Predicament with Mercy

[Klaire]

Okay so long story short (she was switched to rats at a young age) iv'e kept her on rats ever since i got her but today i was looking for a pet store that sold cheaper frozen rodents anyway i found one called and asked if they had the rats i was after the man on the phone said yes so i drove all the way there only to find out they have all sizes of mice and only really large rats! i was a little pissed off and i couldn't leave there empty handed as the other normal pet barn i go to was closed so i had to get some damn mice. now my problem which you all probably have guessed by now is this. she has always been on rats and i took a gamble purchasing the mice. what if she doesn't eat the mice? or what if she does then i can't get her to switch back over to rats like she was originally on? i'm worried as her type jungles are notorious for being difficult to switch over but i have hope since she already got switched to rats once i feel when i'm done with this pack she will switch over to rats again with her next pack. anywho if i have trouble switching her back to rats does anyone have any advice to help her make the transition again? and has anyone else experienced switching their snakes over more than once for whatever reason? i appreciate any comments/advice/opinions :) !

[Klaire]

update: I had it defrost them offered it to her she seemed extremely interested leaning towards it licking the usual but she just wouldn't take it and a couple times she would move back, i haven't forced it or moved it toward her just held it there with tongs offering but she just continued to taste so i put it on her rock and she went down and investigated it licking it some more but just wouldn't take it :( i'll have to go get her her usual rats tomorrow when the store opens.

[Albert Clark]

Hey Klaire, don't give up so easily. If she doesn't take it then try again on the next scheduled feeding day. Don't stress it too much bc these guys are built to go for periods of extended time without food. When it comes to transitioning it mostly is tough love. We as keepers stress over our snakes not eating more so than the snakes themselves. Transitioning is a process especially with older animals. Your heat signature in the prey item and the presentation both will play a role in the acceptance or rejection in the snake. Sometimes it helps to have a intermediary step in the transition with pre-killed prey if you so desire.

[EL Ziggy]

Klaire- It was probably just a one time refusal because it was a new prey item. My jungle eats mice, rats, asf's and chicks. When I first offered him an ASF he ate it but the following week he refused his usual rat. The week after that he did eat a rat. I'd wait until her next feeding day and she'll most likely eat. If you get rats that would probably be best. If you still only have the mice I'd push it to her nose and see if she strikes. Sometimes you have to give them a little nudge. Once she's eating again normally you can offer the mice as an alternative snack or as seconds after she finishes her rat. No point in wasting the mice.

[Klaire]

Hey guys thankyou so much for your replies, i put it on her rock as stated yesterday and i put a black towel over her tank and left her i checked on it an hour later still uneaten then another hour went by i checked again and she had eaten it! i'm very relieved that i can finish off this pack without having to buy another and waste this one. she will be back on her usual rats after this pack is done and atleast i know now she isn't badly stubborn just needed some time to suss it out and eat it :) also makes me happy about future reference when she is big to get her to try quails etc and i won't worry as much with her switching between prey items in the future. thanks guys! :)