Since Brazilian Rainbow Boas are secretive, how do you feed them frozen mice? My baby BRB (3 months old) is currently eating live mice, how /when do I introduce frozen mice? -Ali
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Since Brazilian Rainbow Boas are secretive, how do you feed them frozen mice? My baby BRB (3 months old) is currently eating live mice, how /when do I introduce frozen mice? -Ali
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My baby BRB only ate live for the longest time. Here's how I got mine over to f/t mice.
I always feed in a seperate feeding container at night, my BRB will be 2 years old this Oct. and associates the container now with feeding time.
I thawed out frozen mice, then used hot water from stove and my temp gun to get the mice as close as possible to around 98 degrees F.
I would dangle the mouse with tongs (important to use tongs, reptile tongs or salad tongs will work also to hold the mouse's tail) in front of my BRB head and she would attack and constrict it as if the mouse was live.
Now, since my BRB is conditioned in her feeding container I don't even have to heat them up anymore and see just attacks them off tongs at room temperature.
Hope that helps for switching to f/t, good luck
Uncloudy
Appreciate the info...
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I went step by step to convert them to f/t. Some were easier than others. I still have one that keeps refusing f/t but I really think it's because I give in too quickly and offer him a live. A few accepted a f/t without anything except dragging it along in front of the snake, some took (and still prefer) a little twitching on the end of a hemostat, and others prefer it just tossed in there. Some will strike immediately and others check it out more closely before feeding.
If your's is accustomed to live..I'd go slow and offer a fresh kill or stunned first. After a few feedings I'd wait a little longer from the time of kill or stun to offer. When the snake accepts that consistantly I'd try a f/t. If it doesn't eat I would remove the meal and try again in a few days. If it still won't eat after a time or two of losing it's chance I would try heating up the rodent in warm to hot water and make it dance a bit on the end of a hemostat or some tongs.
Personally IMO it is best to feed the young ones...maybe under 6 months or so..whatever they will eat and worry about converting them later. I wouldn't want my babies to miss any meals although I would not be concerned if they were a bit older. You get what you put into it in my experience...the more persistant you are the more likely they will accept f/t faster. I often find it less time consuming to feed a live or toss in a f/k than to defrost and "dance" a f/t for a snake. Most of mine will just eat everthing....anytime...and I sometimes feed a f/k to one out of convenience rather than a f/t. Those that fit this catagory truly seem to have no preference so long as it gets a meal.
If you're having trouble converting, I suggest yoy double check your temps/humidity and methods. All of mine are fed in a separate enclose from what they live in.
Linda
>>Since Brazilian Rainbow Boas are secretive, how do you feed them frozen mice? My baby BRB (3 months old) is currently eating live mice, how /when do I introduce frozen mice? -Ali
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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer
>>I went step by step to convert them to f/t. Some were easier than others. I still have one that keeps refusing f/t but I really think it's because I give in too quickly and offer him a live. A few accepted a f/t without anything except dragging it along in front of the snake, some took (and still prefer) a little twitching on the end of a hemostat, and others prefer it just tossed in there. Some will strike immediately and others check it out more closely before feeding.
>>
>>If your's is accustomed to live..I'd go slow and offer a fresh kill or stunned first. After a few feedings I'd wait a little longer from the time of kill or stun to offer. When the snake accepts that consistantly I'd try a f/t. If it doesn't eat I would remove the meal and try again in a few days. If it still won't eat after a time or two of losing it's chance I would try heating up the rodent in warm to hot water and make it dance a bit on the end of a hemostat or some tongs.
>>
>>Personally IMO it is best to feed the young ones...maybe under 6 months or so..whatever they will eat and worry about converting them later. I wouldn't want my babies to miss any meals although I would not be concerned if they were a bit older. You get what you put into it in my experience...the more persistant you are the more likely they will accept f/t faster. I often find it less time consuming to feed a live or toss in a f/k than to defrost and "dance" a f/t for a snake. Most of mine will just eat everthing....anytime...and I sometimes feed a f/k to one out of convenience rather than a f/t. Those that fit this catagory truly seem to have no preference so long as it gets a meal.
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>>If you're having trouble converting, I suggest yoy double check your temps/humidity and methods. All of mine are fed in a separate enclose from what they live in.
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>>Linda
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>>>>Since Brazilian Rainbow Boas are secretive, how do you feed them frozen mice? My baby BRB (3 months old) is currently eating live mice, how /when do I introduce frozen mice? -Ali
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>>"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer
Appreciate that....Ali
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