switching my jungles over to rats

[the jungle guy]

Before anything said, yes ive used the search and found nothing suitable at all!!

Now the question i want to switch my jungles over to rats from mice there nearly 5months old now and want to do the change.


How should i go about this and IF they reject the rat what can i do to entice them to take the rat? they feed like pigs on mice,

any info or advice would be greatly appreciated thanks

 

[gruba10]

i was told by a reptile breeder at me local store for myself also to do the change (which will be on wednesday)
he said that the sooner the better because once feeding well on mice they tend to not want to change to rats.
he did also say that whilst there young it is best to do it because like u said they feed like pigs so should take it down pretty well, then try keeping them
on rats from then on. he gave me 4 pinky rats to start on, then i will be going onto velvets.
if they dont take it then leave it inside there and hopefully they will go to it later...

 

[zuesowns]

wel stimmie, IF they don't take the rat - which they could most likely take it, jungles are good feeders, i've heard.

Defrost the rat with the mouse, to get the mouse scent. offer a mouse then a rat straight after because the python will already be in "hunting" mode.

I would firstly test it - my morelia took rats without issues 5 month old.

 

[the jungle guy]

Grubba10, yea ive heard that aswell thast why i want to do the switch now ive heard its much harder when they are older let us know how you go, ive only got one more feed of mice left so next week ill try them on rats

Zuesowns, cool if it fail i dont think it would but ill make sure i have some mice here to scent them with, if not ill try that method and let yous all know

thanks guys

 

[meehan05]

i got a yearling diamond that wont even look at rats.. feeds like a pig on mice also though only live only rarley will he take a defrosted or recently killed one i have also done the scenting thing i have also held a dead rat with a live mouse he ending up taking it and rapping both up but he didnt eat it...

 

[Kristy_07]

Defrost them together, but I also brained the mouse and rubbed the juice on the face of the rat. I also bumped their temps a bit in the week prior to their first rat feed, and left them an extra 4 or 5 days so that they were definitely feeling hungry. I had no issues switching either my 16mth bredli or 5mth MDs onto rats.

 

[dragon88]

my jungle used to only eat mice. i got him onto rats by feeding him a mouse, then as soon as he finished the mouse i offered the pinky rat and he didn't think twice about it. he now eats rats without any hesitation.

 

[Redcc]

Do what zuesowns suggested and defrost the rat with a mouse (nice big male) I did this and worked well, slowly reduce the amount of mouse sent on the rat till the rat scent over powers the mouse smell. Finally your Jungle will identify rat sent as food.

 

[pythrulz]

when i bought my 1st coastal hatchie in april breeder told me switch to rats in a couple of months did that now there all on fuzzie mice they had no trouble switching from mice to rats but yeah give a pinkie mouse then followed by a bigger rat

 

[azn4114]

when i put my stimmies from mice to rats i heated up the rats with a mouse in the same water,they both took them and havent looked back

 

[The Devil]

Jungles can be a real pain, they seem to prefer mice to rats. Maybe they taste sweeter. I start all my baby jungles on defrosted pink rats. It can take a bit of work to get them all going but in the long run it's worth it.

The rule at my place is...eat rats or DIE......not interested in feeding mice.....

I have a couple there now that after eating defrosted pink rats for 3 or 4 months they have now decided that they want to eat mice.
They have been told the rules and I'm going to wait them out. It's been 13 weeks now.

 

[Kristy_07]

Tough love

 

[AM Pythons]

im with you Nev, morelia should eat rats, i have got 1 male tiger jungle 18 months old still want eat rats, he's only on mice still because thats what he was on when i got him, ive had him 6-8 months & in that time he has only struck at 1 rat then spat it straight out again, still trying to convince him rats are better..lol.. he has gone 12 weeks without atm, when he starts eating again im only going to offer rats, he soon get the idea...i hope.. i really dont want a mouse eating jungle..

 

[herptrader]

Some will never be weaned onto rats but there other prey items out there.
One large striped coastal was up to eating 15 adult mice at a sitting before his owner tried him on rabbits which worked out particularly well.

 

[cactus2u]

My 6mth old MD is now onto fuzzy rats after being on pinkies when i got him Took the 1st one i offered backwards [tail 1st]
made it a mission on himself but he got thru it now no probs evryone reckons the rats are better foodwise with hair & more bone etc
Good luck !!!

 

[zuesowns]

My stimmie however will not eat rats at all, she is older now and she won't need anything larger than a adult mouse. but she is a fussy feeder already.

 

[the jungle guy]

cheers for that Zuesowns

im not sure weither i should even bother with my stimson at all as you said the wont need nothing bigger then an adult mouse thats a rat pup size isnt the one between fuzzy and weaner what ever its called,

but deffintely want my jungles on rats, ive uped the temps a little bit now, im going to let there feed day go a few days past its usual time, so these guys will be well and truly hungry and then ill offer then rat if no success ill try mouse scenting if not ill wait it out for another few days ill let you know how i go

 

[Snakelove]

My bredli used to not wanna go anywhere near rats. but when i tricked it 3 or 4 times it smashes it's rats now. what i did was once the hind legs of the mice is in and it's just the tail then slowly put the head of the rat just before it finishes. 9 out of 10 it will actually keep going and wont stop. but make sure its a smaller sized prey (the rat) then the mice.

 

[Miffy]

Jungles can be a real pain, they seem to prefer mice to rats. Maybe they taste sweeter. I start all my baby jungles on defrosted pink rats. It can take a bit of work to get them all going but in the long run it's worth it.

The rule at my place is...eat rats or DIE......not interested in feeding mice.....

I have a couple there now that after eating defrosted pink rats for 3 or 4 months they have now decided that they want to eat mice.
They have been told the rules and I'm going to wait them out. It's been 13 weeks now.

Taste sweeter, I hope you havent done a taste test

 

[the jungle guy]

UPDATE: jungles smashed the rats straight up both did no hesitation i did let there feed day go over by 2 days and there heat was up a little more for the week prior but now both taken rats, there was no drama with the switch over easy as

cheers guys sorry for the late update no net for a bit over a week