How should I offer live food?

[micbrown]

Hello,

I recvd my BP on 1/16/09. His last meal was 1/9/09. He still hasnt eaten. I have double checked the husbandry. It has been spot on for about two weeks now. I am only offering food once a week. I tried pre-killed last week w/ no response. So, I am planning to try live hopper this week. Do I just drop the mouse in and leave them alone for a while? How long should I leave the mouse in the cage if he doesnt eat it. I dont want my baby to get bitten by the mouse.

Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Mike

[Wh00h0069]

Make sure the mouse is well fed before offering it to your bp. Drop the mouse in and turn off all of the lights. Watch closely, and be ready to intervene if anything goes wrong. He should eat it pretty quickly. If he has not eaten it within forty-five minutes, you should remove the mouse, and try again in five days.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

[lpnaz480]

try pre-scenting?

[JeffJ]

Make sure the mouse is well fed before offering it to your bp. Drop the mouse in and turn off all of the lights. Watch closely, and be ready to intervene if anything goes wrong. He should eat it pretty quickly. If he has not eaten it within forty-five minutes, you should remove the mouse, and try again in five days.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

to add to this. offer at night. it will help allot if your BP is a trouble eater as they are nocturnal.

presenting does not hurt either. Also, watch that hopper, the mice hoppers i have got all seem to be on crack and are to spunky to offer during the evening wait till its sleeping then wake it and drop it in around 12 AM the BP should take it.

[frankykeno]

I'd add as well that you prepare ahead for a refusal so you have something rodent safe to keep that mouse in for another week as well as something to feed it and a mouse water bottle.

Remember when you live feed to drop the rodent into the enclosure as far from your snake as you can. This allows your snake to sense the prey and set up it's strike properly. Makes for a far safer live feeding situation rather than the snake basically having something with teeth dropped suddenly in front of it's face.

Don't be surprised to see the live prey wander right over and sniff the snake. These rodents raised in captivity really seem to have next to no prey instincts and don't seem to have a clue that what they are walking up to is going to make them into it's meal.

Personally I don't give our snakes more than 10 to 15 minutes with a live prey item before I remove it. Most are on their prey within seconds and even the slower ones generally hit within the first 2 or 3 minutes after the prey is introduced.

[Kaorte]

to add to this. offer at night. it will help allot if your BP is a trouble eater as they are nocturnal.

presenting does not hurt either. Also, watch that hopper, the mice hoppers i have got all seem to be on crack and are to spunky to offer during the evening wait till its sleeping then wake it and drop it in around 12 AM the BP should take it.

Mice are nocturnal.

[lpnaz480]

i bought one of those plastic critter cages. something like this, the mini size
http://www.petco.com/product/5914/Le...r-Keepers.aspx
because the mice or rat tend to chew thru those cardboard boxes.

[nixer]

i bought one of those plastic critter cages. something like this, the mini size
http://www.petco.com/product/5914/Le...r-Keepers.aspx
because the mice or rat tend to chew thru those cardboard boxes.

id like to add to this if you get the one with the large knockout in the lid you can take an 8oz or 16oz water bottle and put rubberbands around the bottle to hold the bottle from falling though the hole.

[JeffJ]

Mice are nocturnal.

touchee, but mine seem to be sleeping for the most part at night just going by what my feeders trends are.

[nixer]

touchee, but mine seem to be sleeping for the most part at night just going by what my feeders trends are.

typically ive noticed that my breeding colony is usually awake short intervals during the day (nursing eating drinking or just sorting babies unless im disturbing them) but most of them tend to be up running around crazy at night