I could give a long explanation as to why you should get a snake to eat frozen food, but since you are reading this page I assume you already understand the importance and simply want to learn how to make it happen.
Some of you might be trying for the first time. Others have tried everything they can think of, and can’t seem to get their snake to eat frozen food. (Hello ball python owners!)
Either way, this guide will help.
I have packed every trick in the book into this article, and am confident that at least one of these methods will work for you.
Here is a list of the tips I will be detailing in this article to help you get your snake to eat frozen food.
Teaching A Snake To Eat Frozen Food
- Start with pre-killed food.
- Get the food to the proper temperature.
- Feed your snake at the proper time of day.
- Feed when the snake is active.
- Scent the food with other animals
- Scent the food with other sources
- Try different methods of thawing the food.
- Mimic natural prey behavior.
- Agitate the snake
- Don’t let go after a strike.
- Move snake to safe place.
- Put a sheet over cage.
- Use a smaller enclosure.
- Leave the snake alone for a few days.
- Only try feeding once every few days.
- Make sure the size and color is right.
- Feed small live food first.
- Braining
- Leave dead mouse with snake overnight.
- Thaw, refreeze, and thaw again.
- Add soiled bedding.
- Use a blow dryer.
Please note: When we talk about frozen food, we mean a prey item which has been frozen and is then thawed before being fed to the snake. This is known as frozen/thawed, or FT food. Never feed a snake food that has not been completely thawed.
A Note On Husbandry And Feeding FT Food
Before we get started, you need to understand one very important thing.
Proper husbandry is the number one way to get your snake to eat frozen food.
This is not a tip, it is a fact.
Your snake needs to be in an appropriate sized enclosure, with proper temperature and humidity levels in order to eat. It also needs to be free of any health issues.
It has been my experience that the majority of feeding issues stem from failure in these areas.
“Adequate” is not good enough for finicky eaters.
1. Start With Pre-killed To Teach A Snake To Eat Frozen Food
There is a difference between pre-killed and frozen food.
Pre-killed food is prey that has been killed immediately before being offered to the snake. It is still warm, and has all of its original scent.
Frozen food is food that has been euthanized and then frozen. When it is time to feed, the prey item is thawed and offered to the snake.
Many snakes have heat sensing pits, and are finicky about their prey being the right temperature.
Try one or two feedings with pre-killed food, then switch to frozen/thawed.
2. Teaching A Snake To Eat Frozen Food Requires Getting The Food To The Proper Temperature
For some snakes this won’t matter, but for others it can make all the difference in the world.
Start by placing the frozen rodent in the refrigerator the day before you plan to feed. You don’t want to leave the food out at room temperature as this can lead to food safety issues. Basically it can cause your snake to get food poisoning just like humans.
Under refrigeration, a frozen mouse will thaw in 1-2 hours, and a large frozen rat will thaw in approximately 4-5 hours.
Once the rodent is thawed, you can warm it up to the desired temperature. At least room temperature, or slightly above.
Do this by placing it in a shallow dish underneath warm dripping water.
Some people prefer to keep the mouse or rat in a sealed plastic bag believing the snake will not eat wet food. Others prefer to put the rodent directly in the water because the wet fur will give off more scent. You can try each way to see which works best for you.
You can either check the temperature with an infrared thermometer which is used for surface temperatures, or by placing the rodent on your wrist as if you were checking the temperature of a bottle before feeding a baby.
Pro Tip
I recommend using water that is between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit. For reference, the average hot water used in a public restroom is 110-120 degrees. Warm enough to kill most bacteria, but cool enough to prevent scalding people.
3. Feed Your Snake At The Proper Time Of Day
Be aware of whether your snake is diurnal or nocturnal.
Diurnal snakes should be fed during the day.
Nocturnal snakes should be fed at night.
Although many snakes will eventually eat whenever they are offered food, it is best to start with their natural feeding times when trying to get them to try something new.
4. Feed Your Snake When It Is Active
In captivity, your snake may be somewhat active at any time of day or night.
There is a difference when the snake is actively hunting and exploring however.
When your snake hasn’t eaten in awhile, and is searching all over its enclosure, it is probably hunting for food.
This is the most opportune time to feed!
Pro Tip
Nocturnal snakes are typically most likely to be actively hunting shortly after it gets dark. Diurnal snakes are typically most active about an hour after the heat and lights come on in the morning.
5. Scent The Food With Other Animals
Research your snake, and understand what it eats in the wild.
Green tree pythons for example will often eat rodents as adults, but babies primarily feed on small lizards and frogs.
Baby chics, frogs and other lizards are all commonly used animals to scent frozen food with.
Start by completely rinsing the rodent with water after it has been thawed. After it is rinsed, simply rub the entire body on the scent animal. Pay particular attention to getting the head covered in scent, as this is the first thing most snakes go for.
