Feeding Dumeril frozen...

[bistrobob85]

My little Monika Lewinski ( hehe, thats my little Dum ) is kinda giving me a hard time right now, i'm trying to feed her dead food but she really doesn't take it!!! Does your Dumeril eat frozen/thawed food? If yes, did you switch him yourself? She hasn't eaten for 10 days now and i don't really know if i should go on feeding her live and have her develop her feeding response a little more before i try again or should i continue offering her dead until she takes it?!?!? I know Dumerils are ambush hunters that like to surprise the prey but do you guys have any trics to get them started on dead food? I try to offer her meals warm and i make it move around like if it was alive without frightening her but she keeps striking at it in defense... What do you guys think? Help is always apreciated!!!

phil.

[Rob McRobbie]

Phil,

Are you trying to make the switch straight to F/T? You might want to try giving it fresh killed 1st and work from there.. You might see some good results..


Rob

[bistrobob85]

Yeah, i'm trying to switch directly to F/T... You're right, i might try feeding it prekilled before i get her on F/T... I think i overestimated her feeding response... I'm just wondering if she'll eat even if it's not moving at all... Should i kill the rat and offer it with it's nerves still moving or should i just make it move around myself like if it was alive? I really don't think she would take it if it wasnt moving at all... thanks for your answer, Rob :)

phil.

[Rob McRobbie]

I think you'd be able to twitch the rat around just as well as if it was twitching itself.... Man this sounds sick.... :)

[Jeff_Favelle]

Tease feed and then leave over night if there's no constriction. It will take it. Its a boa. My 4 Dums are NOTORIOUS for not constricting. But it'll be gone in the morning. People are way too impatient (not saying that you are specifically). But most people don't leave in over night when 9 times out of 10, it will be gone if the snake can eat on its "own time". Works with tricky Ball Pythons as well.

[bistrobob85]

Fed her a really freshly killed rat pup and she took it within 30 minutes... Perhaps she likes the fact that it was very fresh, hehe! Hope i can get her to eat F/T within the next 4-5 meals...

phil.

[jglass38]

I am all for the leaving overnight now. Same thing worked for my baby milksnake (who I found out after I got it at a show that it had probably never eaten). Left a pinkie overnight and it was gone in the AM (that was after the first assist feeding).

[timfriesen32]

I've got a Dumerils that was eating f/t when I got him. The trick with him is to feed him when it's dark. He will absolutely not even move towards the rat if there is any light on in the room. He eats every time, but needs it to be dark and needs there to be no movement in the room.

Like Jeff said, leave it over night and it will most likely be gone in the morning.

[bistrobob85]

... I've tried leaving over for the night with F/T rats again, didn't work, once more. I guess i'll be switching her to mice because i really don't have the appropriate sized rats alive all the time... Adult mice should do the job until she takes F/T, i guess...

phil.

[bistrobob85]

$%?/$&/?*/%"/$... I tried once more and she didn't take it, once more... Now she hasn't eaten for basically two weeks... ALERT. Time to switch her back to mice!

phil.

[Matt_K]

The babies that I had born here this year took to f/t no problem at all.. They took live pink rats their first feeding and second feeding was f/t rat pinks.. After that, it was smooth sailing..