Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have heard it is hard if they are a year or older. Any info would be great, thanks

Of course, the first step is to try to offer freshly killed prey. Kill the prey by breaking it's neck. Hold the mouse/rat down to a hard surface with a pencil, pen or other similar item, and break it's neck by pulling sharply up on its tail. Throw the prey in the cage right away-- there will be twitching. If the snake does not come n get it, then dangle it from a forceps or tongs and make it "play alive."

Killing prey can be tough, I am a real animal lover of all kinds and have had pet rats, mice, gerbils, etc. It is much better for your snakes to have prekilled/FT, though, so it's worth it.

The last ball I switched was just a hatchling, but he started on live and took f/t prey after only two f/k. I do have one ball who eats live, though. Once the breeding season has passed and he is eating with some frequency, I will switch him back to frozen.

Here is Pro Exotics' great FAQ on switching:
Pro Exotic's FAQ on the subject

I recently got a ball python that had been feeding live for her whole life (14months) and the first time i dangled a thawed rat in front of her (with tongs) she took it right away. She has been fine since.

Mine, too. He (or maybe she) is about 2-3 years old. When time I decided to switch, I went straight from live mice to f/t rats without a hitch. I dropped the f/t rat onto the newspaper floor, he sniffed at it for a second, then started to chomp. Easy as a dream.

Chris
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0.1 Normal
0.2 Het Piebald
1.0 Reduced Pattern
0.1 Banded
0.1 Screaming Child

mine too mine was 8 y/o when I switched and he hit the minute I dropped a F/T in...warmed ofcourse, you warm them up by running them under hot water.