6. Scent The Food With Other Sources
There are commercial scents available to use on prey.
You can also use pasteurized egg whites. These are the egg whites that come in a carton in the grocery store.
Unlike using raw chicken or eggs, you won’t run the risk of salmonella by using pasteurized egg whites.
This scent will often times prompt finicky snakes to strike!
Side Note:
I never recommend scenting with raw chicken or eggs. You don’t want your snake to get food poisoning.
7. Different Methods Of Thawing Frozen Food For Feeding
If thawing prey in water isn’t working, try broth.
Chicken broth or chicken stock are typically the best choices.
Be careful not to heat the broth too much though. You still want to aim for a temperature of just over 100 degrees.
Obviously you will not want to have the rodent in a sealed plastic bag for this process. You want it to absorb the scent.
8. Mimic Prey Natural Behavior
You’ve probably read this before, so I’ll keep the explanation brief, and then give you some great tips to be more effective.
Using feeding tongs, forceps or some other snake feeding tool, move the mouse around as if it were live prey. The idea is to get the snake into hunting mode.
Some snakes might be timid. Too much movement may cause them to shy away. Other snakes might be more excited by lots of movement and “hunt” the prey more aggressively. Experiment to see what works best for you.
Mimic the prey your snake eats.
If you’ve scented the mouse with a frog, hop the dead mouse around like a frog. Not bouncy bouncy all over the place. Do a hop and then be still. Another hop and then be still.
If it’s a mouse you’re mimicking, scurry it around on the floor of the cage, then stop. Short movements with pauses in between.
Don’t be afraid to move the prey away from the snake.
Just like a cat will chase a string, some snakes will follow the dead mouse as you move it around. Make the snake believe this is live prey.
9. Agitate The Snake To Get It To Take Frozen Food
If mimicking natural prey behavior doesn’t work, you might try agitating the snake.
I prefer not to do this if possible.
If it doesn’t work then all you’ve done is caused the snake more stress which leads to them being less willing to eat.
That being said, it does work often enough that it needs to be included.
First you can try softly tapping the snake on the nose with the dead mouse.
If that doesn’t work, try stroking the snakes back with the mouse. You can also try jiggling the mouse against the snakes tail.
The final thing to try would be to keep the mouse or rat in front of the snake, then use a long wooden spoon or something to stroke the snakes back and/or tickle its tail.
10. Don’t Let Go Of The Thawed Rodent After A Strike
Make the snake believe that the snake is struggling a bit before you finally let go.
I have heard from numerous people who are trying to get their snake to eat frozen mice, that they can get the snake to strike, but then the snake won’t eat afterwards.
Spend 5-10 seconds gently wiggling the mouse and tugging on it in order to mimic a real catch.
11. Move The Snake To A Safe Place When Feeding It
If you are getting the snake to strike, but it won’t eat afterwards even after you’ve tried the above step, try this.
Once the snake has hold of the rodent, pull the rat and snake both into a hide box and leave them there while it’s still coiled around the food.
It might very well be that it is too stressed to eat out in the open, and will feel more secure there.
Check back in an hour or two to see if the food has been eaten.
Pro Tip
I typically do this automatically any time I have a snake that has shown signs of feeding issues, just to be safe.
Once I’ve convinced the snake to strike, I want to ensure it finishes the process by eating the food, and don’t want to take the chance it might lose interest.
12. Put A Sheet Over The Enclosure When Feeding
An alternative to moving your snake to a hid box, would be to simply cover the entire enclosure with a sheet.
I have personally had to do this with a red tail boa. It would never eat in front of me or anyone else.
I was eventually able to get it to eat without the sheet as long as I left the room. If anyone was in the room however, she would just leave the food alone.
Covering the enclosure so that your snake doesn’t detect any movement can help it to feel safe from predators.
13. Use An Enclosure That Is Less Open
One of the biggest reasons a snake won’t eat is stress.
Moving it into an enclosure with opaque sides will make it feel more secure.
You can also add more hide boxes, branches and décor. Anything to make the snake feel more hidden and safe.
14. Leave The Snake Alone For A Few Days
Stress for a snake can go beyond what has happened in just the past few hours.
Sometimes you might need to allow it to have several days to calm down before feeding it FT food.
Give it a few days without being handled. Try to have as little movement in the room as possible during this time too. This will add to the feeling of safety and security, and minimize the snake’s stress level.
15. Only Try Feeding Once Every Few Days
If you have tried to feed your snake and it has refused food, let it go for a few days.
Trying again later the same day, or even the following day will rarely work.
As I said in the last tip, snakes can sometimes require a few days in order to reduce stress.
16. Make Sure The Size And Color Of The Frozen Food Is Right
If your snake has been eating live mice or rats, make sure the frozen ones are the same size and color as you have been using all along.
