Be sure to purchase mice from a company you trust. Make sure the mice were fed properly and not treated with chemicals. If you don’t want to feed your snake rats or mice, you will have to gut it out or have someone else feed the snake. All large snakes need rats or mice and lots of smaller ones do too. While some snakes can live off insects, they will never be happy or very healthy on an all insects diet. Always feed rodents to your snake. [1] X Research source Don’t feed a snake live crickets, since crickets can eat its scales and harm the snake. [2] X Research source
If you choose to offer live mice, you’ll be able to more accurately replicate the snake’s feeding habits in the wild. However, using live mice creates the need for a lot of extra effort on your part. You’ll need to either breed mice or run to the store to get more every few days. And if you put a live mouse in the cage when the snake isn’t in the mood to eat, you’ll have to take it back out and store it until you can try again. Many find that using frozen and thawed mice or rats is more convenient and safer for the snake to eat. The drawback is that since this isn’t how snakes acquire food in the wild, it can take some time before the snake is comfortable eating a dead carcass instead of catching its food live; however, keep in mind feeding pre-killed rodent will prevent your snake from being harmed or even in some cases killed by their prey if they were to fight back. Many snakes start on live mice as babies and then can be worked toward frozen mice as they get older.
Pinkies: these are baby mice, called “pinkies” because they have yet to grow fur. Pinkies are good for baby snakes and small adults. For the smallest baby snakes, pinky parts are available. Fuzzies: these are baby mice that have just acquired their first signs of fur. They’re a little larger, so they’re best for either large baby snakes, like boas, rat snakes, milk snakes, or medium adult snakes. Hoppers: these are adult mice, sufficient for baby ball pythons (which are quite large) and most adult snakes. Rat pups and full-sized rats: this is the biggest prey available, and should be reserved for large adult snakes.
Make sure the bowl stays clean. It should be disinfected every few weeks to kill bacterial growth.
Lay the frozen food on a paper towel and set it near a fan. The small body will quickly thaw. Optionally you can put the food in a plastic bag and then submerge it in warm water. Thawing can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours depending on method and size of food. Check every so often to make sure the food is thoroughly thawed. Thaw only as much as you need for one feeding. Heat the food. Many snakes won’t eat if they can’t sense the correct temperature that mimics a live food. You can heat the food in a bag with hot water or use a blow dryer for about ten minutes. Never use a microwave or oven as this can cause the food to explode.
When you offer food by placing it in the cage, you may put it on a small plate or in a shallow bowl that will keep it separate from the snake’s bedding. A snake may rarely swallow its bedding. When you offer food by dangling it in the cage, use a pair of tweezers or forceps. Some use their hands, but this is not recommended. Snakes with a strong feeding response may accidentally bite you confusing your hand’s heat or mixed smell with the food’s. Whichever method you choose, give the snake time to decide to eat. Research your snake’s species. Some may feed within a few minutes, but others (like ball pythons) may require leaving the thawed food in overnight. For most cases, if the snake does not eat the food over a short period, it may be re-frozen for later use if it is still fresh and not spoiled.
As you change the feeding schedule, keep in mind that you shouldn’t try to force a snake to eat. Offer the food, then take it away if it isn’t wanted. Look into the regular feeding intervals for your type of snake. Some snakes may eat once a week, other may eat only eat once a month or a few times a year.
Try holding the prey against a warm light bulb for a few moments before offering it. Don’t heat mice in the microwave unless you have one reserved for that specific purpose. If you use a microwave, use very low power setting.
Insert a sharp knife or scalpel into the mouse’s frontal lobe, at the top of the head. Insert a toothpick into the would and draw out brain matter. Smear the brain matter on the mouse’s nose.
This is a particularly good method to use when you’re introducing a snake used to eating live mice to frozen food. It can take a few tries to get the snake used to eating food that has already been killed. [6] X Research source Other methods of helping a picky eater include changing feeder size or color. Also try changing types of feeder (ie. if you tried a rat, try something else like a mouse, gerbil, etc. ). Try turning off the lights. Some snakes, like ball pythons, are nocturnal are more active during the evening or at night. You can also try dipping the feeder in chicken broth. Try rubbing the scent of another animal on your feeder (ie. used bedding from gerbils/hamsters/etc. ).
