I found that I had to soak the prey in hot water for quite some time before the inner core was warm to elicit a strike from heat picked from the loreal pits. I also experienced problems with skin rupturing, or, rupturing when the snake struck the prey. Nuking the prey in a microwave for 5-10 seconds kept the outside of the prey fresh while warming the inner core which seemed to be the important key with this snake. I've done the same with bushmasters and it worked very well. Of course, placing these same rodents on the dash of my car in the hot sun works very well too.

>>Rob,
>>
>>Wouldn't hot water work? Even with picky bushmasters, which typically want rodents much warmer than other vipers, very hot tap water works.
>>
>>The only EDB I ever kept (for a short time) was a WC and was the exact opposite. I had to thaw the rat, then lay it in the cage and wait. Usually the snake wouldn't eat the rat until it had been in there a couple of days and started to smell funky.
>>
>>MH
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

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