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what can she eat?

lauralyon Oct 06, 2005 03:51 PM

hi, i have posted before regarding the size of my ball python female with respect as to what i should be feeding her on, the response i got back was that for her size she should be on small rats. up until this point she had been on 2 XL mice a week.
i tried her with a small rat, which she struck and constricted (this was a F/t rat) she tried to eat it, got it half way down, decided she couldnt manage it and spat it back at me...no problems i thought i'l just give her a smaller one next time,
so the week after came and i offered her a weaner rat...she wouldnt take it, so i waited until the next week, and she wouldnt take it, so i waited for a third week, yet she would not take a weaner rat. i decided that i couldnt let her go a month without food so defrosted her 2 XL mice yesterday...and she ate them both in under 10 minutes!
so now my qeustion...is it likly that she was traumatised by that first time trying a rat and now decided that she doesnt want to risk it again?...or could it be that she just doesnt like rats?? and if i cannot get her feeding on rats and i do not think that Mice are going to be adequate for her for her whole life...will F/t chicks be ok as a staple diet for her if i suppliment along with them?
also does anyone have any advise as to how i can try to get her to take rats again?

hope ya'll can help,
regards,
laura
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mother to ,1 female great plains rat snake - "rockey". 1 male amel corn - "SN4". 1 female bairds rat snake - "copper". 1 female normal ball - "queenie". Pair albino striped king snakes - "tom and jenny". 1 male normal Cali. king - "wallace". 1 female rock pebbler - "fudge". 2 female roborovski hamsters - "speedy and sprite". 2 Florida Cooters - "tiny and titch". 1 male African Grey Parrot - "george". 4 cockateils, 3F, 1M, - "squeak, arnold, piere, peppy". 1 female german shepard - "roxy",

Replies (2)

toshamc Oct 06, 2005 04:09 PM

What you can try to do is feed her the mouse first then instead of feeding her the second mouse toss her the wean rat (rub it first with the mouse to try to scent it). I vaguely recall your previous post and do remember thinking from your description she could take a small rat or at least a wean (which is close in size to an xl mouse). Also make sure you've got the rat heated to about 98* sometimes temperatures make all the difference. Might be that she just doesn't like rats in which case she can be raised on mice.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

AFR Oct 06, 2005 04:14 PM

Laura the next time you feed her give her a mouse first when she's about to finish swallowing it place a weaned rat in her mouth she should swallow it.
This will get her used to the smell of the rats.
Do this a couple times and she should take rats without a problem.
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Adrian
AFR
http://imageevent.com/afreptiles

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