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Need to pick ya'lls brain

John E Dove

John E Dove

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I have a new local customer who purchased a yearling Corn from me and in our discussions on feeding I informed her that I feed my Corns pre-killed, frozen, thawed and warmed rats of the proper size due to their superior nutritional value. Now she has decided to start breeding her own rats so she can provide the best nutrition for her snakes.

Here is the problem ya'll can help with since I am not a BP person.
She has a Ball Python, it is healthy, happy, and she has been feeding it on live wild caught mice. She said she once tried to switch it to pre-killed mice once but it would not eat them and she gave up after two weeks on no eating.
Now she wants to switch it to frozen pre-killed rats. I know a number of things she can try but was wondering if you BP experts have any suggestions.
 
Hi John!
Making the switch from live w/c mice to F/T domestic rodents for a ball python can be really challenging with some BPs. Making the switch from live domestic rodents to F/T can be quite a challenge within itself with many different species. I think heat & scent are going to be the two main factors.

Obviously, using tongs to simulate "live" prey is one thing to try, but keeping scent & heat in mind might help. One of the easiest ways I've been able to get 'em switched over is to feed them a small live or stunned prey first, and while they're coiled around it, lay a warmed F/T prey right beside them. It usually takes a few times of doing this but some eventually come around to the idea. They seem to get confused as to which one they just killed and will sometimes take them both.

Washing a F/T rodent with Ivory soap (the plain, non-scented, white bar soap or the clear dishwashing liquid) can sometimes help. Using warm water helps warm it at the same time.

Sometimes you have to play the waiting game with them. You have to out-wait them, and it can easily take more than 2 weeks without food before they give in. For 2yrs in a row I went this route with an adult male Burmese Python. He'd go off feed during breeding season, going as long as 5 months without eating, so I thought I had him where I wanted him. Well, after another month of trying to get him to take F/T I finally felt sorry for him & gave in.

The following year I didn't give in to him. After being off feed for nearly 5 months I kept trying F/T once a week for several weeks. Finally, after almost 2 more months without eating he figured he'd better take what he can get. He now eats F/T without a problem, and has even made the switch from rats to rabbits.

Given my example I mentioned, I think it goes to show that the timing of when to switch them can be important, too. I wouldn't have let him go so long without feed during breeding season or just before it. But after breeding season worked to my advantage.

Some snakes are really finnicky eaters. The male I mentioned used to be. Even to the point of taking as long as two hours to get into feeding mode with live rodents. I had a normal BP that would eat F/T rabbit babies at the drop of a hat. Took them the first time they were offered.

I hope this helps.

Have a good one!
HH
 
i agree with hillbilly and also you could try dipping its head into warm chicken broth which u can pick up for about 89 cents a can. when trying to change always defrost the prey entirely and gets its body up to atleast room temperature and use the tongs as stated above. put the rat close to it and if no action lightly touch the snakes nose then move it away a little and let it dangle some to make him think its live prey. ive always used chicken broth to get mine to switch but i only have carpet pythons and never had a ball. i would think it would or might work on them as well but if not u still didnt lose out but 89 cent for the can of chicken broth lol.
 
I have had good luck by letting the food item you want it to eat "marinade" in some fresh bedding of the food item it likes to have.

Along with the placing another food item in with a rodent that has been killed by the snake. I had a female that I was trying to switch from live mice to F/T rats (live mice, to stunned mice, to prekilled mice, to F/T mice, to rats). All went well untill I tried to introduce the rats. Finally I decided to let her have the F/T mouse, but went with a smaller offering. Just as she was finishing the mouse and the legs were just going in, I would take a F/T rat of the right size and put it in her mouth and she kept right on going. After using that trick a couple times I tried the rat without the mouse and things have been great ever since, it did take me almost 18 months, but worth the effort.
 
Well, although the BP probably appears healthy, the chances are high it's picked up parasites from eating w/c mice. So clearing those out would probably improve its appetite and its willingness to try new things. I would opt for switching it to domestic mice first. From there, a live rat fuzzy rolled generously in soiled mouse bedding will often do the trick--once taking a live rat, offer stunned rats on tongs. Then pre-killed, and finally f/t rolled in soiled rat bedding. This process can take months for a very stubborn snake. There are always a few ball pythons that just won't switch--they're notorious for their stubbornness. When they decide to be picky, they can hold out until they starve to death. I've had the best success switching ball pythons to new prey when I have them eating every single week--if they refuse the new prey item, then they get what they want, and I try again next week. The habit and expectation of food coming regularly seems to help.
There are a lot of tricks to try, but every once in a while, you'll get one that none of them will work on. In most cases, EXTREME patience and perseverence will let you win. <lol>
 
Thanks for the input folks. I did pass on all of the suggestions made as well as my own which I guess was something of a combination of ideas.
The BP did eat it's first first frozen thawed and warmed crawler rat last night.
The lady took one of the crawler rats I gave her and thawed in in the dirty mouse bedding I supplied. Then she dangled it in front of the snake sticking out of it's hide. Since the snake has some neurological disorder it took a few strikes for it to get the prey but it tried and on the fourth try it got the rat and ate it.
I may not be fond of Balls but I am always happy when an owner starts on a more healthy path for their snake regardless of the species.
 
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