Feeding f/t techniques - Page 2

**Aaron_S** · 01-26-11, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derekcm87

If it eats live mice, scenting it with a live mouse could very well work....

This makes no sense. I understand that dead mice and live mice might have a slightly different scent but overall I doubt it's the smell at that point.

What are your temps at? I have been very interested in keeping these guys again and I got some really good info on keeping them from a breeder friend. He likes to keep them hot and dry. He keeps his at a 90 - 92 degree hot side. Eat like champs. Feeds all his babies F/T right out of the egg. Rarely does he need to scent. Yours started on live so it'll be harder.

NennaMeerkat · 01-26-11, 04:54 PM

My temps are near that. Recently had to turn off my under the tank heater cause it was getting to hot. Waiting on my dimmer to come in the mail before I start using it again. Not sure if that is the problem or not. The temp difference isn't that much since I turned it off, mainly used at night right now since my house gets really cold then and didn't want the lamp on 24/7

And maybe if my breeder had used f/t from the egg my snake now would do so. But she fed live to all her snakes. Got no problem feeding live if I could readily find said pinkies right now my snake would be fed, happy, and me not stressing. At this point I am giving up on f/t and going to do a lot of phone calls tomorrow once again to see if anyone has pinkies. Hopefully they will.

Still don't understand stores that sell snakes and not their food...and that does include frozen. Plenty of snake selling stores but not so much their food.

**Aaron_S** · 01-26-11, 05:07 PM

Weird. Money is in the food. That's a regular cash flow.

What is "near that"? If it's below 90 then it could be part of the reason this is an issue. I pretty much believe these guys are dryer, very slightly cooler ball pythons.

Lankyrob · 01-26-11, 05:11 PM

If it is slightly cooler the snakecould well not eat as they need the correct temps for digestion. It may be once the heatmat is back on track and the temps back to what they were the snake will eat.

NennaMeerkat · 01-26-11, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Weird. Money is in the food. That's a regular cash flow.

Most of the stores around here I wouldn't buy from to begin with, most of their snakes do not look up to par with what I have seen on here and the one expo I went to in December. Not to mention most snakes are in WAY small homes and no sort of hides. Just basically carpet and water bowl with a heat lamp kind of thing. They sell snakes to make their money think they could honestly care less about the food.

As far as temperature goes it is usually around something between 90 and 92 degrees. Right now it is somewhere in the 87 degree area.

I wouldn't think a variant of a few degrees would mean that much...but I will try that and see what happens. A store I called a few moments ago (no pinkies) said she could be getting ready to shed but I haven't seen the blue eyes. She has been cruising around the water dish more, but as I said no blue eyes. Since I am in the same room with her I would have thought I would notice something like that, or a "dulling" of the scale color.

**Aaron_S** · 01-26-11, 05:49 PM

She could be. Some snakes will still eat in shed though.

You need to find out exact temps. Not this "somewhere" or "usually" business. I don't get where you think a few degrees variance is an ok thing. Keepers don't suggest 86 - 95 degrees just because the snake will survive. It's suggested at 90 -92 for a reason and purpose. It isn't a random number thought up.

NennaMeerkat · 01-26-11, 06:02 PM

Well I would but my gauge for measuring the temp stopped reliably taking the temp and thus Friday when I get paid I will get a new one until then I have to deal with what I have...which sucks as well as having no dimmer yet. Everything I thought was good isn't and trust me I normally could give you an accurate temp and have those temps right. Sucks not having the money when I need it.

No I don't think having the temps ranging is a good thing I am in the process of correcting that error. The fact of the matter is I didn't know her temps when I fed her when I first got her and the feedings afterward. Thus really the only thing that could change the temps is lack of under tank heater. Whatever the temp was before I got my crappy tank thermometer while the heating pad was on was obviously good enough for her to eat even if it wasn't in the 90's range or even exactly 92.

derekcm87 · 01-26-11, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

This makes no sense. I understand that dead mice and live mice might have a slightly different scent but overall I doubt it's the smell at that point.

I really dont want to seem lilke I am arguing. But it does make perfect sense, This is why you use the "braining" technique to increase the smell of the food item.... and when you freeze and thaw out a rodent in water alot of that smell is lost! Its the smell that triggers a snakes food response, When you dangle a rat in front of a snake, what is the first thing that happens, they flick their tongue to get the smell of the rodent to their jacobsons organ to tell them hey this is food. So if a snake voluntarily is eating live mice it associates that familiar smell with food and it eats. Scenting could very well not work in this situation but saying that it makes no sense to scent, makes no sense.