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slitheringin
Joined: 25 Jul 2006
Posts: 378
Location: Mountain Home Arkansas
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 Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 5:17 pm Post subject: New Baby Eats |
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Hello all,
I tried to feed Shifty a f/t hopper, thawed it, used a hair dryer to warm it up, used tongs to do a mouse dance, left it in the cage over night, all to no luck. So I bought a hopper at the store (Renee was feeding live) and brought it home to Shifty, who snatched it up, stuffed it in his mouth and disappeared down his hole.
Am I going to have to feed him live food from now on? I've heard that once they have a preference you can't change their mind. Ugh! Is it true?
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Jordan700
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 1048
Location: Petaluma, California
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| Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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Sometimes, but not always. I have balls that have eaten live all their life, and I offer frozen and they take it. I have other balls that won't even give a frozen rodent a second look. So it just depends on your snake. Sometimes letting him go a few extra days without eating will encourage him to eat frozen. Hope this works! 
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Jordan700
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 1048
Location: Petaluma, California
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| Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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To add on to my post above...I had a pastel ball that hadn't eaten for 5 months. I finally got him to start eating again, about 3 months ago, and today he actually ate a frozen weanling rat! So by looking at this, you can see how much their eating habits can change in a short period of time.
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slitheringin
Joined: 25 Jul 2006
Posts: 378
Location: Mountain Home Arkansas
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:02 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Jordan. I'll just keep trying to feed f/t each time and let him go a few extra day between feeding, like you suggested. I really don't like feeding live. With him being so young, you don't think it will hurt him, like stunt his growth or something?
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lindsey_marshall00
Joined: 05 Jul 2006
Posts: 568
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:48 am Post subject: |
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Why all the fuss about feeding live dinner?? I dont think I could feed f/t mice to my babies..I don't think i could deal with looking at those poor little mice frozen. Is there a reason people perfer f/t? Could it be that they can leave it in there with the snake? (I dont have to worry about that-mine eat as soon as it hits the floor) And if I do decide to start feeding f/t that would work for the 2 bp's but do they make large frozen guniea pigs??
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Jordan700
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 1048
Location: Petaluma, California
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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They make frozen guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, pretty much whatever you can think of. Some people like to feed frozen because it cant fight back. Frozen is also cheaper than live, and you can buy large quantities and keep them for a long time. I personally feed both live and frozen, just because I don’t always have enough live rats on hand to feed
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Cryptly
Joined: 25 Jun 2006
Posts: 58
Location: NY
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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My problem with live is my cat, Kali.
Kali loves rodents. . .loves to kill them. The one time I brought a live for my Cal King, she went nuts. The second I walked through the door with the mouse she was trying to get at it. When I put it in my Cal King's enclosure, she went nuts trying to get into the snake's enclosure. I can't close doors to keep her out, because she can open doors (I'll have to get video of this, it's a riot watching her open doors!  ).
Before that, she never bothered at all with the snake. She also never bothers with frozen mice. I can leave them on the counter to defrost and she won't go anywhere near them. So, for the safety of all involved parties, I use F/T exclusively.
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Jordan700
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 1048
Location: Petaluma, California
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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LOL. Thats one good cat!
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Moshi
Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 303
Location: Pinellas Park Fl
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| Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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My mom wont let me keep mice in the freezer. that's why I feed live. I would prefer to feed frozen. I work late and the pet store closes before i leave. So sometimes I can't feed her when I want to. f/t would be sooooo much easier.
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deborahbroadus
Moderator
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 6855
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:25 am Post subject: |
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| Moshi wrote: | | My mom wont let me keep mice in the freezer. that's why I feed live. I would prefer to feed frozen. I work late and the pet store closes before i leave. So sometimes I can't feed her when I want to. f/t would be sooooo much easier. |
would your mom let you have one of those small refridgerators in your room? (the college sized?) You can keep a few rats in there..they have small freezers you could keep one in your room. ((just a thought))
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deborahbroadus
Moderator
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 6855
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:36 am Post subject: |
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| Jordan700 wrote: | | They make frozen guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, pretty much whatever you can think of. Some people like to feed frozen because it cant fight back. Frozen is also cheaper than live, and you can buy large quantities and keep them for a long time. I personally feed both live and frozen, just because I don’t always have enough live rats on hand to feed |
Jordan is correct, frozen can't fight back. As the snake gets bigger, bigger prey  is needed in order to ensure that the snakes are getting optium health benefits from their food. Some of us prefer not to take the risk that accompanies feeding live, because we have seen what live prey can do to snakes.
