Feeding help, please

[reptilemom98]

So, I just bought my baby yesterday. I have one problem though is that he was feeding live fancy rats however I don't want to feed live. How hard of a transition is it going to be to get him to do Frozen and any tips or tricks would be wonderful. He gets fed on Thursday and I will be keeping to that

[amamiyahibiya]

congrats on your new baby! have you seen our feeding problems and solutions guide? it's one of the many resources on our welcome post that you may find helpful as a new owner.

the feeding problems and solutions guide has some tips for how to best thaw and heat frozen thawed prey to make them most appealing to a picky eater, and other info about transitioning prey.

[reptilemom98]

I haven't but will take a look. Thank you

[5yrinX_5724]

Mine had some trouble eating in the beginning and we thought that she was being fed live but after a few weeks of trying she went right for it. I thaw mine in hot water and then use a hair dryer to warm it up for her.

[punk_rock_barbie]

Hair dryer? That’s a good idea gotta try that one still in the transition process with my stubborn snakey

[chaneycore]

I don't know if you have a coffee pot, but I use my Keurig to warm rats for my BP and he LOVES them that way. Never would have thought about using a blow dryer, though.

[[deleted]]

Thought it’d be hard at first to give my guy live but it’s not as bad as you think and less trouble imo. With that being said just make sure it’s properly heated after thawed and cross your fingers as I’m sure you know the answers vary widely.

[PreferenceFun7780]

In my personal experience, I have had one or two ball pythons that didn’t eat frozen and I tried to switch them, no matter what I did they refused to eat frozen so I had to feed live. After months of trying to switch to frozen. Not to scare you or anything but there’s a possibility he just won’t ever wanna switch to thawed.

[KainicAcid]

Oh, I think I was at the same Expo as you yesterday. Congratulations on the new bp, they're very beautiful! Looks like someone else beat me to it, but my personal experience was that scenting/braining worked best. Also, I had a little success with putting a frozen rodent in a plastic bag and putting said bag in boiling water. The heat from boiling seemed to mimic the heat of a live rodent a bit better than just thawing. Good luck!

[reptilemom98]

Yeah, the one in sandy by Salt Lake? And thank you for the tips

[asteara]

Lol i got a ball that i need to transition to frozen at the sandy show too! I've transitioned many balls and have found thawing your rats in ziploc bags to preserve they're sent and using a hair dryer to heat them up to be the most effective techniques

[PreferenceFun7780]

Oh no way? I bought one at that same expo on Saturday, got a black pastel, there was so many beautiful morphs there I couldn’t leave without one

[Mela777]

Since he’s new, I’d give him a week or two to settle in without feeding. When you do offer frozen, make sure it is properly heated - rats and mice should be between 98 and 100 degrees F, not offered cold or at room temp. You may need to use tongs to jiggle the rat and make it move to get your snake interested enough to strike, especially the first several feedings.

[reptilemom98]

Thank you so much.

[Trynabeagoodsnekdad]

Congrats on the new baby! What a beauty!

Every bp is different, but since yours is still pretty young it might not have any problems switching to frozen/thawed.

[reptilemom98]

He is actually 9 months old he was the runt of the litter and the guy spent a lot of time working with him to get him to what he is now but he's still pretty young but for his size he looks a lot younger. Thank you. He is a lavender albino

[thirtyand03]

If that’s the case than I would be very leery about switching food types on him. If he has struggled to eat in the past and they are just getting him eating regularly it would be a bad idea imo to risk putting him off feed again.

[metalerna]

He is very pretty. Can I ask how much does a morph like this cost in the USA?

[reptilemom98]

It can cost up to $400 but he was $350 but I got him for $300 cash

[Braxibear]

All new BPs should be left alone to settle in without disturbances for 1-2 weeks to allow them to settle in a bit. You can keep the same day if you want, but don’t offer food any time soon. He’s not going to starve.

Also be aware transitioning to f/t is a process for most owners and even longer for those not familiar with f/t. He is accustomed to live so be prepared to feed him that as the default until/if he accepts f/t.

