Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Any suggestions on getting a python that has been accustomed to live food to switch to frozen?

I usually try feeding them live off of hemostats first - once they get used to taking food off the stats - I transition them to fresh killed (danced with stats) and then to frozen thawed (heated to 98* and danced with stats). Some transition really easily, most with just a little work and some take years of bouncing back and forth between live and f/t.

Good Luck!!
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

I wouldnt listen to a word that Tosha has to say, Sure she creates an awesome WIR and has lots of advice and is friendly and all but deep down she is a scarey chick with lots of beautiful snakes and years of experience!!

I only have one ball and not near as much experience as most on this forum but heres my story!
Mine was really easy. As a matter of fact he took to the switch the very first time and has only refused one meal and i think that was because he was still full from the previous slightly to large of a meal his previous feeding.
I put my rats in an open ziplock, boil some water then put the rat in the hot water. As soon as he is fully defrosted and his outside temp is in the 90's its feedin time! Simple really. lol

One thing that i did learn with mine is that if i left the rat in the water to long to the point to where the rat was all limp and the skin was real loose he would not eat it. Other then that there was nothing real hard about switching my guy over and i consider myself lucky.
As Tosha said tho some are not as easly convinced this is the best way to feed so hopefully things will go smooth for you as they did for me.

Oh yea and mine switched from eating live MICE to F/T Rats!

WOOOHOOOO

M
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Mike & Wendy

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

myself here is my advice. My male was sold to me as a python that eats f/t. I found that after sometime that this was untrue. Naturally I gave him live and he ate. After 3 or 4 times of eating live mice I decided he had to be switched over. Here's my process that I use to feed him.
1.) I take out a freezy pop (frozen mouse) put it into an open ziplock bag and leave it do defrost on top of his enclosure for a few hours.
2.) By this time his interest peeks and he begins to hover around the area beneath the defrost mouse and look upwards. I take a small 5 gal sized heat pad and put it underneath the mouse and let it warm up even more to give it a warmer body temp.
3.) I get my feeding tank ready.(I have kept a live mouse in here overnight multiple times so it smells like mouse strongly)
4.) once the mouse is heated up nicely, I take my BP and put him into his feeding tank. (I recommend caution -I do have a snake hook handy though I've never had to use it)
5.) Using long tongs I'll test the mouse in his feeding tank by making it hop and walk across the tank. Be careful and don't slap feed it. It'll feak. Sometimes he'll grab it right off if not...
6.)I'll take the mouse out and heat its skull and chest against a light bulb for 20-40 seconds and re-attempt.

This works for me all the time. Some people have had other luck with dipping the feeder in chicken brooth or piercing the rodents skull and getting some grey matter and blood out. The smell drives them nuts.(This I've done with corn snakes.)

Good-luck. Just be patient.
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Blizard Leopard Gecko
2.1 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red, 1 Orange Amelanistic)
1.1 Ball Python