Snake feeding: live to F/T

[iamthegame06]

i have a sub adult corn snake that i got a few months ago.. the previous owner said that she would feed her live mice and sometimes frozen thawed..ever since i got her i've been feeding her live mice because there are no pet shops around my area that sells frozen mice..i just decided that i was gonna start feeding her f/t because i thought it'll be a lot easier than going to the pet store to get a mice every week, so i went ahead and bought a pack of frozen mice online..today, i tried feeding her the f/t mice, and she wouldn't eat it, i tried wiggling the mice and stuff but she still doesnt want it..i've read online that most people never had any problem with corn snakes eating f/t and that some people would actually just leave the f/t mice in the feeding enclosure and the snake would just eat it..any suggestions on what i can do to help my snake get used to eating f/t? (and also my snake just shed the other night)

 

[awiec]

You can have the mouse de-thaw near the cage, snakes use their tongues to "taste" smells so she would be able to smell it as it dethaws and it will ramp up a feeding response. Another trick is to put some chicken broth on the mouse or crack its skull open as that puts out a stronger smell (I would try the first method first though). Good luck with this, some snakes just won't take frozen but you can keep on trying, she will get hungry eventually. I had a sand boa who would take his sweet time, he would play around with it, bite the limbs off one at a time and THEN eat it.

 

[iamthegame06]

thank you for the response! i tried leaving the mice overnight in her feeding enclosure but she didn't touch it, i had to throw away the mice though as it was starting to smell the next morning..but i will try the first method you said tonight, hope it works! i bought months worth of frozen mice and i dont want it to go to waste lol

 

[catfishrod69]

I have a red tail boa, and the very first time i tried feeding it was f/t. It wasnt interested. So what i did was buy a live mouse, stick it in a bag, and smack it off a rock. The mouse was still kicking just a tiny bit, and the snake took it. The very next feeding it switched to f/t, and is now pounding f/t medium rats. You could try something along those lines too.

Also how i thaw my mice and rats out, is in a pair of plastic cups. I place the feeders in one cup, fill it with cold water about halfway. Then put some cold water in another cup, and set inside the first one. This keeps the feeders from floating and in constant contact with the water. Once they are completely thawed out, i run the water til its hot, and redo the process with hot water. Then feed the snakes as the feeders are still warm. Snakes eat living creatures, and the trick is convincing their brain that the feeder is alive. Make sure the feeder is warm, if you have to, cut into the brain cavity to get a little smell out. Sometimes wiggling it just wont work, and you have to drag it around the substrate fast like the mouse is running around. Keep trying, im sure that it will switch over for you. Feeding f/t is not just the easiest way, but its the safest way. Live feeders carry parasites and diseases that snakes cant fend off in captivity. And if a mouse or rat bites the snake you could be looking at a severe problem leading to death.

 

[iamthegame06]

thanks for the reply! feeding a live mice doesnt bother me, but i dont think i can kill a mouse though, i would feel really bad haha! she finally ate last night! all i did was thaw it out and then pulled the mice by its tail around the feeding tub as if the mice was running around (much like what catfishrod69 mentioned) and it worked lol we'll see if i get lucky again next week lol

 

[catfishrod69]

Well that is great! She should take f/t every time now. Maybe she will start taking it easier too. Some of my snakes i can just toss the feeder in front of them, and they take it. Others i have to babysit.

 

[Enn49]

It's often not enough to just thaw the mouse but get it really warm. I put mine in a food bag in a bowl of very hot but not boiling water.

 

[awiec]

thanks for the reply! feeding a live mice doesnt bother me, but i dont think i can kill a mouse though, i would feel really bad haha! she finally ate last night! all i did was thaw it out and then pulled the mice by its tail around the feeding tub as if the mice was running around (much like what catfishrod69 mentioned) and it worked lol we'll see if i get lucky again next week lol

My snake was raised on f/t but I still had to wiggle it a little bit to get his attention, then he'd play with it for a bout 20 minutes, plus I think he learned the association between his feeding box and food. I wish you all the luck with your snake, my snake unfortunately died so I can live through everyone else on the board.

 

[iamthegame06]

My snake was raised on f/t but I still had to wiggle it a little bit to get his attention, then he'd play with it for a bout 20 minutes, plus I think he learned the association between his feeding box and food. I wish you all the luck with your snake, my snake unfortunately died so I can live through everyone else on the board.

im sorry about your snake..and thank you! this is my second snake, my first snake was a ball python, had it when i was a kid but it got too big for me to take care off so my mom had to give it away :/