Help! My snake won't eat rats, only mice. How do I get her to switch?

Question

My snake went on a food strike from October to February. I fed her mice because I didn’t want to give her something too big. She took it like a champ. So recently I tried to give her a small rat because it’s the same size. I can’t get her to eat a rat. What do I do? Pet's info: Reptile | Python | Female | unspayed | 3 years and 2 months old

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There are lots of reasons why a snake might go on a hunger strike, but it sounds like you've narrowed it down to a food preference. Rats are a bit more nutritious and ideally preferable over mice, but mice are also a perfectly acceptable option. Some snakes simply prefer them, in which case you are welcome to keep feeding Luminescence mice, and depending on her size she may simply need multiple mice per feeding as she grows. If you want to encourage her to switch to rats, you can try rubbing a dead mouse or mouse bedding on the rat prior to offering it, to give the rat a more familiar scent. Keep trying - but don't stress if the end result is she ends up staying on mice. Hope this helps!

Help! My snake won't eat rats, only mice. How do I get her to switch?

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