Snake refuses medium mice but woofs down peach fuzzies

[HeavenHell]

My 200 gram female Thayeri has refused small and medium F/T mice for around 3 weeks. I figured it most likely had something to do with the season change, it's cold here in Wisconsin, so it didn't freak me out. After refusing another medium mouse today, I tried a peach fuzzy, WHAM, she attacked it. HUH? Gave her three more and she woofed those down too.

Anyone experience this before? She had eaten 15+ small to medium mice previously.

[Iflln2fntsy]

My baird's ratsnake did the exact same thing last week, except it was with pinkie mice. I thought maybe it was because the pinkie came from a different place than the adult mice i was trying to feed. I was thinking it might be a scent thing. I will be trying some adult mice purchased from the same place as the pinkies, so we will see how things go when i feed tonight.

Are all your mice from the same place? Maybe the diifferent sized mice smell different?

Or maybe you just have a crazy snake :)

[HeavenHell]

Just tried another of my Thayeri would had refused his last 2 feedings and he's in the process of woofing down fuzzy #2. Must be a scent thing. Yes, all the mice came from ARS.

[HeavenHell]

Glad I have 150 fuzzies in reserve :)

[starsevol]

I have never had that exact thing happen, but I do have a 2009 lava girl named Nyota. She will strike and wrap f/t hoppers, but then she realizes it has fur!! If ever a snake can make a face of disgust, it would be her. She eats pinks and fuzzies like they are going out of style, but nothing with fur on it!

[Iflln2fntsy]

I thought I had read that someone on this forum had a snake that just would not eat mice with hair. The thought briefly crossed my mind that my snake might not like fur, but mine has been eating mice with fur since she grew out of pinkies, so am sure that is not the problem. Crazy picky snakes :)

Bethany, have you tried getting some hairless mice? I am not sure if they are easy to get as feeders (we have hairless mice at work and they are around $100/mouse, but they are special mice :) ), though since you breed snakes for all i know you might breed you own mice.

[starsevol]

I thought I had read that someone on this forum had a snake that just would not eat mice with hair. The thought briefly crossed my mind that my snake might not like fur, but mine has been eating mice with fur since she grew out of pinkies, so am sure that is not the problem. Crazy picky snakes :)

Bethany, have you tried getting some hairless mice? I am not sure if they are easy to get as feeders (we have hairless mice at work and they are around $100/mouse, but they are special mice :) ), though since you breed snakes for all i know you might breed you own mice.

I have not seen any hairless mice around, but even if I did I am one of those soft hearted idiots. I can't take something that is alive and make it dead. I buy my mice with all the dirty work already done.....just like my cows and pigs and chickens :)

But Nyota is doing very well, considering her pickiness. :)

[Iflln2fntsy]

I know what you mean about being softhearted. The mice at work are adorable even if they are "naked". They have the biggest ears I have ever seen on a mouse. I try not to equate them to the mice I have sitting in my freezer.

You could always shave the mice before giving them to her :rofl:

[starsevol]

I know what you mean about being softhearted. The mice at work are adorable even if they are "naked". They have the biggest ears I have ever seen on a mouse. I try not to equate them to the mice I have sitting in my freezer.

You could always shave the mice before giving them to her :rofl:

Oh now THAT would be a sight!!!

[ScottyK]

Lay down a peach fuzzy, a medium mouse and then another fuzzy. Do them in a single row head to tail in that order, with the medium mouse in the middle. Rub them all together a bit before you put them down.

In all likelyhood, the snake will start at one end and just keep eating. If it works keep adjusting the ratio with each feed until you are only giving him medium mice.

Good luck :cheers:
Scott

[Iflln2fntsy]

Lay down a peach fuzzy, a medium mouse and then another fuzzy. Do them in a single row head to tail in that order, with the medium mouse in the middle. Rub them all together a bit before you put them down.

This is an interesting idea. I have thought about doing something similar when feeding off of tongs by first feeding something I know she will eat and following that up with the type of mouse she has refused in the past. I am going to try this tonight, thanks for the idea.

