Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my blood hasn't eaten in a month and i've tried f/t, live, mice, little rats, does anyone have any tricks to get a blood to eat

No tricks...but your post poses more questions than the one you ask...

How old is the animal?
How long have you had it?
Is it in pre-shed?
Has it eaten for you before? If so, when, how many X's?
What are your enclosure conditions...temps, etc ?
Have the conditions of captivity changed in any way recently?
Have you other snakes? How are they doing?

With a little more info I'm sure there are folks on this forum that can offer good suggestions..

Here is what works for me for the most difficult feeders:

1) Assuming you have been feeding live mice...start with feeding a frozen thawed mouse thawed in very warm water(not scalding hot!). The body temps should be 100-105F and thoroughly thawed.

2) Timing is everything! Feed in a low light room at night with the rodent still damp (just tap it dry a bit).

3) The snake should be in an ambush position like under substrate with its snout out or in its hide box with the head facing out. Using feeding tongs, grabbing the hindquarters or tail, introduce the rodent towards the head of the snake. He/she should see it coming, but not in a threatening manner. What ever you do, do not touch the snake with the rodent or tease the snake by slapping it with the rodent. This will create a completely different response.

4) Slightly jiggle the rodent to give it a slight living movement. If the snake is "buying it" you should see rapid tongue flicks or half-drawn held out tongue movement. This is a good sign. Keep up the facade until he strikes it or losses interest and pulls back. If he pulls back place, leave him be for a few days or a week and repeat.

Some other points to keep in mind:
- don't try feeding a newly acquired snake immediately. Let them settle for at least seven days to relax.
- never slap the snake with the rodent because they will get defensive and make your task more difficult.
- try larger prey...really, sometimes they prefer an adult mouse when you think they should be eating a fuzzy.
- color sometimes matters. try black versus white rodents.
- never force feed.
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Rich gave you some really good pointers.

You can tell when you you are on the right track.
If the snake instantly pulls it's heat back into the box, it might still take the rodent....but it is better if it just sits there completely still...or sort of twitches its head slightly as you manipulate the thawed rodent.
Sometimes you can tell they are getting ampped up...they sit there and Huff and Puff for a minute before they strike.
I love to see the reluctant feeder begin to huff and puff.
You can see their sides inflate and deflate rapidly.
As if they are really sniffing the prey while they do their tongue flicks....Its a great sight of a snake interested in food!
Observing the small things...little behaviors, will improve your odds of success.
Good luck with your Blood.
Harlin Wall - WALL TO WALL REPTILES!
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