Help? My BP is kinda dumb

[SmileyFriez]

So my BP Kevin cant seem to find the head, and it appears he has somehow ripped the guts out of the rat and im not sure if i should stop him? The rat is also wet and covered in mulch.

[Homebody]

So my BP Kevin cant seem to find the head, and it appears he has somehow ripped the guts out of the rat and im not sure if i should stop him? The rat is also wet and covered in mulch.

• If you want your snake to eat head-first every time, then you need to get a different snake. BP's don't excel at this. At least, mine didn't. He took the rat butt first about half the time.
• If you don't want your BP to bust open the rat and spill its guts everywhere, I don't know that there is much you can do. It'll happen from time to time. Don't overheat the rat and use fresh ones. It might help.
• If you don't want your bp to eat feeders covered in mulch, feed on a plate.

[SmileyFriez]

This is the first time hes had trouble finding the head. A lot of people say make sure the head is warmer than the body so it's easier for them to see it. As for him ripping the rat apart, I just waited for him to get bored and I threw it away. No chance of him eating it after how mangled it was. Ill try to feed him on a plate or a different tub from here on.

[Bogertophis]

This is the first time hes had trouble finding the head. A lot of people say make sure the head is warmer than the body so it's easier for them to see it. As for him ripping the rat apart, I just waited for him to get bored and I threw it away. No chance of him eating it after how mangled it was. Ill try to feed him on a plate or a different tub from here on.

Best to feed the snake where they live, not in a separate place, as moving them stresses some into not eating, or biting you if they're too eager. When you feed a BP, remember that BPs are ambush-predators- they want to lie in wait for prey to get too close to where they're hiding, & then pounce. Moving them disrupts that.

But do put something down over the substrate before feeding- never paper or cloth, as both pick up moisture & sticks to the prey, & can require surgery if your snake ingests it. Can also be lethal.
But a large box lid of sturdy cardboard or plastic works well- even an actual plate, if you want.

Your feeder sounds like it might have been too "ripe"- as indicated by easily falling apart, especially in the gut region. How are you thawing prey? It matters.

Many snakes have trouble finding the head- & yes, it does help to use a blow-dryer to make the head warmer so the BP targets on the head easier. Otherwise, it takes practice for snakes, & some are just better than others. As you can tell, they don't use their vision effectively to sort things out. No, that would be too easy.

Also, use feeding tongs to offer prey head-first- but there again, I've had a snake that no matter how I offered it, he'd always want the opposite side!? Some snakes are just contrarians.

[Bogertophis]

....If you want your snake to eat head-first every time, then you need to get a different snake....

I really wouldn't advise trading him in for this minor offense. The next one might be just as bad anyway.

[Homebody]

I really wouldn't advise trading him in for this minor offense. The next one might be just as bad anyway.

Neither would I, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some species are better at this than others. My Children's python is better than my BP was. Back when I still fed mice to my Children's, he took them head-first every time.

[Bogertophis]

Neither would I, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some species are better at this than others. My Children's python is better than my BP was. Back when I still fed mice to my Children's, he took them head-first every time.

I agree, some seem better than others. My rat snakes are pretty good, but then again, they have narrower faces & they have to be- so perhaps some species have evolved better skills in this area?

I've noticed that snakes with wider bodies and-or wider heads seem more apt to just push ahead rather than FIND the head...maybe it's because they can often get things down anyway, given enough time or motivation (hunger). When I used to keep rattlesnakes, they'd sometimes just eat them sideways...because they could. (the big show-offs!)

[BeansTheDerp]

Neither would I, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some species are better at this than others. My Children's python is better than my BP was. Back when I still fed mice to my Children's, he took them head-first every time.

Goodness the first meal Beans ever took for me was butt first... Ever since then everything has been head first, he will even drop the rat to go find the head so he can swallow it that way. It definitely varies from snake to snake, some are more stubborn than others which I'm sure we all know that already