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Will fresh kill create a feeding habit?

LBoz

LBoz

Original Curmudgeon
I had to remove several dozen pinks today, so since it was feeding day, I decided to just euthanize a few and immediately give them to my two young butters and my yearling king. After watching their extremely enthusiastic feeding response, I considered that this might be a bad practice. Although they're all wonderful feeders, would this/could this lead to finicky eating of FT?
 
I do exactly the same thing from time to time and have never had a problem. I have a Honduran Milksnake that I have had a hard time getting him off of live mice. I wouldn’t try with him because I worry about him becoming a problem feeder again. Like smoking in a room with someone who has recently quit.
 
When available, I alternate live with F/T using only live animals that can't bite yet, ie pinks, fuzzies, peach fuzz pups. I've never had an issue with an animal not going back to F/T. I have, however, had a few F/T eaters that would not eat a live animal and were even afraid of it. I have a full grown Charcoal Female that was given to my as a hatchling because the previous owner couldn't get her to eat. I found the reason to be a simple one. He was feeding live and she refuses to eat live. She is a great F/T eater. I guess she was just made for captivity.:shrugs:
Terri
PS - Would love some pics...
 
I think a good eater is a good eater. I have live mice colonies and need to cull live pinkies from time to time, and I have never noticed a snake refuse a f/t after eating a live pinky, UNLESS it is one that had already been picky about the f/t to begin with. Since I also have ASF rats, my snakes sometimes get ASF pinks too... again, the ones that are good eaters will still eat a f/t pinky mouse when I switch them back. The ASF pinkies have actually been helpful for switching to f/t also... a snake that won't eat a f/t mouse will sometimes go for a f/t ASF.
 
Terri, I absolutely need to post some pics of your beautiful babies. I just adore them. Matthew named the girl Bella, and Luke named his boy Thomas (the tank engine.) They are such sweet little things, and growing nice and steadily.

Funny you mention that some are afraid of live. I wasn't sure if it would freak them out, so I euthanized the mice immediately prior to feeding. They were just pinks so I knew they couldn't harm the snakes, but I wasn't sure if all the twitching and squealing would scare them. They're such champion feeders!
 
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