Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When I bought my burm as a hatchling I feed it frozen mice pinkies. As time has gone on and it has grown it now eats frozen rats. However, at one point in time I WRONGLY attempted to feed it a live mouse. It refused, and I also have a friend who owns a clutch mate that has also always refused live prey. Thankfully my burm its frozen and does so willingly and readily.
My question is, as reading these posts lately and seeing all the problems people encounter trying to feed/ switch to frozen prekilled, has anyone else expierenced this? What percentage of burms easily take to frozen prekilled, and the contrary what percentage initally will refuse frozen prekilled and have to be switched over time? Just curious, thought maybe some more expierenced keepers would have some idea on just how often burms as babies have these "feeding issues"

Thanks Nick
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1.2.1 crested geckos
0.1 burmses python
0.1 pain in the ass

Having kept, bred and rehabilitated 100's of burms over the years (and still currently keep a number including one that is over 35 years old), I have NEVER had ONE SINGLE case in which I was not able to wean a burm from live to dead prey. The ONLY "TRICK" one needs to exercise is PATIENCE (something that sorely lacks in the hobby based on the many questions that keep popping up). Sure, there are some things one can do to increase their chances for success that include: 1) making sure temps are at teh proper levels...many people still make mistakes in not knowing how to accurately read/check temps, 2) stress prevention - most keepers over handle their animals, 3) proper set up - providing a hide area on both the warm and cooler zones of the cage, 4) offering frozen thawed prey that has been slightly re-warmed (not cooked in a microwave!)....I have better luck offering prey that has been thawed at room temps rather than by soaking as soaking will take away a lot of the "scent" of the rodent, 5) offering f/t prey when the snake is in its hide area shortly after the lights have turned off....you want to always offer prey via hemostats or tongs and I like to just barely make the prey animal "twitch" a bit in front of the snake. 6) Coat the rodent w/quail or chicken....burms love birds.

That's really all you have to do. But as I said, most lack the necessary patience to enjoy success.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL

>>When I bought my burm as a hatchling I feed it frozen mice pinkies. As time has gone on and it has grown it now eats frozen rats. However, at one point in time I WRONGLY attempted to feed it a live mouse. It refused, and I also have a friend who owns a clutch mate that has also always refused live prey. Thankfully my burm its frozen and does so willingly and readily.
>>My question is, as reading these posts lately and seeing all the problems people encounter trying to feed/ switch to frozen prekilled, has anyone else expierenced this? What percentage of burms easily take to frozen prekilled, and the contrary what percentage initally will refuse frozen prekilled and have to be switched over time? Just curious, thought maybe some more expierenced keepers would have some idea on just how often burms as babies have these "feeding issues"
>>
>>Thanks Nick
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>>1.2.1 crested geckos
>>0.1 burmses python
>>0.1 pain in the ass
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

I dunno Mr. Carmicheal (sorry if mispelled). I have tried all the tricks mentioned, with the exception of the quail one..gotta give that try, and my albino burm just simply refuses...and im talking REFUSES...frozen feeders. I have been trying since he was old enough to take rat pups, which is what he was eating at the time I acquired him, to switch him over to frozen feeders for a number of obvious reasons...safety, confenience, etc...and have had no success. The only time he has ever eaten frozens were when I have trailed them behind live feeders, but contrary to what I believed would happen, he will not touch them when they are offered alone..no matter what I do. Obviously I am doing something wrong if you have gotten dozens to switch over and I cannot get one hehe, but I do not know what can be done. I really am not comfortable with my burm only eating live because of the dangers involved but I am even less comfortable with the idea of my burm starving itself (which it seems to attempt every now and then hehe *exagerating*). It has gone a good three months without showing the slightest interest in a frozen feeder, yet the second something live is introduced it eats as if it hadnt eaten in months..which at that point was the case lol. Any response would be appreciated. Thanks. Eddie.
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-=Eddie=-
0.0.2 Burmese pythons. Boomer, Casper(albino)
0.0.1 Gold Tegu. Jacko
3.1.0 Dogs. Sam (boxer), Gizmo (yorkie), snowball(mix),Dexter (Jack R.)
0.0.5 angel fish (don't last long enough to name )

I don't really know what to say because I have dealt with many folks who tell me the EXACT same thing you do and w/in a week or two of arrival, I have these animals pounding f/t prey. I think there are environmental cues, presentation methods, quality of f/t prey and other less obvious variables that play a role in achieving success. I have developed an instint for working with herps that has only come with decades of experience so somtimes things that come natural for me are not so obvious to newbie owners. I made some recommendations in the previous post that i think will help your situation.

Rob Carmichael
>>I dunno Mr. Carmicheal (sorry if mispelled). I have tried all the tricks mentioned, with the exception of the quail one..gotta give that try, and my albino burm just simply refuses...and im talking REFUSES...frozen feeders. I have been trying since he was old enough to take rat pups, which is what he was eating at the time I acquired him, to switch him over to frozen feeders for a number of obvious reasons...safety, confenience, etc...and have had no success. The only time he has ever eaten frozens were when I have trailed them behind live feeders, but contrary to what I believed would happen, he will not touch them when they are offered alone..no matter what I do. Obviously I am doing something wrong if you have gotten dozens to switch over and I cannot get one hehe, but I do not know what can be done. I really am not comfortable with my burm only eating live because of the dangers involved but I am even less comfortable with the idea of my burm starving itself (which it seems to attempt every now and then hehe *exagerating*). It has gone a good three months without showing the slightest interest in a frozen feeder, yet the second something live is introduced it eats as if it hadnt eaten in months..which at that point was the case lol. Any response would be appreciated. Thanks. Eddie.
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>>-=Eddie=-
>>0.0.2 Burmese pythons. Boomer, Casper(albino)
>>0.0.1 Gold Tegu. Jacko
>>3.1.0 Dogs. Sam (boxer), Gizmo (yorkie), snowball(mix),Dexter (Jack R.)
>>0.0.5 angel fish (don't last long enough to name )
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Make sure your dead rat is warm. Helps alot.

I am by no means an expert, just a novice. My burm quit eating for almost 4 months. I started using live jumbos to get him to eat. He would move in quickly and smell them but when they smelled back he would shy away. Finally I used a very slow rat that wouldn't move. He smelled it for about 3-4 min, then nailed it. The next feeding I tried a live rabbit. He wouldn't hit it. I gave him a p/k rat and he gently ate it. When I first got him I only fed him live but the forum convince me otherwise. Now it seems he simply won't eat live.
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DZ

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell