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Well, it certainly doesn't have to be wet - I know some short-tails who WON'T eat wet prey (picky little divas!) but it definitely needs to be warm. And warmer than what would trigger many snakes into a feeding response. First of all, it will help if your STP is already accustomed to taking prey off of hemostats - this makes things easier with just about any snake, actually. Prior to offering your short-tail a F/T prey item, ensure that the thawed rodent is very warm to the touch - leaving it on a heating pad for about 10 - 15 minutes (make sure you "flip" the rodent in the interim to ensure it's warm all the way through) usually does the trick...just don't forget it's there!
Anway, when the rodent is quite warm, offer it to your short-tail. Having a sufficiently heated feeder is typically all it takes to get these snakes switched to F/T. Once your snake is steadily eating F/T you usually won't have to go to such lengths to warm the prey items, although you should ALWAYS ensure that any frozen rodents are thoroughly thawed & warmed before offering them to any snake.
Just my $.02
K
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