Got a Tricks to switch

[Weather1]

I am trying to switch my year old Ball from mice to rats, but she will not taking rats. Anyone got a suggestion?

Thanks for the help in advance.:D

[Pixie]

I wish I could help out but I'm in the same predicament.

I have 2 BPs that I'm still trying to switch over to rats. My female has taken a couple of rat meals but never consecutively. It's like if she's thinking "I ain't falling for that again!" and it drives me nuts! I've "starved" her for periods of 2 months only offering rats and nothing... But if I put a mouse in front of her she grabs it instantly. I'm at a loss with her because I want her to grow more but she really is pig-headed about her food...

Luckily, my youngest BP took a rat for me a couple of days ago. I gave him a live fuzzy and at first he showed no interest but in the morning it was gone. I'm hoping that he will take them from now on.

Scenting a rat with a mouse is the only trick I know of to help with the switching.

Pixie

[mykee]

Patience, patience and more patience. Some perseverence thrown on there too. Most poeple will try rats for a while, get worried that there ball is going to starve or die, and then toss is a mouse. If you're gonna trade them over, DON'T BEND. Starve the BP and DO NOT offer it mice EVER. It wont starve, it'll eat a rat before starving.

[RaVeNo888o]

ya, im sure the snake wont refuse a meal if hes gonna starve..in the wild if they havent eaten for a while, and there are no mice im sure he would go for the rat (i know this isnt the same of wild, but u get the point) .
im about to swith my cal king over to rats, i hope that he goes for it, i think he will.

[Infectrix]

I've gotta agree with mykee. The "Starve" technique is one that's tried and almost true in my book (used it twice). If you want them to be on rats, don't give them mice. If you wanna drive a stick, don't drive an automatic. Simple.

I'm working with the Pro Exotics "Primer" technique (it's on their website) and it's looking really good. You should check it out, looks promising.

One week, a few weeks or several weeks at that, without food won't hurt your snake at all. It'll hurt you more actually (emotionally perhaps).

[Pixie]

I agree that holding out the mice is the way to go, I will do this with my female BP instead of caving in!

I just get worried as at 8 weeks without eating, she gets skinny and I really can't stand seeing her like this...

It's frustrating because I know she is hungry and will eat, but only stinking mice!!!

My question is, how long could I starve her without causing any health issues? Technically I know a snake won't let itself starve if there is food available. But what if she just doesn't go for it?

If she was nice and big to start with, I wouldn't worry as much. But after just a few weeks without, she starts looking thin and that's when I start worrying.

Are there rare exceptions that would let themselves starve?

Pixie

[Big Mike]

Some tricks...
Try feeding a rat right after a mouse has gone down.
Keep some live mice in some bedding (wood chips) for a while and then take them out and put the rat in there. Then the rat will really smell like the mice.
Try rats that are the same size as the mice you are feeding (if you're not doing that already)

[Syst3m]

LOL don't count on the starving technique to work with balls.
For the most party they aren't to bright. They WILL starve to death.

[mykee]

Pixie, if you notice that your BP is getting thinner after 8 weeks of not eating, then you might have a larger problem than having a mouse-eater. You might have some kind of parasite. After 8 weeks, there should be no discernable difference in body size.

Syst3m, well, it's worked for me thrice and everyone else I know that's tried it. Give the snakes some credit here, they will not starve to death. Maybe you just had some "slow" balls.