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As much as I HATE to agree with Apex, I have fed the non-F/T eaters in my collection live for many, many years and not once have I ever had an issue. It seems the ones who cry the story about snakes getting eaten alive by live rats are the ones who have never fed a live rat.
I speak from vast experience, you all do not.
As much as I HATE to agree with Apex, I have fed the non-F/T eaters in my collection live for many, many years and not once have I ever had an issue. It seems the ones who cry the story about snakes getting eaten alive by live rats are the ones who have never fed a live rat.
I speak from vast experience, you all do not.
Yes Mykee, no one here is as experienced or as wise as you
__________________ Alessia
Quote:
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anatole France
As much as I HATE to agree with Apex, I have fed the non-F/T eaters in my collection live for many, many years and not once have I ever had an issue. It seems the ones who cry the story about snakes getting eaten alive by live rats are the ones who have never fed a live rat.
I speak from vast experience, you all do not.
I can't really say whether I like them or not as I have never met either, and people tend to go further on-line than in person. Either or both could be very nice, caring people in person.
What I can say is that in my opinion, they cross too many `social lines and show alot of disrespect and a lack of compassion, which I don`t personally agree with.
I can't really say whether I like them or not as I have never met either, and people tend to go further on-line than in person. Either or both could be very nice, caring people in person.
What I can say is that in my opinion, they cross too many `social lines and show alot of disrespect and a lack of compassion, which I don`t personally agree with.
Nice and caring I don't think so but no one can't say they don't got any knowledge they know a lot of stuff
Lets deviate from the debating and arguing about this... The OP was simply asking if he could switch from live to f/t and probably wanted a method on how to do it, no need for a debate. Dont we all understand by now that both methods are completely, or should I say 99.9% safe, as long as done correctly? Ive seen this debate far too many times and its not like its ever resolved.. a pointless discussion imo if you already know the facts.
who`s arguing??, we`re conversing and sharing opinions!!
But you`re right, we should get back on track.
As much as I may not be as experienced with B/P`s as some here. I can say if you want him on F/T eventually, you will probably have to wait him out. As long as you can feel his spine but not his ribs he will not starve (I have been assured by trusted sources) by refusing what you are offering.
Sometimes an in between step would be fresh-killed (as in still twiching) first and when he`s eating those, then try F/T
Please, lets not do this. Last thing I want to see is yet another heated exchange so provocation is not advised. Anyway, the whole live vs f/t...
The OP had asked what needs to be done to switch to f/t. I think a lot of patience is needed if this is going to be pulled off. Alessia has an awesome video on the "nom nom dance". Other people call it a zombie dance where after youve warmed up the dead rat, you take it by the tongs and perform a dance in front of the snake. Try this and it may not work the first time but if you are persistant, it will eventually happen.
As most of you know, I do feed live for reasons already stated in otherthreads but in no way to I try to convince others that my way is better. I am aware of the risks and also have told people that the only ways to be 100% safe is f/k or f/t.
Back to the OP's real question... There are a few methods:
Method #1: Stop offering live. At the next feeding, offer an f/t rat that has been heated up well, and use tongs to make it "dance" and appear alive. Cross your fingers and hope for the best. If he doesn't take it, wait another week and try again. You can keep this up for several weeks and eventually he'll be hungry enough to eat it. You can leave the f/t rat with him overnight by one of his hides, in case he decides to eat it overnight.
Method #2: Offer him a fresh-killed, or stunned rat first. This helps some ball pythons transition from live to f/t by having an intermediate "step" in the process. You can leave the fresh-killed rat with him overnight by one of his hides, in case he decides to eat it overnight. Make sure the rat is dead and will not pose any danger to your snake before you choose to leave it overnight in his enclosure.
My "nom-nom dance" video that exwizard mentions in the above post is a video I made about how to entice your ball python to eat an f/t rat:
Key things to remember: this process can be short and only take 2 or 3 tries, or it maybe be a really long process. Keep track of your snake's weight and don't give in. If you've offered f/t 3 weeks in a row and give up and offer live, the snake might catch on that if he ignores the f/t, eventually he'll get a live rat. You can keep up this fight for a while- so long as your snake isn't losing weight, and looks and acts healthy, you can keep offering f/k or f/t until he finally takes it. Some ball pythons will never make the switch, no matter what you try. So keep that in mind too.
__________________ Alessia
Quote:
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anatole France
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