Why a Gradual Transition?

Animals generally need time to adapt to new foods, and pet snakes in particular may have eaten only one type of prey their entire lives. Patience is important during this process.

Throughout the 8 weeks, you’ll feed your snake on your usual schedule while slowly introducing GR food through scenting, blending, and gradual replacement. Each feeding session builds on the last, helping your snake first get familiar with the scent, then get small tastes, and eventually feel less guarded as it transitions toward fully accepting the new diet.

Product Usage and Storage Instructions

Rehydrate GR food: Soak the piece in hot water for 5-10 minutes until it softens to a texture similar to a thawed rodent. Offer it while still warm, or briefly reheat right before feeding.

Store GR food in its original packaging in a cool, dark, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight. Reseal the bag after each use to keep it protected from moisture and air.

Before You Begin

• Confirm your snake is healthy, eating normally, not in shed, and not in brumation (and not expected to enter brumation during the trial).
• Ensure you have a scale to track weights.

Food Transition Troubleshooting Tips: 

• Offer GR food while it is still warm from soaking, or briefly rewarm it right before feeding, as many snakes strike based on heat.
• Use strong scent cues. Snakes are scent-driven, so help GR food smell like their usual prey:
  • Rodent rub: Rub a rehydrated piece of GR food against a thawed rodent before offering.
  • Mouse juice trick: Thaw a mouse, drain a bit of fluid, and lightly coat the GR food with it.
  • Start with heavy scenting, then gradually reduce until your snake accepts GR food unscented.
  • Use tongs and wiggle the food, just as you would with a thawed rodent. The motion can trigger a natural strike response.
  • Feed in familiar locations. Offer GR food in the same spot or hide where your snake normally eats to minimize stress.
  • Feed at natural feeding times. Many colubrids show stronger feeding responses in the evenings.
  • Minimize handling the day before and the day of feeding to reduce stress that may affect appetite.

Step-by-step Transition Plan

Feeding 1

Part 1 — Quick One-Shot Acceptance Check

Rehydrate a piece of Good Reptiles food. Offer it exactly as you would the snake’s usual meal. 

We do not expect most snakes to accept GR food right away, but this gives us an initial baseline. If your snake does not accept it, simply move on to the remaining Feeding 1 protocol below — this is where the 8-week transition officially begins.

Part 2 — Scent Introduction Feeding

1. Prepare your snake’s typical diet as usual.
2. Take the leftover GR food from Part 1 and rub it against the rodent, then place the GR food in the enclosure near the rodent to increase exposure during feeding.
3. Offer the rodent as you normally do.

This week is just to introduce the scent of Good Reptile’s diet to your snake without changing its feeding routine. Leave the GR food in the enclosure for up to 24 hours before discarding it.

Feeding 2

1. Prepare your snake’s rodent as you normally would. 
2. Rehydrate a piece of Good Reptiles food.
3. Rub the GR food on your snake’s typical diet, then offer both side-by-side using your usual feeding method (tongs, movement, feeding bin, etc.).

We do not expect your snake to eat GR food this week — this step simply provides exposure so that while your snake is eating, it becomes familiar with the smell and taste of GR food.

Feeding 3

The goal this week is to replace ~half of your snake’s meal with GR food. We understand that this can be challenging to execute. If your snake eats prey of different sizes, you can use a smaller rodent (e.g. if usually fed a medium mouse, offer a fuzzy or small mouse this week).

1. Offer a smaller mouse along with a piece of GR food.
2. If using feeding tongs, hold both the mouse and the GR food on the tongs at the same time. This may require a bit of maneuvering - try getting your snake to take them one after the other.

Feeding 4

1. Rehydrate a piece of GR food and gently pat it dry. 
2. Thaw one of your snake’s usual rodents, then squeeze out some amount of fluid. Coat GR food with it. Rub the GR food against the rodent to transfer additional scent.
3. Offer GR food the same way you present your snake’s usual diet — warmed to the same temperature, wiggling it with tongs, or using any other presentation normally used.

If your snake refuses, discard it and allow your snake to fast. Do not offer a rodent instead. Try offering GR food again in 3 days using the same scenting method. If it is refused again, discard it and let your snake fast until the next scheduled feeding. Unless there is a specific health concern, snakes generally tolerate fasting well, and this is not a cause for concern.

Feeding 5

If your snake refused Good Reptiles in Feeding 4, repeat the Feeding 4 protocol above rather than moving on.

1. Rehydrate a piece of GR food and lightly scent it by rubbing a thawed mouse against it.
2. Offer it the same way you present your snake’s usual diet.

If your snake refuses, try heavier scenting by adding mouse fluid, as described in Feeding 4. If they still refuse, discard the piece and allow your snake to fast. Do not offer a rodent. Try again in 3 days. If refused again, allow your snake to fast until the next scheduled feeding—and repeat this week’s protocol again.

Feeding 6

If your snake refused Good Reptiles in Feeding 5, repeat the Feeding 5 protocol above rather than moving on.

1. Offer a full unscented piece of GR food

If your snake refuses, revert to the Feeding 4 or Feeding 5 protocol by adding back scenting (rubbing or using mouse fluid) and alternating feedings (one Good Reptile diet, then one typical diet) until acceptance improves. Continue this approach for 1–2 weeks.

When to Get Help

If your snake isn’t eating for several weeks or is losing weight, consult a reptile vet.
You can also email our team at hello@goodreptiles.com for personalized help.