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Post by justahannah on Dec 15, 2010 15:46:39 GMT -5
I feed a mostly-ground frankenprey mix, and I've been thinking about transitioning to whole prey for a while now (my main qualms are the shipping costs for frozen and don't have the time/resources to raise my own) and yesterday I noticed a good deal on a couple feeder mice so I thought why not see if they even have an interest in hunting and how they deal with mouse meat in their food. Just from her personality, I've always thought Akiko would have a strong prey drive, I wasn't so sure about the males since they're usually so laid back, and Ovana's pretty frail so I didn't put her in the tub. The males smelled the mouse curiously then wanted out of the tub to play in the box the mice came home in . The moment Akiko laid eyes on it, I knew it would be over quick....she got all tense and poofed up and rushed it like she was made for it. She had to roll it a couple times to get a grip, but finished it off cleanly and quickly. Since the others didn't care, I let her dispatch both mice. The rescue said she was picked up a stray on the streets, so she might have hunted before but she didn't seem to know what to do with them after death...I chopped each in half with my poultry shears since the hide seemed to frustrate her, but then she just wanted to stash them. I let her go and the cats got a hold of a couple of the halves but only wanted to play with them (even though I watch them devour their own micey kills from outside...they're brats!). Eventually Akiko stole them back and stashed them too, and this morning I can't find any mouse parts so I'm hoping they got eaten and not just re-stashed under my bed or something . Until I find a way around shipping expenses on the frozen, knowing Akikio's so efficient I'll probably occasionally add a feeder into the mix when I find good deals just to get them acclimated to a furry texture.
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Post by sunnyberra on Dec 15, 2010 21:06:44 GMT -5
That's great As much as I'm squeamish about actually allowing in *live* prey, there's still that interest in seeing the more instinctive behaviors, too. I always thought my Pixie would be a pretty good dispatcher, but any high pitched noises set Yogi off (he's nailed me quite a few times because I was stupid enough to actually squeak their stuffies), and it makes me wonder if little micey noises could get him going. Not like I'll ever find out (since they hate mice-meat anyway), but a thought. Congrats on your hunter (that had to be awesome to see!) ...also wanted to say, I absolutely love your guys' names!
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 15, 2010 23:04:31 GMT -5
That's fantastic!!! I've finally gotten to a point where I'm interested in trying some live prey with them, but the DH basically told me the day the live mice come into the house is the day he goes out So glad you've got yourself an efficient little hunter Why not pick up some frozen thawed pinkies, chop them in, and just work your way up the growth scale til she at least realizes it's food? Just for the odd time they'll get them? Not sure where they'd be, but why not check out a reptile rescue? They can give you the best places/prices as to where to get whole prey? I get mine delivered to my door by the provider for a really good price
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Post by Heather on Dec 16, 2010 0:04:08 GMT -5
Congratulations, on the successful hunt. You might try allowing one of the boys to hunt with her, switching them allowing each of them to work with her in turn. My girls are great hunters, some of my boys had to be taught....others learned right away....then there's Captain Jack and Yuri....can't seem to get either of them to view mice as something to hunt . Sooooo, they don't ciao
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Post by justahannah on Dec 16, 2010 15:31:28 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! Sunny - I credit the names to my husband, he has a huge interest in Japanese culture so all our pets (other than Ovana, who came with her name) have anime names. They are fun to call out! Sherry - Thanks for the idea! I don't know if Tacoma has any reptile rescues, but I'm willing to bet Seattle does if I can't find one closer (and driving there to pick it up would still be easier than the hours of meat-prep I do), I'd love to pitch in on someone else's big order! I'll start calling around Heather - It'd be fun to teach the boys, but I'm glad I have Akiko to depend on...they literally gave the mouse a quick sniff, hopped out of the tub, and fought over the mousey-box so I'm not sure if there's a lot of hope . I'll pair them up next time and see if they show more interest...Akiko's intense so I'm also hoping she doesn't lash out at them as interference. Edit: Also, I checked everywhere for the bodies, even moved and vaccuumed under the bed and there's no trace of mouse anywhere. No way to tell if it was the cats or the ferts, but I feel good knowing they were eaten .
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Post by kainslie on Dec 17, 2010 10:24:23 GMT -5
That's fantastic!!! I've finally gotten to a point where I'm interested in trying some live prey with them, but the DH basically told me the day the live mice come into the house is the day he goes out So glad you've got yourself an efficient little hunter Why not pick up some frozen thawed pinkies, chop them in, and just work your way up the growth scale til she at least realizes it's food? Just for the odd time they'll get them? Not sure where they'd be, but why not check out a reptile rescue? They can give you the best places/prices as to where to get whole prey? I get mine delivered to my door by the provider for a really good price Hey Sherry, Can you let me in on your sources? I need more mice, mine were WAY too expensive last time =[
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 17, 2010 10:50:37 GMT -5
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Post by katt on Dec 17, 2010 18:37:34 GMT -5
any high pitched noises set Yogi off (he's nailed me quite a few times because I was stupid enough to actually squeak their stuffies), and it makes me wonder if little micey noises could get him going. I bet he would attack the squeaking mouse...and kill it! I think it would be worth a try.
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Post by Heather on Dec 18, 2010 0:02:16 GMT -5
Neither Captain Jack nor Yuri will. Well, that's not fair for Yuri, he can't hear them but Jack-Jack can. He catches them and then snuggles them They're weird ciao
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 18, 2010 0:21:41 GMT -5
Especially the "snuggling" part
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Post by Heather on Dec 18, 2010 0:33:51 GMT -5
It wouldn't be so weird except he will eat them if they're frozen....I don't get the whole snuggle the mousie when they're alive I'm sure the mouse doesn't either ciao
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Post by Jackie on Dec 18, 2010 0:44:37 GMT -5
That must've been one confused mouse.
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 1, 2011 1:19:44 GMT -5
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