2006-07-17 16:56:19 · 12 answers · asked by Z, unnecessary letter 5 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
It depends on the age of the snake. If it's young, it should be easier to switch over. The easiest transistion would be from live to pre-killed to finally frozen/thawed. If it's a young snake and you find that he's being a little picky with the pre-killed, you can try dipping it in chicken broth or "braining" the mouse pinky/fuzzy in order to get a better feeding response. You also might want to dangle it a couple inches from his head using tongs and move it around a little.
2006-07-18 03:39:18 · answer #1 · answered by xyz_gd 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the snake, but I've raised perhaps a hundred corn, rat, and kingsnakes on frozen mice ever since the snakes were just out of the egg.
It's actually much healthier to feed frozen-thawed prey, since any parasites in the rodents are killed by prolonged freezing.
To switch from live to frozen/thawed, try the following: give your snake a small live item. After the snake has eaten, immediately offer another small freshly-killed item on tongs. You might have to wiggle it a little, but your snake will be in hunting mode, and will certainly take the food. Next time you feed your snake, start out by offering just the pre-killed. Once your snake is eating only pre-killed, try offering a pre-killed and then a frozen/thawed just after, and so on.
Much more info here:
http://www.anapsid.org/prekill.html.
2006-07-18 16:14:47 · answer #2 · answered by Tenley_S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a gopher snake who eats both live and frozen/thawed mice. She has never refused a meal regardless of which variety it is. The best way to start her off is by offering her a freshly killed mouse and moving it around (try holding it with tongs) so that she notices it. Do this every time you feed her until she takes it quickly and eats it. Then try leaving one lying in her cage and see if she takes it. If she does, you can switch to frozen, just make sure you warm them up to a body temperature first (I put mine in a baggie and float them in hot water for a while). Good luck!
2006-07-19 18:28:44 · answer #3 · answered by Dreamer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shouldn't really be any kind of problem. Many of my snakes are wild captures that switched over to pre-killed mice with no problem. Just thaw the mouse completely in warm water & present it to the snake. If the snake hesitates, try wiggling the mouse with tongs & maybe add a drop of Make A Mouse to add fresh scent to the food.
2006-07-18 05:01:46 · answer #4 · answered by preacher55 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Should be easy, gopher snakes are not very picky eaters. I would just start trying frozen mice he may very well eat it the first time. Just thaw them in warm water and feed to the snake while its still warm as this might help entice him a bit.
2006-07-17 17:36:59 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Live rodents is not the best method to offer food to your snake. Sometimes it is necessary. When you feed live prey, never ever leave the rodent in with a snake unattended or, overnight. If the snake does not pounce on a live mouse within 5 minutes, remove it from the tank. I recommend freshly pre-killed rodents. Many keepers offer their snakes frozen thawed but, the freezing of rodents breaks down thiamin, which is an important vitamin requirement in snake nutrition. Frozen/thawed rodents should be supplemented with this vitamin when they are offered to snakes.
2016-03-26 22:17:48 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All snakes require the warm blood or the chase situation in their meal.... It will be very very difficult to make any snake to change from live food to killed food, don't even bother...
2006-07-17 17:00:31 · answer #7 · answered by Mar Yam 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It varies from specimen to specimen. We had a solomon islands tree boa who refused to eat anything but live anoles. All of our other snakes are on frozen mice, though we have to warm them in the microwave to tempt some of them. You can find lots of tips online to entice your snake if it has trouble getting excited about frozen/pre-killed foodds at first.
2006-07-19 06:44:50 · answer #8 · answered by star_momma 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's hard to say. All snakes are not the same.
It's worth a try. But, don't get discouraged if it doesn't take to them right away. Just keep trying.
Good luck
2006-07-25 00:09:59 · answer #9 · answered by Gigit 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've had two rosy boas that were raised on live mice. I had no problems switching them to pre-killed frozen, and loved the convenience. Just make sure anyone going into your freezer knows about the mice.
2006-07-17 17:04:33 · answer #10 · answered by steve j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