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Hi,

I posted in another forum this same post. If scenting a rat with mice and the snake won't take it, is there any thing else I can try that could work in getting my balls to take a rat. I was also wondering if it could be a visual thing and nothing to do with smell? I put in a rat that totally smelled like a mouse and nothing. I put in an actual mouse right after and they all eat immediately.

Thanks,
Mark
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STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Maybe use small rats of the same color and scent them heavily as mice, if they eat those gradually increase size?

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I am going to try albino rats next. I was using rat weanlings that weighed 35 grams. They were definitely bigger than the mice I have been feeding. I still think it is a smell issue. I have a pied male and when I put in a rat even heavily scented he does not leave his home. As soon as I put in a mouse he leaves his home within minutes and hunts down the mice. I am going to keep trying though.

Thanks,
Mark
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STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

I've had luck just waiting them out. Offer rats and only rats, don't relent, and they will eventually change over. The waiting can be excruciating though if you like to see strong, steady growth in your BPs, but they will not let themselves starve.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel
1.0 Pastel het Pied
0.1 Pied
0.1 Cinn
1.0 Black Pewter
1.1 Normals
1.0 Thayeri
0.1 Thayeri X Alterna
0.1 crazy cat
1.0 husband

Skip one or two feedings and they will change their mind.

I use the same rule with my kids- eventually they will be hungry enough to eat what you make/offer.

Beth
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Until there are none, Rescue One! Get ready to welcome the new and improved Oklahoma Animal Rescue Group -- Just a few weeks away from getting our 501c3 status!!!!!

You could try pre-killing the rat and then exposing the brain, supposed to get snakes interested, personally havent tried it, but it's documented. or rubbing mouse brain on the rat? I have a stubborn male ball and I just post pone feeding a week or two

With feeding a small mouse as a primer and then giving a equally sized rat scented with a mouse right after the mouse goes down, this usually has them hitting the rat like a hammer as they are in feeding response mode. Then slowly take the scent off the rat and eventually just the rat scented as a mouse then straight rat. . . . But letting him get hungry will help aid this trickery. . . .. Hope this helps, it has worked well for me in the past switching adult "mousers"
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1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 orange ghost mojave
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Hypo
1.0 Spider Het Hypo
0.1 orange ghost mojave
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 Hypo
0.1 mojave
0.4 Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.1 Bell Jungle
0.6 normal breeders
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 black back
1.0 posslble salmon boa
0.1 BCI 8.5 ft
1.0 hypo okatee
1.3 Anery 100% het hypo amel and motley
1.1 snow corn
1.1 anery motley
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 lavendar het hypo
0.1 miami het hypo
0.1 miami
0.1 sunglow
0.1 candy cane
0.1 love line okatee
0.1 blue tail monitor
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

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Brian
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