Smells like chicken, Tastes like mice

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Smells like chicken, Tastes like mice

Postby axor » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:02 pm

Hi All

Been battling for a while to get my male ball python to eat (again)
When he does he only take small live rat pups. He won't take any f/t or any size mice either.

A friend mentioned that some guy's feed chickens. So while doing a bit of reaserch on the pros and cons of feeding chicken I found a site on how to get your snake to eat pre kill or f/t. The on thing they suggested is to dip the feeder into chicken broth, some snakes are supposed to like the taste.

So I had an idea, I took a chicken stock cube put it in hot water and put a couple of frozen pinkies in it. Didn't work. So I took a live adult mouse
and dipped it in the stock cube water. He took it straight away.

Altogether he ate 3. The most he has ever eaten. Now just to get him to take pre-kill or f/t.

Hope this might help others with picky feeders.
"I have never seen a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A little bird will fall dead, frozen from a bough, without ever having felt sorry for itself" D. H. Lawrence
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Postby Q Ball » Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:56 am

This sound like a great idea. I have a boa that I am trying to convert to bunnies. I might just try this. Great tip Axor.
I like candlelight dinners, romantic walks on the beach and poking dead things with a stick.
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Postby Bushviper » Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:36 am

I have heard of this as well as chicken baby pureed food which supposedly also works. I guess it would have less salt and preservatives in it. More expensive than chicken stock though.
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Postby cactus » Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:56 am

Hi axor
I have also heard that chicken broth dipped mice works well.

I have had great sucess converting W/C Royals from live food to frozen.
What I did was feed them a live mouse/rat pup, once the snake has constricted the mouse and has released it to start locating the head, remove the mouse/rat pup (be carefull, use forceps) you will notice that the snake will be very alert (still in feeding mode) Don't wate to long, 20 seconds or so and replace the mouse/rat pup while the snake is still in feeding mode. It should then take it. Keep repeating this evry time you feed, taking the mouse/rat pup away for longer each time. Eventually you will be able to feed pre stunned or killed and later frozen.

This has worked well as I have helped a friend with this aswell and he got his Royals to convert from live to frozen in no time.
Hope this may be of some help to you.
Let us know.

Rich.
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