Once easy-to-feed BP on a feeding strike? - Page 2

**Aaron_S** · 12-03-08, 07:58 PM

Very nice. I LOVE the clowns. Always have, even before they became popular.

PDXErik · 12-12-08, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Very nice. I LOVE the clowns. Always have, even before they became popular.

The clowns love you, too

PDXErik · 12-07-08, 04:11 AM

hahahaa, me and my experience with the "OK I'LL EAT ANYTHING" ball pythons.

Ok, so I have 2.3 het pied balls now, all <160 grams. One wants to eat f/t

I can deal with that. The last I had was like that. I had fed it live mice until it was big enough for small rats (before I knew better). All but one will eat the f/t. I am debating just going through the "let them eat live mice until they're old enough and established and then switch them over" thing.

Terrible. I'll try p/k next.

**Aaron_S** · 12-07-08, 07:45 AM

I would just use rat pinks/pups to switch them over now. So much easier feeding them rats. I have a cinnamon that was on fuzzy mice when I got it and she's had a rat pink with me so far so I'm hoping she sticks to them, although she didn't eat the last one I tried.

mykee · 12-07-08, 03:43 PM

I've never had a problem (with over 600 hatchlings) getting any of my babies over to f/t rats in 10 meals. First meal is always a live mouse hopper. Second is a live mouse hopper. Third is a live rat pup that was in some mouse bedding. Same with the fourth. Fifth is a f/t rat pup. If they aren't taking the f/t rat pup, repeat third step and keep trying. Never had one that hasn't taken f/t rat by the tenth meal.

LadyParvati · 12-10-08, 10:12 PM

Tonight, after not even trying for two weeks, I decided it was time to try again--going completely back to what had worked previously, including only offering mice. No contamination of those sweet mice with those stinky rats!

He ate. Only two hoppers--but that's better than not eating at all! I figure I can try again in a couple of days with a couple more.

YAY!!

mykee · 12-11-08, 04:42 PM

I breed both mice and rats and I have to say I absolutely abhor mice; those bitey, popcorn & piss smelling little bastards, I HATE them!!! Rats are awesome; friendly, communal, I like them more than my stupid evil mice, that's for sure.

**Aaron_S** · 12-11-08, 07:06 PM

Mice are terrible for cannibilization! I've been bitten a lot more by mice than I have rats. Thinking about it, I don't think I have been bitten by a rat yet.

LadyParvati · 12-12-08, 08:48 AM

All true, all true--I didn't mean to offend anyone's rats! Just joking!

I was pretending to put myself into my BP's head--the last several times I tried to feed him, he'd smell carefully of the rat-mouse combo smell and refuse to eat. This time, there was no rat smell combined with the mouse smell, and he ate. So I was jokingly saying that he must prefer the mouse smell. Sorry I hurt your rats' and your feelings, guys! Rats are definitely much friendlier!

**Aaron_S** · 12-12-08, 11:03 AM

I'm happy that your snake is eating again. I have a cinnamon female that's being a dink and won't eat for me again. She was on mice when I bought her, and she ate a f/t rat pink left in her tub and now she won't touch anything. I don't want to give into feeding mice again though. I may just try live.

**Aaron_S** · 12-12-08, 01:37 PM

Gacy is not a proper clown....

PDXErik · 12-12-08, 05:25 PM

You're probably too old for him, anyway.

**Aaron_S** · 12-12-08, 08:39 PM

Too true. As well I think he's dead.

Chu'Wuti · 12-13-08, 10:57 AM

You guys crack me up! I had to google this guy to find out what you were talking about--ugh! And yes, he's dead--executed May 10, 1994 . . . Sounds like it was a good thing in his case!

Aaron _S said:

Quote:

She was on mice when I bought her, and she ate a f/t rat pink left in her tub and now she won't touch anything. I don't want to give into feeding mice again

Is it really a problem if a BP never switches to rats? Somewhere someone was talking about the relative nutritional value of mice compared to rats, but other than a claim that rats are more nutritious, I haven't seen any details--is there really a difference? Why?

I'm going to be making a decision about this one way or the other for my own BP soon, so any info is greatly appreciated!

mykee · 12-14-08, 12:50 PM

There are huge nutritional differences between mice and rats but to be honest, I don'r remember where I read the info. Forget about that crap though, who wants to feed a 2000g mouse eater (that's a joke in itself, I've never seen a mouse eater ever come close to 200g) but who wants to feed an adult mouse eater 5-10 mice per meal, what a pain! Did I mention I hate mice?.....