage* which your snake can smell & which is likely to cause him to refuse to eat- BPs are not into eating carrion!) only THEN immerse it in very warm water briefly- a few minutes. Not boiling hot water- do not cook the rat!

*About spoilage & thawing rats: remember that this isn't a steak you're thawing- it's a whole animal with a gut-load of bacteria just waiting for a little warmth so they can party-hearty. Freezing keeps bacteria from growing, but it doesn't kill them- they're quite patient, actually. Your snake doesn't want spoiled food. (gag) Thawing correctly will help prevent wasting prey items that get refused.

At that point, your snake make accept it from tongs (blot the water off, & offer quickly before it cools) but what many here also do is a heat-blast from a blow dryer, especially on the rat's head, where your snake should be aiming for a heat signature.

One thing before your rat source closes: ask them for a bag of dirty rat bedding (urine & feces- well used!). When you thaw rats in water, much of their scent washes off, so a trick is to roll that thawed rat in some dirty shavings too, for the proper "aroma" he's used to. YUM!

No telling if all these steps are needed- every snake has their own opinion. By now, you know what your snake looks like when he's hungry- so offer when he's "ready to eat". And good luck, let us know how it goes?

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks

[sp0420]

I've not had too much of a problem switching from live to f/t. I've purchased several adults feeding live and been able to switch them all to f/t. Sometimes it does take the animals longer to switch some are eating machines and have no problem switching immediately. What I would do is only thaw a couple at a time and offer to the pickiest eaters first. Then give it to another if they won't take it. Eventually they will get hungry enough to take it. Keep an eye on the animals body condition and if it looks like it's getting bad maybe search around for a live feeder. I know I've heard that it's hard to switch but in my experience eventually all of them did it. Good luck.

[wulf]

Thanks

[nikkubus]

Some snakes are easier than others. Over the years I have acquired several already mature snakes that had been fed live, and some will just switch over without any hesitation whatsoever. Some take a lot of patience, and that is the biggest thing. If they refuse a meal, don't offer again too soon. If it's a mature adult, I would wait 2-3 weeks before offering again.

Technique is something really helpful for some animals and over the years this is what I have learned:
-The head is naturally the hottest part of a live animal so taking the fully thawed and just warm prey and zapping just the head with hot water or a hairdryer for a couple seconds immediately before offering helps.
-You want to grip the prey with the tongs at an angle where you can maintain it's natural shape and stance to look as close to live as possible. About a 20 degree angle compared to the animal will help it hold up more horizontally, and I find grabbing about 1/3 away from the butt is the best place to grab.
-You are most likely to get a strike as the prey passes the snake walking past it, not towards it.
-Mimic the natural movement as much as possible by jiggling quickly for a split second and then pausing for a few seconds, alternating.

I've never had to resort to trying live again for an adult animal with these techniques. Sometimes for hatchlings, it's a must because they just can't afford to loose much weight and you have a smaller window to work with, but even that is really rare for me.

[Andiamo]

-The head is naturally the hottest part of a live animal so taking the fully thawed and just warm prey and zapping just the head with hot water or a hairdryer for a couple seconds immediately before offering helps.

I also make sure that when I'm warming the rat up in hot water, I always do it with it's head facing down. I find this makes their heads warmer than their butt. yes, you will get a little blood running out of their nose, but it's worth it imo. Of course, you could just buy a tupperware container that allows you to lay the rat sideways too, which eliminates that issue.

[Shadera]

-Mimic the natural movement as much as possible by jiggling quickly for a split second and then pausing for a few seconds, alternating.

The zombie rat dance is an art!