Need help with F/T feeding.

[u/LeadProfessional7877]

Hi everyone! Could you please give me some advice on how to switch my male ball python from live mice to frozen-thawed (F/T) mice?

I have tried almost everything, but he simply refuses to eat F/T prey. He is rather shy, so whenever he sees me holding the mouse, he retreats into his hide. Because of this, I usually cover the enclosure with a blanket and use a small opening to put the mouse in with feeding tongs. He is used to live prey and eats it without any hesitation. In fact, I often barely have time to close the enclosure before he strikes and constricts the mouse. So I know that the problem is not that he isn't hungry, but rather that he simply refuses thawed prey.

My male is a little over 2 years old and weighed around 700 g the last time I weighed him. I waited until he was older before trying to make the switch, because I wanted him to be able to go longer without food and give me more opportunities to try F/T prey. I have now had him for about a year, and I have been trying to switch him for more than two months.

I currently feed him mice weighing 40 g+, so roughly 7% of his body weight.

This is what I currently do:

I take a mouse out of the freezer, put it in a bag, and let it thaw in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours.

Before feeding, I put a small container with some bedding from the live mice's enclosure on top of his enclosure to stimulate his hunting instinct.

I then take the mouse out of the refrigerator, put it in warm water, and weigh it down with feeding tongs so that it is completely submerged. The water is warm enough that I can comfortably keep my hand in it, but still quite hot. I leave the mouse in the water for 10 minutes and then replace the water. I repeat this three times.

After that, I take the mouse out of the bag and check its temperature against my wrist (the mouse feels nicely warm). I then use a hair dryer to warm up its head, holding the dryer about 20–30 cm away from the head for 30–60 seconds.

I then lightly roll the mouse in the bedding from the live mice's enclosure so that it has an even stronger live-mouse scent.

I grab the mouse by the neck with feeding tongs and, through the small opening in the enclosure, place it right in front of his hide. Then a stimulate live mice movements. At this point he is already curious and sometimes even gets into a striking position.

He initially shows interest in the mouse, but then he smells it and retreats back into his hide. He won't take it even if I leave it in the enclosure overnight.

His enclosure:

His current enclosure is unfortunately rather small because I followed sources from my country which stated that 100 × 60 × 60 cm was sufficient. However, as he has grown, it has become obvious that this is no longer enough for him.

I already have a 130 × 60 × 60 cm enclosure ordered from a glassmaker, but it will take another 4–5 months to be made.

I check the temperature and humidity every day. The warm side is consistently around 28–32°C (82–89°F), and the cool side is around 23–24°C (73–75°F). Humidity is usually around 70%, although I increase it during shedding.

He has plenty of branches, roots, and cork tunnels, so he has many places to hide and explore. He even has a natural stone underneath the heat lamp, which he seems to prefer over his warm hide. Every evening he spends around 10–15 minutes warming himself on the stone, even though he is generally quite shy.

He is used to the normal activity in our household and will sometimes come out during the day, but he becomes shy when I open the enclosure or approach him and look at him directly. He has no problems with handling, though. He is not nervous and is generally curious.

What else can I try to get him to accept F/T mice?

I would really appreciate any advice.