Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am trying to get my 5 ft jungle carpet to size before trying to breed her to my jag. The problem being is the guy I bought her from only feed mice. I have been trying to switch her over to rats to no avail. Keep a small rat in with some mice for a few days and she took it the first time but since then ( a dozen or so attemots) she will grab and constrict then ignore any rat after attempting to eat it. Even if I give her a mouse followed by a small rat she eats the mouse and ignores the rat ) She seems to have no hunger drive either as of late eating one large mouse and ignoring any others I put in the cage. Some may have to do with the cooler temps as of late putting her in breeding mode . Any suggestions on switching her over once and for all to rats ?

First bit of advice is that now is not the best time to doing this. They naturally have less of an appetite now, so they aren't very inclined to eat the meals they like, let alone the meals they don't like.

Second, switch to frozen/thawed or fresh killed prey before trying to switch to rats(if you haven't already). She may be able to dispatch a live mouse with ease, but rats are a whole different story.

After this is done, these are the steps I use. I wash a f/t rat with soap and water (you can offer it like this to see what happens). If she doesn't take the washed rat, I place it in a bag with a f/t mouse and some water (quail work great also, and I like to mush them around to get the water bloody). Offer the rat. If she doesn't take it, wait till next week.

After she is regularly taking scented rats, you could either stop washing the rats before scenting, or try feeding a washed, but unscented one (I prefer the latter). I find that some snakes dislike rat scent more than they like mouse scent. Try messing around with the scent, more/less, etc. Once she is on washed/unscented, try rinsing only, followed by just plain old rats.

This is for the worst case scenario. The earlier you get them on rats, the better. As for size, if you have any doubts about it, wait till next year to breed her, and if/when you do, start the babies on f/t rat pinks!
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"He who would stifle debate rather than engage in it, does so at the expense of his integrity and credibility"

Mike Curtin

Thanks for the info will try washing one next time. She will only eat dead and I mean stone cold dead. If the mouse is still kicking she will retreat from it and hide in a corner. This is fine with me because my g/f likes to carry her everywhere we go so rather have a less aggressive snake for her. Tried putting a fresh dead rat in a box with a couple of live mice to ''scent'' it but she still wouldn't take it. Will try to wash the rat this week. I am in Florida so the overall temps are not a major problem for me but I understand your point on the time of year effecting how big a meal she eats.
I just picked up a pair of I.J. jags both yearlings and they will be feed rat pups from the begining as I don't want to go through this again.

One more trick that sometimes works well with stubborn mouse feeders; thaw a small mouse or two and a small rat or two, make sure they are small enough so that your snake can eat several of them. You will also need two pairs of long feeding tweezers. Feed the snake one of the mice, then as the mouses hind quarters are going down, grab one of the legs with one pair of tweezers, and then pick up one of the small rats with another pair of long tweezers and carefully, gently shove the rats nose into the snakes mouth as the mouses hindquarters go down. Often they will just continue swallowing, but sometimes they will spit it back out. It might take more than one try, but it works quite well. Eventually you will be able to feed them several rats after the first mouse appetizer, and then eventually they will switch over if all goes well. It does take a little patience but it's not that difficult. Good luck

Carrying a snake around is not good for either the snake or the public, assuming you do it in public.

As to washing, Mike....do you use the "delicate" setting and set it on slow spin???
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1.0 Blackheaded pythons
2.4 Woma
3.2 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
1.3 Bloods
2.2 IJ Carpets
2.0 Coastal Carpets
1.3 Macklotts
1.2 F2 Carpondros
2.1 Jungle Carpet
1.0 Jag IJCP
0.1 Carpondro
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow boas
1.1 Striped Bolivian Boas
0.1 Madagascar Tree Boa
0.1 child, CB
0.1 wife, WC

Yep, delicate setting is best, as I just wait till it's time to wash my thongs as well
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"He who would stifle debate rather than engage in it, does so at the expense of his integrity and credibility"

Mike Curtin

A trick I used was to tie the head of a rat to the hind end of a mouse (f/t). Offer the mouse end, and he will eventually swallow it all. Every couple of weeks try offering just a rat. Be patient - It took about 6 months for my female carpet to finally convert to rats using this method, but now she takes them without problem.
As for tying material, get some absorbable suture from your vet. They come with a needle attached, so if you're frugal, one pack of suture can last up to 10 knots or so.

Tried the washed rat last night and got no where . Let a fresh dead mouse ( same size as the rat ) in the enclosure with her for 2 hours. She would nose them and hoover over them but no dice. I think she may be cycling ( we just had a rainy cold front hit us yesterday) and thus the refusal. I have a mature male GTP in the same room and both were overally actice yesterdaybut he feed and she refused. She has never been an aggresive feeder . I will try the wash method again and also the other tow methods as well in a few days. Thanks again for the advice from everyone.

The carry her everywhere was a gross exageration but she is my g/f 's favorite and I couldn't sell her for any amount of money. She gets handled once or twice a week.