Mouser switching to rats

[jeffjr464]

hey guys, my bp has been eating mice every friday steady now for months, im getting sick of spending the dough on 2 mice a week so i figured i'd try a baby rat, that was 2 weeks ago, he ate the rat in the same manner as the mice, i was pleasantly surprised, last week wouldn't touch the rat come hell or high water, today i go get a mouse... bang gone in 2 secs, is this wierd? should i keep trying the rats or just resign myself to the fact he's a mouser

[Purrrfect9]

If he ate a rat once he will more than likely eat a rat again. When you go to the pet store next friday to get a rat pup, ask them if they can put some mice bedding in with the rat's carrying case. this way, by the time you get home with the rat, he'll have that nice, juicy mouse smell .

[jeffjr464]

thats what i was thinking, but do you have to scent it forever? or do they get the idea after awhile

[Purrrfect9]

after a while you no longer have to scent them, but probably for the first 3-4 times you should try it.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

If your BP has a good body weight, do not give in by offering a mouse because your BP has refused a rat the week before If you offer a mouse because you failed the previous week you will have a hard time converting him this way. That’s is called tough love.

[frankykeno]

We've done the tough love thing with a few of our mouse eating ball pythons. Not until they have been with us a long while and not until they are quite a good size (not baby hatchlings). The first week we completely skipped the mousers (no food at all offered), then a rat pup each week after that. The longest time it took was 4 weeks of refusals but most switched after 2 or 3 weeks. All are now hitting those rats like they are going out of style!