switching to rats

[piketpik]

Followings the advices from the forum, I am trying to switch from mice to rats.

This is 3 weeks my BP is not eating, refusing the rats (fuzzys) but before that she was eating great adult mice (same weight) once a week.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

[Hellbound]

I had the same problem with a JCP of mine. The only thing i could think of doing was to put a large mouse and a rat pup in the same bag. Let them hang out in there for about 5 minutes, exchange smells, then feed the mouse to the JCP first to get him in eating mode. After he ate i place the rat right infront of him and he nabbed it right up. He paused for awhile after he was done restricting to check it out but eventually ate it. My jungle carpet had a very strong feeding response as it was though. Might of just been luck but it worked for me, good luck with that!

[piketpik]

Thanks for this.
I feed her with frozen food.
Will the smell go from one to the other once thawed?

[Herpkid101x]

just give it mice again. if its not eating it doesnt want it some bps while readily take rats from mice or both. are u trying to switch since rats are a bit more nutrious?

[gonesnakee]

I found that thawing out the mice & the rats in the same bag works wonders. Also being a BP make sure the rat is right warm when offered, sometimes all it takes is for the prey to be 10-15 F hotter. Anyhow offer the mice scented rat first & if after a couple tries no luck (they will quite often strike & grab & then spit it out), then try the rat scented mouse (it will most likely take this). If you do so with smaller than normal prey you can follow the rat scented mouse with the mouse scented rat (as Hellbound suggested) & quite often they will take it as well. Trying these methods over time usually works. Mark
P.S. you can also smear blood from a mouse over the rats as well for scenting or thaw the rats out in used mice bedding works too

[mykee]

I agree with Mark completely. I have also found that if you throw a live rat into some mouse bedding, the rat will pick up enough of the scent from the mouse, that it will fool them into eating. I've had to do this with two mouse eaters when they were born. Worked after three feedings this way.

[gonesnakee]

If you have the option of having small young live rats they work wonders yes & once on small live ones switch them to FT ones. I don't have the option of live rats being in AB so it can be a little more tricky sometimes getting them started on FT ones. Mark

[piketpik]

Originally Posted by Herpkid101x

just give it mice again. if its not eating it doesnt want it some bps while readily take rats from mice or both. are u trying to switch since rats are a bit more nutrious?

Thanks to every body

I am no trying this to get more nutrious, but I would like my BP to eat one rat instead of plenty of mice. Cheaper and easier at the long run.

I have no live mice avail at home... only 2 guinee pigs and 1 chinchilla... but I not to sure my kids will let me use their pets a bait

I got a mouse last nite.I will have the rat and and the mouce defrosting in the same bag tonight ... I'll let you know.


Question for Gonesnakee: when you say "once on small live ones switch them to FT ones" This means go from live to frozen? Sorry, I don't get "FT"


Thanks again

[MorbidMindset]

i dont know for sure but from what i have read from other comments is that FT means frozen thawed..i think..lol

[gonesnakee]

Originally Posted by MorbidMindset

i dont know for sure but from what i have read from other comments is that FT means frozen thawed..i think..lol

Yep you guessed it FT = Frozen thawed (& warmed up too of course ). Mark

[piketpik]

I kinda guessed but wanted to make sure....
English not being my first language... so acronyms are not the easiest to get

[Herpkid101x]

lol piketpik u could maybe feed the guinia pigs and chinchilia to the snake then buy anotehr one before they notice lol

[piketpik]

Originally Posted by Herpkid101x

lol piketpik u could maybe feed the guinia pigs and chinchilia to the snake then buy anotehr one before they notice lol

my kid's been doing karate for a month now.... I won't risk it


lol



I tried last nite... it took the mice a a split of a second but did not take the rat.

I'll try the live rat next time....

[piketpik]

Yeahhhh !

Sssamy accepted the first rat today.

She was fasting for the last 3 weeks ( I wanted to make sure she would be hungry)


I left the baby rat in the tank. She shew interest but did not move for the 5 first min. She stroke straight at the face, was ready to swallow after that.


I hope now she's gonna accept the frozen rats.

Prior to that, I tried frozen rat thawing with a mouse, but it never worked.

[PYTHONS_TEGUS]

i know this is an old thread. BUT did you try braining? or switch brains from the mouse to the rat. you can take the guts from the mouse on onto the rat(: