new snake will only eat live i'm told

[liltattyprinces]

well what can i say i'm a sucker i've taken in a lovely little girl but she only eats live i've tried all the tricks with f/t and no luck it's been a long time since i've had to feed live and am feeling very nervous about it we will try this friday but any suggestions would be great i hate to have to do this but she's thin and needs to get some good meals into her so any suggestions would be much appericated. Just so everyone knows i don't like to feed live i would rather go the safer route with f/t but as i said no luck there, i of couse will be right there durring the whole feeding but as i said would appericate any advice anyone has regarding live feedings thank you

[casacrow]

Have you tried fresh killed? Sometimes it makes a good step between live and f/t.

[liltattyprinces]

that's what i was thinking of tryiing on friday as i have to wait for mice to arrive my breeders haven't started producing and i guess i'll have to speed up on starting to breed rats..lol...guess i just gave myself a reason to stop procrastinating...lol..(SP) i've got the cage just gotta order the rats

[mykee]

It's not the end of the world, there are SO many people out there feeding live (myself included), you wouldn't believe it. If you are going to feed live, don't just throw the item in and wait for the damage to be done. Ensure that the item being fed it properly restrained with a pair of hemostats so that the head cannot move, pin the item sideways on the enclosure floor, and when the snake takes it, release. I've been using that method forever, On all the balls I own, and NEVER had an injured snake.

[snakehunter]

try getting a pair of pliers, and crushing the spinal chord at the base of the skull, they will flop around for about 45s so that should be enough time for her to snatch it, dont worry, when they flop around its nerves, theyre already dead. hope it worx
-Jacob

[BoidKeeper]

i have to wait for mice to arrive
If she is eating mice why not try a fuzzie rat instead. They are about the same size but they are pretty safe because their eyes aren't even open yet. That way you'll have her on rats too which are better for her than mice.
As far as switching her have you tried leaving her in a small dark rubbermaid over night with a very warm F/T rodent inside with her? This often works.
Good luck,
Trevor

[liltattyprinces]

thanks trevor i tried that with no luck :( but will try what everyone has suggested, I just haven't had to feed live in 10 yrs so i'm out of pratice i just want the best for my new girl, and don't want to put her in harms way thank you all for your suggestions. I will let you know how it goes on friday

[mykee]

Snakehunter, actually, that doesn't kill them, only makes them suffer an agonizing, excruciating death. Either feed live, dead, or stunned. These methods that people use to half-kill or prolong-kill their rats makes me sick to my stomach..

[lilyskip]

i've heard that if she's really young (had less than 6 feedings) sometimes feeding live helps develop the feeding response, so that switching to f/t is easier after 6 feeds or so. Dunno if this actually works, or if it applies to your snake.

[themangler]

Originally posted by mykee
Snakehunter, actually, that doesn't kill them, only makes them suffer an agonizing, excruciating death. Either feed live, dead, or stunned. These methods that people use to half-kill or prolong-kill their rats makes me sick to my stomach..
i agree!!!

[snakehunter]

I stand corrected

[Auskan]

Mykee, I'm not sure I understand how you are restraining the food item. Is it possible for you to post pics? I just can't imagine being able to hold a live animal immobile, and don't the hemostats get in the way of the snake's strike?

[mykee]

Auskan, sorry but you're gonna have to settle for the explanation. With 20+ balls to feed, taking pictures of the process is not an option. Sorry.

[Vengeance]

Pardon my ignorance but whats a hemostat?

[sapphire_moon]

like salad tongs..........ok picture the mouse/rat lying on its side or stomache, then place a pair of tongs (hemostats)on its neck firmly, enough to restrain it, but not hurt it.

I'm trying live rats with my female bp, she refuses everything except adult mice, and sometimes she refuses those to. I plan on getting them when they are just big enough, maybe just opened their eyes, maybe a little bit bigger than that...

[Vengeance]

So if your holding it down with tongs, how does the ball constrict?

[mykee]

You let go when the ball takes it. Holding it down just ensures that; 1. the rat can't move to attack the snake, and 2. the head of the rat is immobilized so that the snake can nail the head, making it impossible for the rat to use it's teeth.