Switching to f/t - Page 2

NennaMeerkat · 01-31-11, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckylilstar529

That's why I wanna feed him rats, but I don't trust a live rat with him since he's not very good at striking, he tends to get them by the butt instead of the head and I can only imagine the damage a live rat would inflict on him. I try to scent the prekilled rats, but its only worked once. I'm just at a loss.

It will take him some time to get used to the rats. Maybe scenting them to smell more like a mouse would be good. As others have said before throughout this forum is that snakes will eat when they are hungry. The next time you feed buy yourself a rat that is the right size and a mouse. Prekill both of them, scent the rat by rubbing the mouse all over it then put both prey items for the snake. See if that works.

luckylilstar529 · 01-31-11, 03:36 PM

lol, yes only 1 rat per meal. I tend to talk in plurals since in his lifetime he would end up eating many rats, but definitely not at once. I hate that he only eats mice.

luckylilstar529 · 01-31-11, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

It will take him some time to get used to the rats. Maybe scenting them to smell more like a mouse would be good. As others have said before throughout this forum is that snakes will eat when they are hungry. The next time you feed buy yourself a rat that is the right size and a mouse. Prekill both of them, scent the rat by rubbing the mouse all over it then put both prey items for the snake. See if that works.

The last one that I got him to eat I actually put in the small plastic carrier I keep the mice in while I wait for him to eat them. Since it had bedding in there that many mice had rollicked in I guess that made it so that the rat smelled like a mouse. I will definitely try scenting the rat with an freshly killed mouse though, that might work.

derekcm87 · 01-31-11, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckylilstar529

lol, yes only 1 rat per meal. I tend to talk in plurals since in his lifetime he would end up eating many rats, but definitely not at once. I hate that he only eats mice.

I was just putting my vote in for rats lol but hey what you said too!

NennaMeerkat · 01-31-11, 03:50 PM

Let me know how it goes with him eating, even if it is just through a PM. Would love to hear the mouse scenting worked!

luckylilstar529 · 03-10-11, 12:40 PM

HE FINALLY ATE!!!! It had been 3 weeks and I was about at the end of my rope. I tried scenting a freshly killed rat with mouse bedding and as soon as it got the scent of mouse on it he turned his nose up and "ran" to the other side of the feeding tank. I took him to the vet about a week ago because not only was he not eating, but he has definitely lost weight and the vet told me to try a fuzzy mouse to try to get him to eat, which he wouldn't eat that either. Then I moved, and he just shed yesterday. After I found out he shed I went to the pet store and decided he was going to eat the rat if I died trying lol. I put him in my closet with my anatomy and physiology text book on the lid to keep him in the tank because when I was attempting to get him to eat the fuzzy he decided it would be more fun to explore my room then eat his dinner.... Well he was in the closet for about 20 min and trying to get out again, so I grabbed a paper bag put him and the rat in it, put it in his cage on the cool spot and went to school. When I came home I found Leo curled up in a ball with a fat little lump in his belly and no rat

I am so relieved, and it appears I know have two snakes that prefer to eat in paper bags haha, but as long as he eats, I am not gonna complain!

derekcm87 · 03-10-11, 01:33 PM

Congratulations!

Reptile_Reptile · 03-12-11, 04:13 AM

yea a bp should feed on rats. its the difference of a bag of chips for dinner and a steak with mashed potatoes your favorite veggies and a a cold coke.