I prefer to keep my animals on mice longer - my feeling is that the size of the more mature prey in a mouse as compared to a rat of the same size/weight is more nutritional. (Pinky mice and pinky rats have high fat content vs more mature) I'm also a believer in that they will switch when they are ready. They're eating, so that's good.

That being said, I've yet to experience a Boa that wouldn't switch to rats... but I have had them seem intimidated about a larger size. The size of a mouse hopper would be more comparable to a rat pink / fuzzy, so if you really want to switch her to rats, try doing so by first offering equivilent size.

I forgot to ask... How have you offered the F/T prey to her? What size, what temp, with tongs, on floor of enclosure or out of her cage? 

Thank you so much for your help... I guess I'll just keep trying until she's ready lol.  In regrards to the f/t was told to keep trying f/t and eventually she would eat. Tried many different things, warmed completely, tongs, at first I tried to get her to eat it in a seperate feeding tank, and eventually in her tank.  I called the pet store I bought her from and the told me to try braining the pinkies so I did and still no interest.  I then bought a live pinkie and put it and her in her feeding cage and she ate it without a fuss. I've tried f/t since then and still shows no interest. I've heard of the dangers of feeding live, is it trues that some snakes will only eat live?

As a side note, thank you Sonja! There's a FB group i'm in & all I hear is "rats are better" even when talking about younger ones. I will keep your arguement in mind. Many of mine (colubrids, not boas) are big enough they could take rat pinkies/fuzzies, but i'm getting ready to upgrade to mice hoppers. Think switching right now would be a step back.

Levi, typically the first meal I offer for a newborn Boa of average size is a fuzzy mouse - a pinky is simply too small. Have you tried F/T with the hopper size prey? It will have a larger heat signature - warm it to abouy 90F - it should feel warm in your hand. As a side note... take a look at the size of my collection... exactly 100% take F/T.

Niki... one of theses days I will organize the info. I have about some small feeding experiments I've been doing over the past year and a half with feeding some animals rats and others of the same age and species mice (same schedule)... it's proved "interesting" to see the growth difference. For now I will just say that I will continue feeding mice until they are ready to take a small rat.

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