Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, heres the deal. I fed the snake a gerbil about 11 days ago and when she ate it, it seemed she had a hard time getting it down but she ate it. Today I went to get a mouse and plopped it in there...nothing for about 30min. When I fed her the gerbil it was about 10mins and BAM, it was done. Should I stay with gerbils????

That seems like that will cost you in the long run, maybe if you keep trying mice/rats he will get conditioned to them and start eating them. Just my thought.

Gerbils are their natural diet but they are much more aggressive than mice and small rats. They also aren't passive once they snake as coiled them, they still are trying to fight back. Finally they are much more expensive than they mice and rats. You might try rolling your mice or rat in gerbil bedding before you bring them home from the pet store.

Griff

Gerboas, rats and mice are the three food items that are most prevalent in their habitat. But you nor I am in the jungles of Africa, so rats and mice would be preferred, rats over mice. Balls that eat gerbils tend to eat nothing but gerbils forever, so if you have a good gerbil supplier, and will for the next 40 years, by all means, stick with them. If not, you should trade your snake over to rats as soon as you can. I suggest tossing a rat in, if he doesn't take it, he doesn't eat. Keep trying this once a week until he does. BP's can go for a LONG time without eating, so don't worry. Good luck.