|
There's a huge difference between the smell (& presumably taste) of rats & mice. I'd try a mouse, maybe a live crawler (eyes closed). Not saying it will fill him up, but you want him to accept food, then graduate to more practical fare. Actually, domestic rats & mice all smell different from wild rodents too; remember that some of their scent also comes from what they eat (not lab blocks, lol). I feed pre-killed (F/T or fresh killed) whenever possible, but sometimes you just have to offer what nature does first so their instincts respond the right way, & that goes for c/b snakes as well as w/c's I've helped.
I have also dealt with some wild species that respond better to gerbils or hamsters as food, presumably because they smell more like wild rodents. Be aware that while baby rats & mice with eyes still closed are harmless (do not fight back), the same cannot be said for baby hamsters. Even with eyes closed, they growl & bite effectively, so it's best not to offer them live unless feeding venomous, as they're too small for a constrictor like yours- if underestimated & swallowed live (as many snakes do) they could do real damage.
|