Regis finally wins!

[Weaver]

I have had this snake since April 2nd and he had yet to eat until yesterday. The previous owner told me he was eating f/t but I found out it was a lie. I have been trying to switch him to f/t but he wants nothing to do with that. He's 3 years old and I guess he's pretty set in his ways so I have no choce but to let him have his way. I no sooner put the rat in his enclosure then he was on it. I feel relief that he finally ate but I'm not real happy about having to feed him live. Oh well, I'll get over it.

[tigerlily]

Congrats on getting him to eat. You may yet be able to switch him over, possibly. Try a couple live feedings and then try again. I have done that, but mine are young. Ya never know unless you try. Once he gets used to the new digs, and the feeding routine he may be more open to the switch.

[Weaver]

Congrats on getting him to eat. You may yet be able to switch him over, possibly. Try a couple live feedings and then try again. I have done that, but mine are young. Ya never know unless you try. Once he gets used to the new digs, and the feeding routine he may be more open to the switch.

I do plan on continuing the effort. I would like to see him come around to my point of view. I have successfully switched a 2 year old corn snake to f/t with very little trouble. Regis was starting to lose more weight than I wanted to see him lose though so he got to win this one but I will keep trying.

[elevatethis]

The more experience I get with reptiles, the more I feel like they have ways of letting you know how you should be taking care of them, whether it be type of prey, temperatures, etc, so long as you can read the signs and "speak their language." That being said, considering that he hasn't been eating consistently, I'd stick with the live rats for some time before attempting to switch him over to f/t.

[frankykeno]

Well said Brad! Diane if the snake is used to a lifetime of live feedings then that's what for now he will take. He probably doesn't recognize anything but live as prey and since these are not scavenger hunters that's just normal for BP's. I'd agree that getting him eating and healthy is the first priority. Maybe a few months from now you could try f/t or even pre-killed prey but he may not take it....that's just part of owning snakes is adjusting to them...they rarely adjust to us.

[Weaver]

I've learned that to be true with Regis. I need to get him back up to a good weight. The idiot that had him before me took real crappy care of him so he wasn't a good size to begin with in my opinion. I think a 3 year old male should weigh a bit more than 840g. He will continue to get live until I get him back up to a good weight and then I will try to sneak in a f/t occasionally. If he insists on live then so be it. He is the KING you know!

[jglass38]

Well said Brad! Diane if the snake is used to a lifetime of live feedings then that's what for now he will take. He probably doesn't recognize anything but live as prey and since these are not scavenger hunters that's just normal for BP's. I'd agree that getting him eating and healthy is the first priority. Maybe a few months from now you could try f/t or even pre-killed prey but he may not take it....that's just part of owning snakes is adjusting to them...they rarely adjust to us.

I'll have to disagree here with you and my pal Brad. There is no downside in my opinion to trying a FT if that is what you want to be feeding. If he takes it, great, if not, keep up with the live. I have gotten snakes that have eaten live since birth switched to FT in a single feeding and some that won't even consider FT right off.

[Weaver]

I was able to switch my 2 year old corn in one feeding but Regis is not even considering it. I have been trying f/t for 3 months and he would not touch them. Over those 3 months he had lost 40g. I think that's too much. I will keep trying to sneak the frozen ones in but I will continue to feed him live in the meantime. I don't want him losing any more weight or getting stressed over this. He may or may not be able to change his ways. Who knows?

[elevatethis]

I'll have to disagree here with you and my pal Brad. There is no downside in my opinion to trying a FT if that is what you want to be feeding. If he takes it, great, if not, keep up with the live. I have gotten snakes that have eaten live since birth switched to FT in a single feeding and some that won't even consider FT right off.

I hear you Jamie, I've got a couple that take live rats right off the tongs, so I would believe that they would take f/t readily without any issue.

This was just more in the context of helping to fix a troubled feeder- in this case, attempting to switch back to f/t before the snake had gotten back into the swing of things would be counterproductive at best.

[frankykeno]

I'll have to disagree here with you and my pal Brad. There is no downside in my opinion to trying a FT if that is what you want to be feeding. If he takes it, great, if not, keep up with the live. I have gotten snakes that have eaten live since birth switched to FT in a single feeding and some that won't even consider FT right off.

Don't get me wrong Jamie, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with trying to switch if that's what Diane wishes to feed but more in the context of this snake outright refusing for 2.5 months (not a long time I know but it is nice to see them eating this time of year). Seems rather than force the issue right now, I figure get him eating what he has a history of taking (and from the pic is happy to take) and then once he's established with her then she could try again with the F/T.