Cranwill's Captive Bred Snakes

How do I switch my snake from live food to frozen/thawed?

Everywhere you turn, people are telling you that it is bad to feed your snakes live food and to switch them to frozen/thawed, but why? I will list the reasons why it is better to feed frozen/thawed and give you some tips for making the switch.

Feeding live

The reasons people feed live:

It's easy to just throw the feeder in and let the snake eat it when it wants to.
Their snake won't eat frozen/thawed.
They enjoy watching it eat live.
They're not sure where to buy frozen/thawed feeders.
They breed their own feeders and don't like to kill them.

The dangers and downsides of feeding live:

Even if closely supervised, the tables can turn and your snake can be seriously injured or killed.
During constriction, the feeder may still be able to scratch and bite your snake.
It's time consuming and smelly to keep an adequate supply of feeders on hand if you have several snakes.
It's a pain to go to the pet store every week just to buy live feeders.
Live feeders are priced way higher than frozen feeders in pet stores.
It can be hard to find someone to "snake sit" for you if they have to watch a live rodent die.

Feeding frozen/thawed

The dangers and downsides of feeding frozen/thawed:

People might wonder what the heck that is in your freezer. :P

The benefits:

It's cheaper and more convenient to buy frozen feeders in bulk.
Frozen/thawed feeders pose ZERO risk to your snake.
If you get your snake from a breeder, chances are it was already being fed frozen/thawed feeders.
If you get your snake from a pet store, chances are it was already being fed frozen/thawed feeders.
The freezing process kills all of the parasites live feeders can carry.

Making the switch...

If you have already decided to make the switch or if the lists above helped convince you, here are a few tips to help you make the switch...

Just try offering frozen/thawed. If your snake is not a picky eater, it might be as easy as just offering.
Follow up a live meal with a frozen/thawed. Snakes will often take a second meal without really looking at it much.
First make the switch to fresh-killed. Once the snake is used to eating fresh-killed, the next step should be easy.
Warm the feeder up a lot. Not so hot that it will burn your snake but nice and warm.
Hold the feeder by the leg with tongs or pliers and dangle it in front of the snake's hide.
Leave the feeder in the snake's enclosure over night.
Leave the snake and the feeder in a small dark escape-proof container over night.
This one might sound a bit gruesome but it can work in some cases: Cut open the head of the feeder to expose the brain. The scent of the exposed flesh will be enough to get some picky snakes to take the frozen/thawed feeder.
If your snake is well established, don't offer it food for a solid 2-3 weeks and then offer it a WARM frozen/thawed feeder. If your snake is healthy, the 2-3 weeks without food won't harm your snake at all but it could be what it takes to get it to switch to frozen/thawed feeders.

Hopefully it won't be too much hassle to switch your snake over to frozen/thawed feeders but some snakes can be pretty picky. The tips listed above are a good place to start but the task can be a long and frustrating one and patience is your best tool. If I were trying to switch a snake over, I would start off with the 2-3 week fast and then offer a nice WARM frozen/thawed feeder late in the evening and that may be all it takes... but maybe not. With all of the effort it can take, making the switch might not seem worth it but all it would take is one bad incident with a live feeder to make you wish you had made the switch a long time ago.

Good luck with your efforts!

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