Burmese Python Eating Question!!!!!

Recently i've been trying to get my female albino Burmese off of LIVE Rats, And i've been trying to get her on F/T, but she just keeps turning her nose at them and refusing everything i give her,

This is really getting to me, and i really want to know how to get her on F/T , so any suggestions would be great to help me along the way!!

I HATE keeping live, their a pain in the butt!

but any help would be awesome! THANK YOU!

I haven't been over to my boyfriends house in 3 weeks, just got there lastnight, and he said she refusing every meal, i tryed F/T lastnight But All she did was smell it and then did one strike and turned her nose again....

So HELP on this would be great!!!

have you tried prekilled?

Sometimes you have to get them to accept prekilled before they will take F/T.

Originally Posted by Mooing Tricycle

have you tried prekilled?

Sometimes you have to get them to accept prekilled before they will take F/T.

We've tryed that too, She's really picky

Stories like this always amaze me. I kept several Burms for 16 years, and every single one of them would eat anything I offered them. Only on a very rare occasion if one was deep in shed would I have a refusal.

There was a time when I was 15 years old that I was between jobs and did not have enough money for feeders. I purchased frozen chicken legs, went home and boiled them(until cooked), let them cool to room temperature(internal) and fed them to my 12' and 8' Burms. They took the chicken without hesitation and had never been fed anything but live/stunned or F/T mice, rats, and rabbits. I then went and picked up a bag of drumettes that fed my other four Burms that were between 3'-4', again without hesitation.

I had gotten the idea from my Mother's manager at Winn Dixie, who I had purchased a custom built enclosure from. He had an 18 year old RTB that he had fed nothing but drumettes as a hatchling, and chicken legs from then on.

What are the conditions you are keeping the snake in?

You most likely already tried this, but sometimes the solution is as simple as movement. Dangling the feeder in front of the snake (with tongs or forceps) making it move as if it were alive might do the trick. Sometimes making the feeder bump into the snake's snout agitates them enough to trigger a feeding response.

Originally Posted by ApexPredatorBoids

You most likely already tried this, but sometimes the solution is as simple as movement. Dangling the feeder in front of the snake (with tongs or forceps) making it move as if it were alive might do the trick. Sometimes making the feeder bump into the snake's snout agitates them enough to trigger a feeding response.

Ive done this too, tongs come in handy since during feeding i don't like sticking my hands in there ... but thanks!

Originally Posted by RJK890

Stories like this always amaze me. I kept several Burms for 16 years, and every single one of them would eat anything I offered them. Only on a very rare occasion if one was deep in shed would I have a refusal.

There was a time when I was 15 years old that I was between jobs and did not have enough money for feeders. I purchased frozen chicken legs, went home and boiled them(until cooked), let them cool to room temperature(internal) and fed them to my 12' and 8' Burms. They took the chicken without hesitation and had never been fed anything but live/stunned or F/T mice, rats, and rabbits. I then went and picked up a bag of drumettes that fed my other four Burms that were between 3'-4', again without hesitation.

I had gotten the idea from my Mother's manager at Winn Dixie, who I had purchased a custom built enclosure from. He had an 18 year old RTB that he had fed nothing but drumettes as a hatchling, and chicken legs from then on.

What are the conditions you are keeping the snake in?

She's in a 90 gallon tank with her tank mate, a male they have been together since they were baby's, not related tho

She's on paper towel as i refuse to use anything but that, because i have such problems with buying the zoo med dirt, bark ect ect comming with mites

Her temps are good too

She's gone thru a shed, and still won't eat, i will try those chicken drum sticks tho... do you keep the bone in ???

One other thing to try (if you haven't already) is to make sure the temp of the rat being fed is approximate to what a live one would be (about 37C?). Temp of the food item can play a major part in the feeding response.

Most people will probably tell you that it's not a good idea to house snakes together for any reason other than breeding. That alone could be possibly be playing some part in why she's picky. Might be worth a try to separate them and see if that makes any difference.

i shall give'er a go and seperate them, and see what that does, and i will temp my rats with the temp gun to check them before feeding also

thanks guys