I, too, feed both live and f/t, because the babies aren't on f/t yet and I prefer to get meat on their bones before switching them. I haven't failed YET. ((knock on wood))!
Also, for me, it's easier to get the giant frozen rats and feed them, because some of my babies aren't babies. This is cheaper for me, because they stay full for a while and their growth rates are enormous so the rats are as big around as their girths!! They may not eat as often, but one large rat goes a long way ((haven't had any regurges either)).
Finally, my snakes aren't cheap, and I am simply not willing to risk it, because I don't want to have to fight a big rat if it decides to bite.
Really, it's a matter of preference. If you are happy feeding live and you know what you are doing, continue. 8)
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deborahbroadus
Moderator
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 6855
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:47 am Post subject: Re: New Baby Eats |
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| slitheringin wrote: | Hello all,
I tried to feed Shifty a f/t hopper, thawed it, used a hair dryer to warm it up, used tongs to do a mouse dance, left it in the cage over night, all to no luck. So I bought a hopper at the store (Renee was feeding live) and brought it home to Shifty, who snatched it up, stuffed it in his mouth and disappeared down his hole.
Am I going to have to feed him live food from now on? I've heard that once they have a preference you can't change their mind. Ugh! Is it true? |
How long have you had Shifty? I forget. Like Jordan said...it depends on the snake. You can feed live (I would stun the prey first unless it's a ratpup), and try again later (a month or so) to feed f/t.
Lots of people have had success with that macrena dance with the rats, but I have seen that more often than not, it turns them off the food ((yes, I tried)). :P Now, I just put the warmed rat in the tub and leave it. Usually within an hour it is gone. If it is not gone, I might leave it overnight, and dispose of it first thing in the morning if it is still there. (Some of them take their time coming out to eat.)
I wouldn't try again for a week. Give him time to get hungry, and to forget the weird mouse that was acting VERY strange. If shifty has some meat on his bones, I wouldn't worry about the refusal to eat once or twice...it takes time for them to come around to f/t. But you know your snake better than I since you are there, if it is not acting stressed from the dancing rat...continue as you were. But do give it time between attempts, or it will definitely get stressed.
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slitheringin
Joined: 25 Jul 2006
Posts: 378
Location: Mountain Home Arkansas
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| Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:52 am Post subject: |
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Hi Deb,
I've had Shifty since Aug 7th. The store has me feeding him hoppers, but I think that isn't enough for him, doesn't even make the slightest bulge and he looks like he looks for more so I'm gonna bump him up to a small mouse or rat pup. He's a bit flighty so I have to move carefully with him. I handle him a bit, not too much, don't want to stress him out.
He spends most of his time hiding. In fact, he went into a shed and I didn't even know until this a.m. I saw him out last night & thought he was just hunting. This brings up another question. Go to the new post "Shedding." Thanks!
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deborahbroadus
Moderator
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 6855
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:41 am Post subject: |
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| slitheringin wrote: | Hi Deb,
I've had Shifty since Aug 7th. The store has me feeding him hoppers, but I think that isn't enough for him, doesn't even make the slightest bulge and he looks like he looks for more so I'm gonna bump him up to a small mouse or rat pup. He's a bit flighty so I have to move carefully with him. I handle him a bit, not too much, don't want to stress him out.
He spends most of his time hiding. In fact, he went into a shed and I didn't even know until this a.m. I saw him out last night & thought he was just hunting. This brings up another question. Go to the new post "Shedding." Thanks! |
By now you may have seen several posts that advise that the Ball be fed prey that is no wider around than the largest part of it's girth. That's always a good rule of thumb to follow. 
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slitheringin
Joined: 25 Jul 2006
Posts: 378
Location: Mountain Home Arkansas
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| Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:37 am Post subject: |
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Hi Deb,
I gave Shifty a mouse. He eagerly took it, ate it, and there was the teeniest bump along his sides. And he looked satisfied, something that he didn't look before. So I'll go with the mouse, and for the future, just get a couple, and try a 2nd one after the first if he still looks hungry.
Debbie
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