Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am trying to get my snakes to eat prekilled rats but no luck so far except for one of them that takes it with no trouble. my other two are starting to piss me off. the only thing is that after a hour or two the rats are stiff. im going to leave them over nite but im not holding out much hope. any suggestion? i do try to move them a little but nothing? also my snakes have hides and they just peak there heads out a bit so i really cant totally observe there reactions to the dead rats?

If you are feeding directly after you gas them they should still be warm but you might want to heat them up a bit for extra incentive. To get them started on eating killed food - you'll probably have to walk the rat around the tub for them (get a long pair of stats and grab it by the neck and walk it around like it's alive) - make sure they see it and are at least following it with their eyes. For some of the trickier ones that won't leave the hide quickly dart it from one side of the opening to the other (to peak their interest) then let it kind of linger in the doorway - that has always seemed to work on some of hesitant feeders. Usually after the first couple of feeds this becomes unnecessary unless you want to give your snake a 'thrill of the hunt" feeling on every feed. One of the advantages of feeding them in a seperate tub is that you know they are awake and paying attention as you drop the rat in - if you are feeding them in their cage - take them out of their hide first - if they want to go back in to feed then that's ok you're just trying to get them up and alert. If your snakes are older they may not convert - and some just won't eat killed food no matter what - I just converted my last two hold outs - it's taken two years but they're both eating f/t regularly now. Were yours good feeders prior to your trying to switch them and are you feeding them the same thing that they ate before?
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.34.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 Lizards of unknown origin

try putting the rat in the fridge for a day or two it will get a bit smelly warm it realy well and try that..i have a ball that will eat prekilled but only if it smells nasty..hes after it like crazy....hope this helps

yes they were good feeders except one did go off feed even with live but the other was really eating well. i am leaving the rats over nite and i even warmed them up again and walked the rat around with the hide out of the tub and no interest? im thinking of feeding a live again cause i really dont think there gonna go for it. then maybe try later on. do you think thats a good idea or should i just continue trying? the way it looks is they will never go for it. thanks.

I would try once a week for several weeks - if you've done the feeding at night, not stressing or handling them, keeping them at right temps and the works and they still aren't taking them - then go back to feeding live - off the stats for a few weeks get them used to grabbing their meal from the stats - then try with the warmed p/k. If they just refuse the p/k then you might have to accept that they are live feeders and prepare yourself to watch every feeding to minimize accidents. Don't attempt feeding more than once a week and don't handle them until they are established feeders.

Hope this kind of helps.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.34.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 Lizards of unknown origin

i really dont handle them i leave them alone in a rack system with the correct temps. my goal is to get them to be breeders. i handle them maybe twice a month. i will see tommorow if they ate. ( say a pray) but if not should i wait till next week? also next time i try should i first remove there hides then introduce the prekilled? two reasons that i feel thats not a great idea is that i never removed there hides when ever i fed live. and when i did my snake just wanted to get out of the tub and was very exploritive. thanks.

the easiest way i found when trying to get my burm on frozen was to cut the head open with a racor blade and expose the brain that made it like a gourmet dish to him lol

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i have been using a 10 tong.