I've only captured and kept two cottonmouths over the years and both took mice at first, but seemed finicky for awhile. It sounds cruel, but if they have some body weight on them, you can let them fast for awhile til they get hungry and they will usually accept mice. One of mine prefered live prey initially while the other preferred dead. They were both sporadic in their feedings for the first year or so, especially during the winter months. However, after a few years of captivity they both became hogs over time, eating frozen/thawed rats and mice to the point of obesity. I got them to copulate one time, but without a brumation period, the female never produced young. Kept them for almost ten years before having to sell them due to lack of space.

Justin

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