Finding Food Is Difficult

[Noh]

So it's become nigh impossible to find appropriately sized food now that my CA King is big enough for fuzzies. Pet stores rarely have them, if they carry live at all. Ive contacted breeders on craigslist, and none have answered back.

I've simply been feeding her multiple pinkies at once, usually two. Today I gave her three because they were the first available that I found in weeks, and they were born today. They're so small. She has eaten a fuzzy only once, and ate it easily within a span of minutes, if that. I think she's too big for pinkies now. I'd like to switch her off them, because they're not very nutritious.

I can only imagine how difficult it will be to find food for her once she's too big for fuzzies.

Feeding her frozen/thawed would be so much easier, but she absolutely refuses. Scenting, poking the head open, zombie dance... nothing works. She only eats live. I tried again a week ago, no dice.

What should I do?

[craigafrechette]

Have you tried offering a live pinkie followed by a F/T pinkie?
Sometimes that helps the transition.

[EL Ziggy]

How old is your king? Some can be harder to transition to f/t but given enough time most will. I'm still a firm believer that the hunger always wins in the end. Sometimes it does take a bit of tough love though. I've had snakes that took months of effort but they all ate eventually. I've developed kind of an eat or starve mentality and I haven't seen a healthy animal starve itself yet when consistently offered food.

[craigafrechette]

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

How old is your king? Some can be harder to transition to f/t but given enough time most will. I'm still a firm believer that the hunger always wins in the end. Sometimes it does take a bit of tough love though. I've had snakes that took months of effort but they all ate eventually. I've developed kind of an eat or starve mentality and I haven't seen a healthy animal starve itself yet when consistently offered food.

^^^^Also great advice.^^^^

I don't see you having too much difficulty getting your King eating. Kings are notorious for being garbage disposals. My King would eat a slice of pizza (it would have to be meat lovers of course,hahhahha) if I dangled it in his enclosure with tongs.

[pet_snake_78]

Here's what I do: Just buy two trio of adult mice and keep them in a lab cage. That would provide you with enough food plus extras you can sell off and make a few bucks from. Chances are within a few months the snake will transition to f/t prey either off long blunt end tweezers or just left in cage. Sometimes fresh prekilled rodents can help with transition