[ScottyK]

This is an interesting idea. I have thought about doing something similar when feeding off of tongs by first feeding something I know she will eat and following that up with the type of mouse she has refused in the past. I am going to try this tonight, thanks for the idea.

You're welcome. You can do it with tongs too if the snake is relaxed enough around you. Just ease the medium one right in behind the fuzzy.

I could swear I remember reading about someone using digestible twine to tie new foods with accepted items nose to tail. That I have no practical experience with and hesitate to recommend it...

Let us know how it goes tonight....

[starsevol]

Thanx Scott, but I have tried it!
Silly little girl will get to the fuzzie, bite it and wrap up so violently she is rolling all over the cage....eat. Then approach the hopper and I swear you can literally see her bite it and say "oh eww eww who snuck THAT in here??? Nasty hairy thing, I will NOT eat Thatttttttt. Ew Ew Ew".

She is horrible! :)

[Iflln2fntsy]

Then approach the hopper and I swear you can literally see her bite it and say "oh eww eww who snuck THAT in here??? Nasty hairy thing, I will NOT eat Thatttttttt. Ew Ew Ew".

I feed mine in a separate feeding bin and lately when I put the mouse in the bin she gives me a look like "why did you just put a dead mouse in my new home?"

[starsevol]

For something with that small of a brain, they do know how to talk to us, don't they?

[beautifullywild77]

My Spotted Python Serj, will not eat rodent pro mice or rats! He will strave himself before he will eat them. So this week I am going to try a rat pup from the store and scent the rodent pro rat with it and feed him the rat pup first then try the rodent pro rat. It sucks tho because a small rat here cost like 4 bucks a pop!

[ScottyK]

Thanx Scott, but I have tried it!
Silly little girl will get to the fuzzie, bite it and wrap up so violently she is rolling all over the cage....eat. Then approach the hopper and I swear you can literally see her bite it and say "oh eww eww who snuck THAT in here??? Nasty hairy thing, I will NOT eat Thatttttttt. Ew Ew Ew".

She is horrible! :)

LOL- Beth, I'm amazed a snake that food aggressive refuses anything. Sounds like you could toss it a tuna sandwich and expect it to eat ;)

I was gonna say you might want to try the twine idea, but it sounds like she'd just tie herself up in a knot!

[starsevol]

LOL- Beth, I'm amazed a snake that food aggressive refuses anything. Sounds like you could toss it a tuna sandwich and expect it to eat ;)

I was gonna say you might want to try the twine idea, but it sounds like she'd just tie herself up in a knot!

Oh, she is VERY food aggressive! She will grab it and twirl all over the place with it. But when it finally comes time to eat it, if it has fur she will spit it out and wander off. It is hilarious and frustrating at the same time!

[ScottyK]

Oh, she is VERY food aggressive! She will grab it and twirl all over the place with it. But when it finally comes time to eat it, if it has fur she will spit it out and wander off. It is hilarious and frustrating at the same time!


Sounds like you need a Bic razor and some mouse scented shaving cream :laugh:

[starsevol]

Sounds like you need a Bic razor and some mouse scented shaving cream :laugh:

Truth be told, that's not all I need. But it's a good start! LOL LOL

[Iflln2fntsy]

Oh, she is VERY food aggressive!

I think that would frustrate me more than anything. I figure if there is that much energy put forth to "kill" something the snake it going to eat it. Mine is so NOT food aggressive. But on the other hand she is the most mild mannered snake I own and I could probably hand feed her if I wanted (that is, when she is feeling like eating).

[ScottyK]

I think that would frustrate me more than anything. I figure if there is that much energy put forth to "kill" something the snake it going to eat it. Mine is so NOT food aggressive. But on the other hand she is the most mild mannered snake I own and I could probably hand feed her if I wanted (that is, when she is feeling like eating).

It is frustrating. I have a Rosy Boa that gets sketchy with eating during the winter months. She will however, still act similarly to Beths snake, but Rosy's are stronger. She will make a bloody mess of the thing, then head off and not eat. I've even tried feeding her in her cage and leaving the mouse in with her overnight.

The most annoying part is that if she just refused it altogether, I could feed it to another snake....

[ScottyK]

Beth- LOL!

When are you moving? Are you getting out before winter closes in?