Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i got a new BCI a couple weeks ago - the breeder told me he was already on f/t rat pinks, i can not get rat pinkies anywhere where i live and he has refused f/t small mice, any suggestions - do you think i sould try scenting the mice with live rats...? or try feeding fresh killed or live... what road would you all take on getting this guy to eat?
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chris
abilene, tx.
www.myspace.com/thahendersons

You have a couple options. I am not sure how many other herps you have that require rodent feeders, but I order all my F/T stuff from rodentpro.com and I order 3 months at a time to save on shipping. its bulk, reasonably priced, and never had a problem that they did not fix immediately. the other options you have are: if you can get F/T or live pinky mice, your boa should chow down just like eating a rat pink/pup. just feed two mice pinks for every rat pink (about equivalent in mass and nutrition). Next, boas will eat almost any rodent. try baby hamsters, gerbils, etc if you can get your hands on them. Finally, do not panic! Boas can go longer than average periods of time without eating and be just fine. Make sure to examine all your options before plunging into one that you regret later. Hope this info helps, beleive me, many of us have been in the same boat you are in now and come out just fine.
Good luck and post pics when you can.

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Pete Walton
The Redtail Room

thnx for the suggestions, however, i dont have enough herps or freezer space to make bulk ordering worth while... i may just get back on a schedule i had a while back - buy a couple of breeder rats, let them give me some young, then feed the adults to my larger snakes...
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chris
abilene, tx.

I noticed in your signature that you're from Abilene, TX. I'm from Lubbock, but I'll be in Abilene this weekend for a Softball Tournament.

If you'd like, I can get you some F/T Rat Pinks from my rodent guy before I leave. The only thing is you'd have to pick them up at the Softball complex.

Let me know if I can help,

.
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Jason Gonzalez
PreMeditated Morphs
PreMeditatedMorphs@yahoo.com

Can you get live hopper or even just weaned mice? I raise all my own feeders and go back and forth between min=ce and rats depending on what I have.

Also like already posted, they can go a LONG time w/out food. Weeks, even MONTHS without any harm. Yeah, not optimal but still not necessarily bad.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats