second frozen rat failure

[beardieguy]

tonite was the second time i tried a frozen rat for my bp.this time i let him thaw out for about 10 hours in a bag with mouse bedding in it and 10 mins under hot water. i put link in his feeding tub then i put the rat in and he went right over to it bit it and i though he was going to eat it but he didnt.i put the rat in his tank which i really didnt want to do and hes just looking at it from his hide.any suggestions on what to do?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Switching can take time, some can be VERY stubborn some might not switch.

Did you go from F/T mice to F/T rat?

What size rat did you offer?

[NickP]

If you have a lamp heat up the rats head, then dangle it in front of him with tongs. That might help. Also prescent before giving it to him. I take it out of the fridge, put it under running hot water for 30 mins. Then I let it dry for few mins if its wet, take it out of the bag and place it under the lamp (mainly the head). This little trick will both prescent the tank + heat up the head and keep the mouse/rat warm. Usually my bp gets so excited that he strikes few times at the F/T laying on the screen above him.

[Nate]

yeah don't forget to do the dangle dance...makem look alive

use tongs too.

[beardieguy]

i went from live mice to live rats for 2 weeks then i went to frozen i left the rat in the bag of mouse bedding for about10 hours.its a week old rat so its the right size.i dont know why he would bite it then let go.i allways feed in a seperate tub so i dont usually prescent the tank.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

So he did switch to rat?

Well at least you are half way there, however I would probably keep feeding live rat for a bit longer.

When I transition this way I always make sure to have 4 to 6 (sometimes more depending on the individual) consecutive successful meals before attempting to switch.

[eternalfrost]

make sure its warmed up to 'body temp' not just thawed on a counter to room temp. BP hunt in infared (heat) as well with their sub-labial pits so you want them toasty to get their attention

[kc261]

When you say he bit the rat, do you mean he struck at it, or he actually took ahold of it in his mouth?

If he actually was holding it in his mouth, then dropped it and did not eat it, my first guess would be that he didn't feel secure. Were you hovering over him waiting to see if he'd eat?