Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a large JCP, that will not eat rats. As a matter of fact rats actually repel him. he will slither away very quickly if I approach with a rat.
Well, at 6 ft long, the mice are getting kinda pricey to feed him.
Tonight he ate 9 breeders. Now this in itself really isn't a major ordeal...but I only have to buy mice for this one snake.
I order 100 along with my usual rat orders.
It would be kinda nice if I could stop buying mice, and buy only rats.
Any suggestions? I've tried the quick follow up method. The rub a rat with a mouse method, thawed out the rats and mice together.Slowly.
No dice, the sucker just hates rats.
If anyone has had any experience, please share!
I'm about ready to sell him, and buy one that eats rats.

I know how you feel I went through the same thing with my male JCP. One thing I found was that he absolutely refused grey or brown rats but would take white rats when he got hungry. I do know from talking with others that some JCPs never accept rats, maybe you could try some bird or rabbits if you can get them small enough.

I have the same problem. I have to feed at least fifteen mice to my 7 footer every ten days. It takes almost three hours from start to finish. I have found that she will eat any bird, so if you have access to chicks you only have to feed seven or eight, and they cost a lot less than mice. She will also take baby rabbits which are harder to find, most pet shops will not carry them until they are weaned so you have to go to a breeder. If you figure out a way to get yours to start taking rats, post how, this all day feeding thing is getting old. Good luck, Eric-

DITTO- my male JCP (5 feet) absolutely detests rats. i've tried all sizes, scenting, everything. He'd probably be a martyr and starve to death before resorting to rats. He'll eats anything else, mice, chicks, whatever. It's just that he eats so much of those in a single meal, when all he'd need is one good-sized rat. Oh, well.

Joe
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2.2 Solomen Island ground boas
0.1 Solomen Island tree boa
1.0 green tree python
1.0 jungle carpet python
1.0 coastal carpet python
1.0 Boa constrictor imperator
0.1 Borneo short-tailed (blood) python
1.0 CB sunbeam snake

Exactly...so many little snacks to make one big meal.
Last night I fed 8 breeder mice.
I guess I am lucky with the fact he'll eat f/t mice, so I can just drop the lot of them in, and in an hour or so they're gone.
I have Burms, so I decided to start raising rabbits in the spring.
I guess I'l have to try with rabbits then. Anyone have any experience with rabbits, and JCPs?
Hmmm...maybe I'll save some pheasants from hunting season.
Or a goose or two. Think he'll eat those?I have one extremely picky BP, who might be on the way out. And I have actually been considering selling my JCP to someone with more patience as well. Then I'll start fresh with a young JCP, and feed only f/t rats.

what size rats are you trying w/ your JCP?

have you tryed braining,and if that don't work this might sound disgusting but try cuting the mouse open and rubbing the guts and blood of the mouse over the rat you could also try taking a brain from a mouse and rubing the brain of the mouse over the rat.if you make him/her go hungry chances are he/she will take it. thats why you start them on rats when young. you can also see if you can get the mouse to piss on the rat you will need a live mouse to probably do this. its a matter of perverance and patieance.

I have tried everything but the braining. And no it does'nt sound gross to me.
The mouse pissing on the rat though...I'm not so sure I wanna wait around until a mouse has to go. Should I feed some beer to the mice?..lol
Honestly...I have tried everything. And all size rats, except fuzzies, and pinks, seeing as that is even worse than feeding mice.
I would have started young but...I bought this snake as an adult.
I might try the braining at the next feeding. Who knows, it might work. It's worth a shot.
And I was patient and perservered. Tried to starve the sucker.
No dice...same reaction to the rats after 6 weeks.

this thread makes me so happy that all of my snakes will take mice or rats. I have no clue how I got this lucky. Last time I fed them, I fed my JCP a rat. last nite I gave her some mice, 'cause my cages are croweded. Next feeding will be back to rats with no problem.

I hate to say it, but you may just have a snake who will never eat rats. You've tried everything everyone on here's suggesting, and I know I cant think of anything else.