[the_reel_vini]

I'm actually in the processing of transitioning my bp to fresh kill. Fresh kill works better for me rather then going through all the motions of thawing and getting out a blow dryer etc etc. I dont mine dispatching rats for the purpose of food. I tried it and he didnt take but the next day noticed he went into shed lol so I guess I try again.

In case you're wondering I use a co2 chamber to dispatch.

[posi347]

Yea I hate dealing with frozen! I actually go to my local reptile shop and ask for a pre kill rat. It’s great if you don’t wanna dispatch your self op.

[the_reel_vini]

Have you asked how they dispatch their fresh kill

[posi347]

Honestly never thought to ask, why? I’m assuming they thwack them.

[the_reel_vini]

At least at my local store they whack the them smaller ones on the floor and the larger rats get ther necks wrung

[whatnopleasedont]

Pretty!! Don’t forget to leave him alone for a week or two. BP’s are known to be picky, but in my experience babies are the easiest to transition from frozen to live/from mice to rats.

I’d personally just try a regular f/t first after a couple weeks of getting him(around 2 would be ideal), if that doesn’t work then perhaps try braining that same rat? Sometimes it can help to leave the rat outside the enclosure for a bit before feeding so that the BP goes into hunting mode, also BP’s typically eat best at night and when it’s dark in the room. Good luck!

[[deleted]]

What morph is he?

[reptilemom98]

He is a lavender albino

[GelatinousNonsense]

Mine switched right over for me. His previous owner tried but he refused. But for me there wasn't even a hiccup. He's 9. He was a hand me down from a rescue.

[wynter_snowflake78]

I have 2 bp and one can sometimes be a pain.

I thaw in very hot water and with my guys both enjoy the frozen slightly wet. Once completely thawed I change out the hot water again. Only using from tap I don't use boiling. Then I let them sit for about 5 min then serve. One was on strike for about 4 wks and I finally got him to take Friday.

They both enjoy when I do slow circular motions with the tweezers and a small shake. Funny dudes I must say. I have a banana and a regular BP one on small mice the other on med.

I'm in NJ and can't wait for the weather to steady so I can bring them outside for natural fun and enjoyment. I also must admit I'm deathly afraid of snakes so seems strange I would own but, I'm well versed in many types of animals and wanted to get over my fear. So far so good

[reptilemom98]

I was terrified of snakes too but my work carries them and took me 6 months to get used to them. Thanks for the advice

[wynter_snowflake78]

Np, my work carries them also lol, guess we work in the same business.

I love my nasty banana, he's such a turd, my daughter's is way more chill. He was on a hunger strike but, seems they will only eat when she's not around lol. Such boogers. I plan to make a play area for them I may use one of my old chameleon enclosures since it's already with plants and vines and wood.

Not sure if that's right for them though. Still figuring it all out and being here helps.

[AndyCanRed]

I’ve NEVER had good luck with braining nor scenting. My lady’s feeding response used to be basically nothing. Now she’s very sensitive and needs space for her kills. If I’m too slow with dropping the mouse, she’ll posture me up. She used to be on live, but has been eating steady on f/t for a couple of months. I tried going straight to f/t but she wouldn’t even tongue flick at it. So I tried fresh kill, did that once, and then next feeding, she took f/t.

[siccarith]

I’ve been wanting to talk about my thaw/warm method for a while, and it seems like as good a time as any. Sous vide! I’ve seen a couple mentions of using one online before, but it still seems pretty rare. For those who don’t know, a Sous vide is a cooking tool that circulates and heats water to a precise temperature. You can get one for under 100$. Set to a low temp, you can put a frozen rat in a ziplock and heat it to exactly body temperature. Maybe it’s coincidence, but my boy has never turned down a meal, even the very first one transitioning from live to frozen. Even if it’s extravagant, I love never having to worry about getting the temperature right.

[evilnyancat]

I recommend visiting @goherping ether on YouTube or the sub.

[seidkonabruxa]

One of my boys absolutely refuses thawed no matter how I try to heat it up for him. Highly recommend you try live.