need live rats

[crochunter]

Does anyone know where I can get live rats on a regular basis in or around the Ottawa area, where I used to get them hardly has them in anymore and my snakes are going hungry and they will only eat live (i've tried every trick in the book to switch to frozen but they won't).
any help would be appreciated.
Thanks:confused:

[JD@reptiles]

its not hard to feed f/t. you can switch almost any snake over to f/t. live rats can be dangerous as you probably know. they can kill or injure the snake with one bite.

[crochunter]

If you have any suggestions on how please let me know cause i've tried everything that I know and what others have told me and they just won't take them.

[ohh_kristina]

what have you tried? You say you've tried everything - well, what is everything? How long have you waited for them to eat? What kind of snakes are they? and have they eated p/k or f/t ever before?

[crochunter]

they are a couple of albino burms a female and a male I've tried frozen thawed wouldn't go near it even triied teasing them i tried scenting them with live i've tried braining i've tried giving live then a f/t wouldn't take the f/t tried the same with f/k tried starving them they went 2 months and still wouldn't take anything but live. is there anything else I could try

[ohh_kristina]

How old/what size are they? If they are still a small size/neonates, I would try putting them in a very small rubbermaid with a p/k brained rat and leaving them over night in there. This is how I got my neonate blood python to eat.

[crochunter]

both are about a year old but small because of their eating habits. I just got some live and tried a live then pre kill about 1/2hour ago same results they just won't take it. It's a good thing I have a Boa that eats anything you put in front of its face or all these rats would be going to waste.

[Jayson]

What did you try scenting them with?? I happen to know chicken broth works great with burms.

[crochunter]

never tried that one I'll give it a shot.
thanks anything to get them off live then I can get my hands on frozen ones so much easier and keep more of them. I have a freezer waiting for them to share with the meat I keep for my caimans.

[ohh_kristina]

Do what I recommended, then. Stop giving them live if you want then on p/k! Do not give in! They will take it eventually. Try scenting with anole blood, chicken down, and chicken broth, along with braining.

[crochunter]

now when scenting them just how much do I do? A little or do I soak it or somewhere in between?

[ohh_kristina]

when scenting with chicken down, rub the fur(?) all over the rats body and head. When doing anole blood or chicken broth, you can rub it all over the body, but focus mainly on the head. When you offer the rat, make sure the head is the thing they smell (offer it head first).

[crochunter]

Ok thanks I'll have to try that next feeding since they just ate so i'll give them a week