Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i want to know how does everyone here switch their bp's from live to f/t??
my girl devi is being difficult about it and puja to...

Well I may not be a good example or have a lot of advice but here is what i did. I recently got my first ball python and he was being fed live mice and after reading everyones trouble with switching over i figured i had my work cut out for me butu heres what happened. I thawed him out in a ziplock bag placed in hot water. After it was thawed i placed more hot water in the sink so that the rats surface temp was like 86F. I offered it to him and the rest is just finishing up being digested! lol
So i managed to switch him from live mice to f/t RAT in one try. hopefully he wont have issues the next feed or two and reject them. Ill keep ya posted if he does.

Good luck!!

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Mike & Wendy

2.0.0 Siberian husky, Jackrussel/schitzu
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0.1 Leopard Gecko
4.0.0 Beta's
3.1.0 Future Herper's

I have posted this before but am happy to post it again. First of all, I have a small collection of 13 balls (3 males and 10 females). They are all 03-05's. All of them are f/t feeders and patience was clearly the name of the game. I simply work very slowly and consistently with them. Some took a week or two and some took 6 months!
First, I offer live while they are becoming suited to living in their new home. Then within a few weeks I offer them f/t rats or mice (usually rats since that is what I am ultimately trying to get them on). Eventually they will take an f/t item. Then stick with that mouse or rat until it is a complete routine. If it's feeding on f/t rats, I'm done. If it is consistently feeding on mice, I ocassionally offer f/t rats of proper size until they eventually eat them. They will in time.
Now, I am certainly not claiming to be the best at switching them over, but I have had very good results with this gradual and consistent approach. It's all about patience and a little extra patience, ha, ha, ha!!!
Let me know if there are any details that I have missed and I will be sure to help. Best of luck to you.
Glenn

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.

Bill,
You're very welcome!
Another thing I forgot to note in my post is that I heat my f/t's under a heat lamp. I use a 60 watt bulb approx. 6 inches above them, and they are on a piece of 1/4 x 1/4 inch screen that is folded at the ends to hold them about two inches off the table. This allows the heat to get around them a little as they thaw. It takes about two hours to thaw 6-8 feeders (less time of course for the mice or weanling rats), and I flip them over after the first hour or so. You really get good at knowing how long the various sizes take, but since you're doing it slowly, you don't usually overheat them.
Also, in my experience I have learned that you can trigger a good feeding response by offering an f/t mouse to a rat feeder at times. I think alot of people fear losing their "rat" feeder, but I've had no problems getting them right back on rats after this ocassional treat.
Glenn

My warming technique is to thaw food at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour and then put it in a plastic bag. I then submerge the bag in hot water that I keep around 110°F for about 30 minutes to an hour. The skin/fur temperature of my rodents is usually around 98°F, but I've had anything from 93°F to 101°F. My other ball python has refused food that wasn't warm enough, but she seems to be okay with anything fairly close to the high 90's.

At this point, I'm not willing to chance anything with the girl that is eating well. She's never really given me a problem, but I'm not yet confident enough to take chances. My California Kingsnake goes back and forth between mice and rats depending on what I want to thaw at the time. With the new girl, I'm willing to try anything right now.

Bill

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

i get frozens and defrost them under a small heat lamp and hand feed my boas ... dont swing the rat like crazy but just give it some move ment if u decide to do this be sure not to over heat the rats no only for the snakes sake but for yours a rat or mouse stomach will expand under heat if to swollen when the snake hits the food it will pop and smell like all hell .... now for the tuna a trick I have heard used for hatchlings... put some water from a tuna can on the frozen food after u heat it and see if that wroks the smell should get the snake going...