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Unsuccessful switch to F/T

Hellstrom

Hellstrom

New member
Hey everyone.

I currently have two snakes. When I got them they were eating live. My corn snake I got over 4 years ago and have attempted switching to frozen multiple times. It never works! I've waited a few weeks to feed him so he was reallllly hungry. I thaw them out in a bag, in a warm bowl of water, put them in the cage and when he sees them I move them around a little bit. He's only fallen for it once. He constricted the mouse but when it didn't fight back, he just left it there. For his size, I should probably be feeding him small rats, but they are so much smarter and more mean than mice so I usually go with 4 or 5 large mice, which sucks!

He hasn't ever been bitten. When they try they can't break through the scales. I absolutely love my baby and hate that I'm risking his life every week.

The other switch I'm trying to make is with a Saharan Sand Boa. He will occasionally go months without eating and show absolutely not interest in F/T and will go weeks more until I give him live.

I have no other snakes, so the frozen ones just get thrown out after the attempt because I have no one to give them to. So any advice other than starving the snakes or wiggling the mice in front of them would be incredibly helpful. Thanks in advance!
 
Have you tried braining?

I have a two year old ball python, I've had him a year, and he has only ever ate live. I recently began trying to switch him to F/T for the same reasons you mentioned, he WILL defenitely eat rats one day and I defenitely didn't want him eating live.

I tried a bunch of different things, and what finally worked (after six weeks of not eating, so three missed meals) was thawing it in a plastic bag so it was dry, and then I brained the $h#$ out of it, took a razor blade and cut a deep gash in the head and squeezed. Put him in his feeding bin, dangled the mouse in front of him and BAM he actually took it!

A few other things you can try, thaw in chicken broth, scent with fresh mouse litter, try a freshly killed mouse, rather than a thawed one, feed him somewhere OTHER than his regular habitat. Put him in (tupperware bin works) toss in the mouse and give it a wiggle, if he strikes great, if not, cover the bin and leave him for an hour.

Keep trying, dont give up!

So, it is possible, don't be afraid to let him go hungry, sounds like he's not hurting for weight, and keep trying the different tricks :) Untill he really starts losing weight you're probably okay.

Also, it's a rare corn that needs to eat rats, if he's that big he could be too fat.
 
PS really letting them get hungry WILL work, they are opportunists after all, and they certainly don't always get regular meals in the wild.
 
Lol, he could be fat...I've actually wondered about that too, but his proportions seem right to me. He's about 5 and a half feet long and nearly 5 and a half inches at his fattest...does that seem too fat?

I'll try the braining and broth <that sounds gross...

I just feel guilty letting him go hungry, which I know I shouldn't cause switching him is much better for him in the long run.
 
I've had 2 incredibly successful switches (no tricks needed) and one where he took a little more coaxing and starving, but he's coming around now, so I don't really have a lot of experience when it doesn't go well. Have you tried leaving him overnight in a feeding bin with the mouse? Freshly killed is also an option and could be a step on the way to f/t. Also agree that adult corns should be fine with 1 adult mouse. He should probably only eat every 2 weeks anyways, so waiting a little longer might help. And if he refuses after 2 weeks, wait another 2 weeks to try again. They can go a looooooong time without food without any harm. If you've been giving him 4 or 5 at a time, then he's probably not really very hungry a week or two later. Good luck and good on you for trying!
 
5 1/2"....diameter or circumference?? I don't think it's possible for a corn to be that big across, so I'm assuming you mean around. LOL Do you have a picture of him?
 
Lol! Definitely circumference.

These are the most decent pictures I have from the last few months that actually show most of his body, I can get better ones tomorrow if need be. Let me know what you think! and thanks for your help!
 

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If you are feeding him 4-5 adult mice at a time, you are WAY over feeding him! And by the looks of him in the photos, he is over-weight. That is the reason he won't switch over to F/T. Yes, he is a large snake, but I can't even imagine having to feed any adult corn snake that many mice. Cut his food back to 1 adult mouse every 2 weeks and increase his activity level.
 
Yeah, he's looking a little chubby, but at least he doesn't look to have hips yet. I bet if you cut back to 1 mouse every 2 weeks he'll switch over for you in no time. He's definitely not gonna take that otter though! LOL Looks like he's got a very nice viv with lots of stuff to climb on, so that's good. You'll probably see him moving around his cage a lot more once you cut back on the food.
 
Corn looks a little big, but not too badly. Cutting back like Seraph has mentioned above this post and exercising him (lots of handling, or just take him outside and let him crawl around in the grass or a low tree branch) should make him look good.

Also, try thawing the f/t mice in HOT water. I get my water boiling, let it sit just long enough to stop making noise, then add the mice (in a plastic bag) to the water; after about half an hour, they're definitely warm to my touch. My normal goes nuts when I offer her mice like this, and when they're brained and/or slit; she can't eat it fast enough, and if I give her an item that isn't hot or slit, she takes about 10-15 minutes to eat it slowly, rather than 5 minutes at most. My okeetee NEVER takes f/t mice unless they are hot like that and have been slit so much they're bloody (or cut into pieces even) and stink to us.

Just another thing to try. I have had great luck with hot prey and with bloody prey, as you can tell. xD
 
We exercise a lot. I take him to the park to climb on the jungle gym...maybe weird. He crawls around the house quite a lot and I let him climb trees occasionally. He definitely is very active every day...
 
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