Which to switch first... mice to rats, or live to frozen?

[CntrlF8]

I've got a 6 year old female that I've recently purchased who has never eaten anything but live mice. 1 adult per week, despite her size. :-( I'm wanting to switch her to frozen rats like my others are eating, but don't know which direction to work on first...

A little history... I've attempted to feed her for 5 weeks now, every 7 days. The first 4 I tried rats. She refused 2 frozen and 2 live. Last week I got her a live adult mouse as well as a live small rat. She ignored the rat for 10+ minutes (under observation) but pounded the mouse within seconds...

so which would you switch first? To rats, or to frozen?

[juddb]

Well if she's a mouser then shes a mouser.... But a trick that was succesful for me was i would give one of my females a small mouse, then while she was still in feed mode i would throw her a small rat, worked like a charm then after about 4 feedings she takes rats weekly.... I love her to death even though she put me through hell.

[juddb]

Oh and to answer your ? about makking the switch, to tell you the truth it all depends on her just experiment with it. Whichever one works then there you go. Did that make any sense?

[CntrlF8]

yeah, it does make a little sense... and I think I may try what you suggested with the mouse/rat switch. That makes a lot of sense too...

[juddb]

Like i said it worked like a charm for me. Good luck.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I would try live rat pup first if you are successful offer a live rat pup for the next 3 to 5 feeding before attempting to switch to F/T

Offering rat pups will be easier to start of due to their small size (same size than mice)

If your BP refuses to eat the rat pup do not offer a mouse wait until the next feeding day and offer a rat pup again.

[frankykeno]

I'd go with the switch to rats first. Then later down the road when she's a confirmed rat eater, worry about the feeding method.

I'm from the "tough love" school of prey switching. I've tried to scenting a rat pup with a mouse, dirty mouse bedding and just about every other thing (including begging the dang snake to please eat the nice rattie), trying to get some mouse eating BP's over to rats and it just never worked very well for me.

What did work was some "tough love". Basically the snakes all got skipped a week with no prey offered, the next week it was a nice fat live rat pup about the same size as an adult mouse (or a rat fuzzy if they were on small adult mice). If they refused, they refused, no mouse was offered. Next week, the same, week after that the same. No mice brought in, no smell of mice...just rats. By week four every snake had switched over and all are happily snarfing down their rats every week now.

I would only suggest this with a totally healthy snake, of good body weight...not a snake just settling in, or ill, or underweight or a small hatchling. All the snakes we switched over were either young adults or big juveniles that could easily withstand a few weeks of refusals. I wouldn't keep at it though if the snake refuses for a really extended period of time. Remember in the end one rat or multiple mice, as long as the prey is there, the snake will be fine.

[Krazy99CL]

good luck!