Changing Prey

[Zincubus]

I've mentioned here before that I was underfeeding my BP before realizing his meals were too small.

He ate an adult mouse the first time I tried to feed him one with intent to switch him over to rats so he can work his way up in meal size as he gets older.

by sheer luck of timing, this happened to coincide with him shedding.
he didn't eat leading up to the shed (nothing unusual)
he shed roughly a week or so ago (don't remember exact day). looked like a good shed, mostly all in one piece with a very small piece at the tail that came off later.

over that week, I've made multiple attempts to feed him fuzzy rats.
he acted very interested. came in close smelled it, got into strike position, then casually just slithered away.

wasted 4 F/T fuzzy rats during this time.
last attempt was day before yesterday.

today, I still had a fuzzy mouse left over from previously, so figured I would see what he would do.
Wow! he attacked that thing with extreme prejudice. and wasted no time in eating it.

I know it could just be a timing coincidence and he may have eaten a rat today if I'd had one.
but I've also read that they can be stubborn when switching them between types of prey.

so my question is:
Are there any tips or tricks on best way to switch him to rats so he can get the larger prey he needs?
should I just buy more Frozen Rats (maybe try a pinkie) and try again on next feeding day?
or maybe try to find a local breeder where I can score a fresh killed rat?

I’ve always thought it was an obvious idea to mix their food up somewhat - in the wild they won’t be eating a medium sized rat at 7pm every Friday evening

Mine will eat rats, XL mice , chicks or just about anything as long as it’s heated up by a hairdryer !!

I think it actually shows how effective the hairdryer method is ..


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[Nutriaitch]

the most recent rat was easily the most violent attack yet.

so I'm thinking he likes him some rat!

[Bogertophis]

the most recent rat was easily the most violent attack yet.

so I'm thinking he likes him some rat!

That's one interpretation, & reasonable. But also, it might be instinctively knowing that rats pose a greater threat. Either way, if he likes rats, feed what works best.

[EL-Ziggy]

the most recent rat was easily the most violent attack yet.

so I'm thinking he likes him some rat!

Congratulations! I’m glad he took another rat for you. Hopefully he’ll eat more consistently for you now.