Do you measure thawed feeder temp?

[Argentum]

I'd be very careful about doing that- he might decide it's edible? I know BPs are usually not the ones swallowing towels & other extraneous things that smell right, but I wouldn't take that chance- or at least modify the way you leave scent in his enclosure so he can't possibly swallow it.

Apart from that,

Normally, I'd have agreed with this - that a BP would be less likely than some (scent-hunters, particularly) to eat something else that smelled like a rodent. Also, that it's a bad idea to risk it happening anyway. After all, it's not moving or warm. However... I just had a first-ever occurrence on Friday. My male hasn't been liking the rats I got from RodentPro - he's been acting interested, lots of tongue-flicking, then as soon as he gets close to them he recoils and hides. I'm not sure if it's something to do with the scent, or what, but it started with the first rat I offered him from that shipment (normally, I was buying frozen rodents from a local source, but they've been out of everything with no idea when they'll get more. He never hesitated in taking those rats). These rats do bleed a LOT more from the nose than any I've gotten from anywhere else.

I figured I'd try to tempt him by scent, so rather than going ahead and feeding his rat to my large female, I left it in his enclosure near the entrance to the hide he was in. That particular rat didn't bleed as much the others I'd thawed out, so I figured I'd come back in a while, give it a burst of heat and see if he'd go for it. However, I returned about a half hour later... to see the tail of the rat disappearing into his hide. That means he took a COLD, MOTIONLESS rat, because there's no way it was still warm - once they're thawed, I only apply external heat right before offering. I left him alone, and checked some time later to confirm - he did, indeed, eat that rat.

That means, it's entirely likely that some other object, if scented like a rat... even though it's cold and doesn't move... might have been swallowed by him had it been available.


Incidentally, my female did not approve of not getting a second rat. She did not approve AT ALL.