Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anybody feeding with F/T after a baby was raised on live mice? If so how difficult was the trasition?
Thanks
Mike

I have two sub-adults that have eaten live their entire lives, I have tried numerous times to feed f/t but I have found out that it is the movement of live that catches their attention, I tnink they would eat f/t if they are very hungry and you left them feeding for a long time, but then you would start stinking up your room. I think it is just one of those things with balls, my boa would eat a steak if you gave it to her she doest care ( prob wouldnt recommend that) but if your ball is eating, be glad and stick with live, so many balls are so hard to get to eat that i look at it as great when mine eat once a week or more.

here how i have gotten my bp to take a f/t, i thawed the mouse out of course, and put it in front of her, the first day she ignored it, i waited a few days and took another mouse and put it in front of her, and wiggled it she took it then..... that was the first time i fed her, has been time for another feeding again, so i will see what happens next time.

I have had adults that have had nothing but live and they convert immediately, some that convert but need a little working with and I have had snakes that will under no circumstance look at anything that is already dead. In other words it depends on the snake.
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Tosha

"One of these days i am going to wake up..look around...and realize my place looks more like "Ace Venturas"s than my own." Coldthumb

7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope John Paul "JP"
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 lizard rescued from vicious feline

I agree. Each snake is different. I have a het pied male that will eat anything but some of my other morphs will only eat live on a regular basis. I only feed small rats (calm ones at that) so that the snake isn't in danger and I only leave them in for 20 or 30 minutes. If they don't take them that quick, I pull them out. I don't want a rat getting hungry enough to chew on my snake or scared enough to attack it. I really hate feeding live because I really like the rats. I have been breeding my own and I have sat and watched them eat, sleep and play and they are really fun pets. Unfortunately I gotta do what I gotta do to keep the snakes healthy.

>>I have had adults that have had nothing but live and they convert immediately, some that convert but need a little working with and I have had snakes that will under no circumstance look at anything that is already dead. In other words it depends on the snake.
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>>Tosha
>>
>>"One of these days i am going to wake up..look around...and realize my place looks more like "Ace Venturas"s than my own." Coldthumb
>>
>>7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
>>1.0.0 Angolan Python (Skywalker)
>>0.0.1 Green Tree Python
>>0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
>>0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope John Paul "JP"
>>2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
>>0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
>>0.0.1 lizard rescued from vicious feline

Yeah, I used to be very hesitant to feed live to mine, but then it dawned on me, We are talking about a relatively tiny, relatively dumb rat against a snake. I let them be as long as they take, if my balls allow themselves to be injured or killed by a rat, then that rat had the will to live, and I will keep it as a pet. It just seems much more natural to me. Ever since I statred this "strategy" my snakes have not had any problems eating whatsoever, They have "learned" that Im not going to protect them. When they were younger it was very obvious that there would be no possible way for them to live if they were to be wild. But now, it seems like if they were to be a wild animal, they would be able to survive, they now know what they need to do. They eat med. rats twice a week, probably could eat more, but at 4 dollars a rat for 3 snakes twice a week, thats more for food than my dog, ferrets and turtle combined. Also, I dont know if any of you have seen the way they will turn away and try to leave if the rat stands up, they seem to be afraid, mine used to do that, but now when they see that they move closer because they dont want to allow it to get the chance to hurt them. I have had my male strike the rat before it touched the ground on its way down from the box, and my femlale even struck while she was in my hand being put IN to the feeding box.