F/T questions

[lucky8926]

My BP didn't eat his first meal I tried to feed him (A F/T rat pup) The breeder I got him from said he was feeding him fresh killed rat pups. I know the feeding could take some time since he is in a new home and I am feeding F/T instead of F/K like he is used to. So here are my questions. How long should I leave the rat in with him? If he doesn't eat it is it safe to re-freeze the rat or should I throw it out?

[CARLiTO_]

it's a good practice to leave ur snake alone for a week or two till it gets used to it's new settings and environment. If the rat smells, dont freeze it. If he doesn't eat, try feeding live or fresh killed.

[lucky8926]

I've had him for a little over a week now and today was the first time I handled him. How long should I leave it in with him before I take it out?

[Bartman]

Id also suggest you dont handle him until he eats 3 meals consecutively. Ive re freezed some feeders before, and find they juts stink a lot when you thaw them out again. Not worth it imo.

I usually leave it in over night if they dont take it right away, and so far every time its been taken, but if not just throw it out first thing in the morning before it starts to decay.

Unless you got it from a really good breeder, most likely it was actually feeding one mice..unless its an adult/sub adult. Most bp babies are fed on mice as its easier to get them started, so maybe try a rat scented with a mouse.

Ive also found temps at 92 or 93 makes them have better appetites. I have 3 so I cant really make a full conclusion on that, but it may help.

Good luck!

[mykee]

I would leave the food item in there all night. I have a few balls that are shy and will only eat after the lights have been out for hours. If your ball doesn't eat it, toss it for sure, there's no point in taking that kind of chance for a $2 rat.
Adam: I'm going to have to disagree with you on the whole "Unless you got her from a real good breeder she'll most likely be feeding on mice" theory. I've received balls from "really good breeders" as you would say, who feed on live mice, (though I'm not sure what your qualifications are for deeming someone a "really good breeder") and I've received balls from "basement breeders" (I'm assuming what you would deem the opposite of a "really good breeder") that are happily feeding on f/t rats.

[lucky8926]

should I place the rat on newspaper so he won't ingest any substrate? I was going to do the "feed in different enclosure" method. I left him in a rubbermaid with the rat for about an hour and even covered it up to give him some privacy. When I peeked in he was hiding at the TOP of the rubbermaid so I took him out. He was pretty cold so i put him back in his enclosure. He immediatly went into his warm hide and has been there ever since.

[nita]

yup newspaper over the substrate is a good idea, I used a chunk of cardboard when I was using peat for a substrate, I just use paper towel now.

[Slannesh]

Depends what you use for substrate.

newspaper doesn't stick to even wet rats but so long as they're dry not much will stick to them. I use aspen myself as a substrate but when I thaw my rats out they're all individually wrapped in freezer bags so they're warm and dry. I've never seen any stick to a rat.

[lucky8926]

i'm using aspen. To thaw them i've been putting them in ziplock bags and submerging them in hot water. The first one I did came out soaking wet. I think I had a hole in the bag. I tried to feed it to him but he didn't show a bit of intrest.

[Slannesh]

I started buying name (Ziplock) brand freezer bags for that exact reason.

They cost a bit more but are SO much less of a pain.

Sandwich bags or storage bags just aren't thick enough to stand up to hot water for a while i've found, they quite frequently leak.

[lucky8926]

I was using ziplock! Thats why I was surprised when it cam out wet.

[Slannesh]

Doublecheck and make sure it was a freezer bag. They're way more heavy duty than sandwich and storage bags. Lots of them are even double layered nowadays.

Granted they aren't totally leakproof either, but it happens a LOT less than other types of bags.

[lucky8926]

I just checked and they're sandwich bags, not the freezer ones. I'll have to get some freezer ones tomorrow. Thanks for the info!