Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been feeding my jcp live mice since I've had it (6 months) and I am now trying to get it onto frozen mice. I know it is the right size mouse and I defrost them by putting them in water for about 15-25 minutes, dry them off and then put them in the same container I feed my snake in. At first I thought it was because it was shedding, but it shed and it still won't eat. It just looks at it in a position like it is going to strike, but won't eat. I even tried tying a string around the mouse and making it move a little. Any suggestions.

BTW: I sooo much rather feed live mice but everyone keeps telling me to feed frozen. Help save some living mice out there right now.

Try warming the mouse to about 100 degrees F. That will usually do the trick. Many snakes, especially pythons and crotalids (the snakes with heat sensitive pits) key on temperature as much as scent.

If that doesn't work, then start out by feeding him a small live mouse (while you are watching) and as soon as he finishes eating the live mouse follow it up with a thawed, warmed mouse. Usually once they start eating with a live one, getting them to take the thawed one is no problem while they are still "in the mood". You should only have to do that once or twice before he'll start readily taking the frozen/thawed mice.

Thanks a lot. I tried heating up the thawed mice with a heat lamp and sure enough my jcp was eating them up. Sometimes I had to give them a little nudge, but she loved every mouth full. Thank god because I got 44 more mice in my mom's freezer and I wouldn't know what else to do with them.

I have to tease feed two of my JCP's. Get some tongs or tweezers or hemostats, make sure the mouse is very dry (warm helps too) and then dangle the mouse with its nose hanging above the JCP's head. Make the mouse fly away a few times and then come back. Say 'Oh, I am just a poor little airborne live mouse'. With luck this will work. Doing this after feeding a live one will almost definately work.

Work to feeding live off of tongs. Then work to fresh killed, still twitching off tongs. Then work to fresh killed not moving off tongs. Then to Stone cold dead. Then f/t.
While some snakes will switch like nothing others get into habits or just want it one way. I have two snakes that will NOT take prekilled but will take the same animal after it has been frozen and thawed.
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Sonya

I had a Hounduran that was real similar,, wouldn,t eat anything dead. Finally I tried feeding both, one live pink and one FT.. Suprise.. While it was killing the live one it would go after and then eat the dead one. Just a thought. Now it eats FT with NO Problem