Slowly moving to f/t

Kettennatter · 06-07-12, 07:06 AM

I'm slowly converting our snakes to f/t. Last night I converted another one, but that means that I'm only at 2 out of 5. I'm just establishing a feeding schedule with our newest addition, a common boa. The feeding response of the BCI is rather strong, so I don't have much of a concern.

The two trickier customers will be my KSB and my King Snake. I tried the King Snake before, but it became quite aggressive as it grew hungrier. I might try the trick of "animating" the dead mouse with foreceps. The KSB will initially take to f/t, but then let go when the prey doesn't struggle. So just triggering a strike doesn't solve the issue. The KSB is still small but actively growing (quite a bit) at the moment, so I don't necessarily want to starve it.

So, the BCI is definitely next, probably next week, after I return from a business trip. (The family is too afraid to handle the BCI or the King Snake.)

alessia55 · 06-07-12, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kettennatter

The KSB will initially take to f/t, but then let go when the prey doesn't struggle. So just triggering a strike doesn't solve the issue.

After he's struck it and coiled it, continue to pull on the mouse for a little while. This will give him the illusion that the mouse is struggling and dying, and your ksb might be more willing to eat afterwards.

Good luck with switching all of them!!

GarterPython · 06-07-12, 07:29 AM

For the kenyan sand boa. If you have some feeding tweezers for the mice. Just grab ahold of the mouse when the kenyan sand boa is constricting it and shake it around a little bit so that it thinks that it is struggling

Edit: Alessia! You beat me to it!

Kettennatter · 06-07-12, 09:04 AM

Thanks for the hints on the KSB. I might try to use tweezers to pull the little pinkie. At least I will try when the KSB is out of shed.

alessia55 · 06-07-12, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kettennatter

Thanks for the hints on the KSB. I might try to use tweezers to pull the little pinkie. At least I will try when the KSB is out of shed.

Yup. The more they feel they've killed it, the more likely they are to want to eat it

Kettennatter · 06-19-12, 06:51 PM

Success! The tweezer trick worked. I put the f/t into the enclosure, then dangled the KSB just above it until it struck. It struck, but didn't coil, but then I moved the f/t with the tweezers, and the KSB coiled more and more. I gave it another minute of pulling, but by then the KSB was fully engaged.

Now only two more of the five snakes to go.

Kettennatter · 06-28-12, 10:10 AM

And the countdown continues. The king snake was hungry and bit me. I took it as a sign and animated an f/t mouse that I also treated with a blow dryer. It took the snake only a few seconds to striker and maybe two minutes to eat the f/t. Now I'm wondering if I don't feed him enough. (It's a 4-foot king snake that I have on a mouse every 5 days.)

snake man12 · 06-28-12, 10:13 AM

You might want to give it two rats every 7 days

Kettennatter · 06-28-12, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snake man12

You might want to give it two rats every 7 days

I might try 2 mice every week. (The snake will refuse rats, I've tried.) His appetite must have increased. I couldn't get it to eat more than one mouse a week, then he was fine with a mouse every 5 days.

Gungirl · 06-28-12, 01:42 PM

Feed your snake depending on its build. Not if you think it is hungry or not. If your snake is looking slim feed it a bit more other wise 1 mouse every 7 days is fine. I feed my corn snake 1 small rat every 14 days but if I was to offer him more he would eat it in a heart beat. Weigh your snake and track its weight if you are worried.

Kettennatter · 06-28-12, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gungirl

Feed your snake depending on its build. Not if you think it is hungry or not. If your snake is looking slim feed it a bit more other wise 1 mouse every 7 days is fine. I feed my corn snake 1 small rat every 14 days but if I was to offer him more he would eat it in a heart beat. Weigh your snake and track its weight if you are worried.

The snake is definitely not overfed and at its widest point is a little larger than the mice I feed him, but IMHO still too small for a rat. During my previous unsuccessful attempts at f/t I know that the snake can become somewhat aggressive when not being fed regularly, and I have observed that behavior again.

Lankyrob · 06-28-12, 02:27 PM

Not sure of the process with Kings but with my 4foot corn he takes a rat that is 1.5 times his girth every 14-21 days, this maintains his weight and stops him from getting fat again - he was quite overweight when i got him

Kettennatter · 06-28-12, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Not sure of the process with Kings but with my 4foot corn he takes a rat that is 1.5 times his girth every 14-21 days, this maintains his weight and stops him from getting fat again - he was quite overweight when i got him

Trust me, I would love to feed the guy rats and stretch out the feeding interval, but he doesn't touch them yet. I fact, he actively hides from them. I tried to the experiment of trying to feed him a mouse immediately after he "escaped" the rat, and he took the mouse without the slightest hesitation.

Right now I'm just happy he takes f/t once I "animate" it a little. A mouse tried to turn on him during the last feeding, and I'd hate to see him get hurt.

Lankyrob · 06-28-12, 02:40 PM

In taht case i would feed him larger mice and space it out. Most opinion is that colubrids can live on mice for all their lives with no worries (i only feed mine rats currently due to an issue getting appropriate sized mice)

Kettennatter · 06-28-12, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

In taht case i would feed him larger mice and space it out. Most opinion is that colubrids can live on mice for all their lives with no worries (i only feed mine rats currently due to an issue getting appropriate sized mice)

I'm thinking about getting a bulk order of larger frozen mice now. My older corn may be old enough to switch to frozen mice. Would be much more convenient for everybody involved.