Glenn,



Thanks for sharing your technique. I think you've just decided my course of action from here. My new girl Lily isn't eating yet. I offered her a f/t rat about five days after I got her, but she was in a shed. I waited until she was finished shedding and tried again. She still didn't take it. That was last night.



My thought was to wait until about Thursday before trying again. At that point, I thought I would offer either:



1. live rat fuzzies or pinkies



or



2. f/t adult mice.



The guy who sold her said that she was eating live mice, but he was just repeating what he thought that the breeder said. I don't rate that data quality very highly. Lily did have some sores that suggested live feeding.



The fact that you've had success by starting your animals with live prey when they first arrive may tip me to the first option. If I bring her several little rats, they may trigger the feeding response. If she takes them, she'll have food in the belly. I'll repeat that process a few times to try to get her accustomed to rats. If she's taking little live ones, I hope she'll transition right into bigger f/t ones.



As I think back, I started my other ball python with rat pinkies and fuzzies and transitioned her to f/t after having her for several weeks. I had hoped that this one being older would keep me from having to go through the whole process, but I'm not going to count on that.



Thanks,





Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

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