If you’ve been having problems with feeding in general, you might want to try switching up the size and color. The white mice and rats you buy as food at a pet store are not what would typically be found in nature.
Additionally, you might try changing up the food you use. Try using a gerbil or hamster, or maybe a small rabbit for larger snakes.
17. Feed Small Live Food Then Larger Frozen
This is another method I have seen used with success.
Feed the snake a much smaller live prey item than it would normally eat. After it has consumed the meal, and is beginning to look around, offer an appropriately sized thawed rodent.
The smaller meal will not be enough to make it full, and it will still be in hunger mode, wanting and willing to eat more.
Take advantage of the fact that the snake is still in eating mode.
18. Braining Frozen Food To Induce Hunger
This method can be a little gross for the squeamish, but it is extremely effective.
Using a knife or scalpel, cut the rodents head open to expose some brain matter. The smell of blood can entice a snake, but the brain matter specifically tends to receive the strongest response.
19. Leave The Thawed Rodent In The Cage Overnight
I have seen this work often enough to include it on this list.
Sometimes it’s not enough to simply leave the snake alone or leave the room. The red tail boa I referenced above would sometimes wait an hour or more before she finally ate.
If your snake is nocturnal, leave the thawed prey in the cage overnight. If it is diurnal, then leave the rodent in there for most of the day.
As with the steps above, be sure there is no activity in the room with the snake while the food is in the cage.
Don’t leave the thawed rodent for too long though, or it will begin to smell.
A mouse will usually begin to smell in about 6 hours. A larger rat will last a few hours longer.
20. Thaw, Refreeze, Then Thaw Again
The freezing process breaks down tissue and makes prey more pungent.
This additional smell could be what it take to entice your snake to eat frozen food.
You don’t want to refreeze the rodent more than twice though. Breaking down the tissue too far will result in a yucky rat or mouse that no snake will want to eat.
If it doesn’t work after the second refreeze and thaw, discard the food or offer it to another reptile.
Pro Tip
Label the bag that the frozen rodent is kept in if you try this method. When you are waiting a few days between attempts, it is easy to forget if this is the first or second time you are thawing the food.
21. Add Soiled Bedding
You can add bedding that has been soiled by the rodent before it was euthanized, or bedding from any rodent for that matter.
The additional scent from live prey can sometimes cause the snake to go into hunting mode.
There are a few ways you can do this.
- Sprinkle some soiled bedding into the enclosure a few minutes before offering food. This can get your snake excited to feed ahead of time, offering you a higher chance of success.
- Scent the dead rodent with soiled bedding after it has been thawed in the same way that you would scent it with anything else.
- Thaw the rodent in a sealed plastic bag that has soiled bedding in it throughout the thawing process.
When I have done this before, I combined two of these methods.
I put some soiled bedding from a live rodent into the snakes cage a few minutes before feeding. I also took some of this same bedding and placed it into the plastic bag with the rodent as it was being thawed.
It’s my opinion that the combination of the two hypes the snake up that little bit extra, and has a greater chance for success.
22. Use A Blow Dryer
This final tip involves a few steps, but is one of the most effective ways to get a snake to begin eating frozen food.
- Thaw the rodent as you normally would.
- After it is thawed, use a blow dryer to heat up the head of the dead animal. The head is where the snake is most likely to strike, and typically gives off additional heat when alive.
- Point the blow dryer towards the snakes cage so that the smells are getting to it.
- Be sure to stay several feet away from the cage while you are doing this so that the noise, the movement and the air flow are not so much that the snake becomes stressed.
An extra step you can take for a snake that has been exceptionally hard to switch to frozen food, is to brain the thawed food first.
Heating up the brain matter increases the odors that are released.
Be careful when using this method to not overheat the food. The idea is to raise the temperature of the head by just a few degrees, and is mostly intended to put a lot of scent into the snakes enclosure to get it excited and ready to eat.
Summary
I want to go go back to what I said at the beginning of this article.
Proper husbandry is the number one way to get a snake to eat, whether it’s live, pre-killed or frozen.
That being said, some snakes are just plain finicky, and require some extra coaxing.
Getting a snake to eat frozen food is a simple process most of the time. There are times however, when even a healthy snake that is perfectly cared for will be challenging to switch.
Once your snake is eating frozen food regularly, you will find that all you have to do is offer the food and it will be taken.
It’s OK to combine some of these tips to try and find a combination that works best for your snake.
Important Note:
Before ending this article I want to point out that it is OK to let your snake go awhile without eating as you try to get it onto frozen food. In fact building up some extra hunger can actually help.
You do want to monitor your snake however. Be sure to weigh your snake if it is refusing frozen food to make sure it stays healthy and does not lose weight.
Feel free to offer live food if your snake loses too much weight.
Always consult a veterinarian if your snake is refusing all food, and is becoming skinny.