How do I transition?

Summa8806 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-13-2004, 06:16 PM

How can I transition my snakes from live to F/T mice?

toker · #2 (**permalink**) 07-13-2004, 06:38 PM

I never had to do anything major to get them switched. For example, I am 100% sure every snake I got was fed live. In fact my first rescue was a 5y/o boa that was fed live its whole life, reason given, "would not take f/t" funny thing is... I took her home, gave her a week to settle in, offered f/t, took it

Here is what you do,

Get you a frozen rodent.

Thaw it in warm water until its thawed, then put it in HOT water. dont go boiling it, just as hot as your tab water can go. Put it in there for a little bit to get it nice and warm. It needs to be a bit more than room temp. Put your snake in a tote, and then grab the mouse with BBQ Tongs, work it around the tote a bit. once the snake takes interest work it a little closer, POW done, and that is more of a rush than live IMHO

Here is my recipe for mouse soup

Start off with a bowl of cold water, put mouse in it. Put the bowl in HOT water so it warms up slow. Let sit for 30min. Take the mouse out and put it in HOT water for 15min. Feel the head really well to be sure there is no cold left in it.

Your done

lethargiic · #3 (**permalink**) 07-13-2004, 06:53 PM

wait toker!! you forgot that he needs to do the happy mouse/rat dance if he wants his boa to eat...

sheesh...goofy boy.

JuliusSqueezer · #4 (**permalink**) 07-13-2004, 07:15 PM

http://redtailboa.net/index.php?name...wtopic&t=17902

Please read my post in your other thread.

Quote:

wait toker!! you forgot that he needs to do the happy mouse/rat dance if he wants his boa to eat...

Sometimes this is needed, sometimes it isn't. I don't think I have a boa that requires it. Sometimes one of my females attacks a bit quicker when she's in blue ready to shed if I wiggle it. But most of my snakes, I can just leave it in the bottom of the tote or in the cage on a paper plate and they get gone. My arboreals, eat off the tongs because they eat from the perches but they beet me at the door and snatch it from me off the tongs long before any "rat dance"

Once again, snakes eat dead things. Transition by way of fresh killed and then f/t is silly. Like a snake even knows what a freezer is. If your stock of frozen rodents is fresh and not freezer burned then it should make no difference unless you aren't properly thawing and warming.

I went on a snake call today and caught a black ratsnake in a ladies basement. who wants to place bets that tomorrow when I feed it a f/t rat it won't eat it? I dare ya to take the bet! lol. To date I'm batting 1000 on this but have only tried it a few thousand times so it's probably just luck so far lol

Summa8806 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-13-2004, 07:36 PM

Thank you guys so much! I am going to have to do this to my BP who has been eating live for about a year, and my new boa that is coming home next week, I'll post pics as soon as I can. Thanks again!

toker · #6 (**permalink**) 07-13-2004, 07:55 PM

Quote:

wait toker!! you forgot that he needs to do the happy mouse/rat dance if he wants his boa to eat

LOL, not always.

I just got two new baby balls a little while ago... one of them will snif the mouse, open its mouth and just sit there. you have to put the mouse in its mouth and then it will start eating.

each critter is different

lethargiic · #7 (**permalink**) 07-13-2004, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toker

Quote:

wait toker!! you forgot that he needs to do the happy mouse/rat dance if he wants his boa to eat

LOL, not always.

I just got two new baby balls a little while ago... one of them will snif the mouse, open its mouth and just sit there. you have to put the mouse in its mouth and then it will start eating.

each critter is different

lol well cmon...u gotta do the happy mouse dance and sing...i do but brad rolls his eyes at me n calls me retarded...
yeah i know im weird

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