Reptile & Amphibian Forums

alright i've tried literally everything i've ever heard to try and get my dumeril to eat rats except feeding live which i really don't want to do. I have had zero luck and was wondering what will happen if i can't get her to feed on rats. i figure she'll out grow mice. does anyone have adults that don't eat rats and what are some of my options?

I figure it will after time.
With my Dumeril it was the exact same thing. It wouldn't switch over to rats for anything. Then one day it did.
I would feed it mice until it started outgrowing them. This is what I did. Hopefully it will work for you. I think there is something inside these animals that often tell them about their prey. (I am plagerizing a little here.) Most babies to yearlings could take an adult mouse. So, if it come down to a snake taking on an adult mouse that is protecting it's young the snake could win . If one the other hand a adult rat was protecting it's young. That could be another story. Maybe instints are telling certain animals that this is an unsafe proposal. Is this the reason? I have no idea. Why some babies take rats and other don't really is beyond me. Will a boa switch over to rats eventually? My experience says yes for Dumerils, BCI's, and BCC's. All my animals that would only eat mice turned to rats at a certain point in their life. I think the boa realizes it caloric need is greater than a mouse can give at some point.
Right now, I have one baby out of 21 that will only eat mice. I have given him a two week break from feeding to try and switch him over. If he still refuses......I will put him back on mice. It just isn't worth my taking up his "reserves" to make my life easier during feeding time.
One note of interest for me is the feeding between mice and rat pups. I have found that feeding mice has made those baby boas much more muscular and lean. The ones on the rat pups have grown faster.........But, they are not as lean and muscular. Because of this, I am thinking I will feed my next litter only mice. I would like to see what type of impact this will have.
Another note, Dumerils can be picky as babies to a few months old. I don't know how old/big yours is..........But, I would rather have it eating than not.
Hope this helps,
John
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"To be the best..........You must lose your mind."