F/T Feeding (Wrapping but not eating)

[jpcrowley80]

So just as the title says... I have a male BP that has been constricting and not eating the rats (last 2 times). Should I change my strategy or is this normal?

Justin

[jpcrowley80]

Also he is 600 grams and hasn't had any trouble eating the same size F/T rats before.

[xdeus]

Sometimes they get very picky about how they strike their prey. I have a couple that will only eat if they strike right on the nose. Balls will strike and eat prey based on sight, smell, and feel... and some of them use one sense more then others.

I usually just pull the rat away and dangle it again hoping that they have a better strike. Sometimes it takes two or three times, but if they don't get it by then they usually lose interest. It also helps to warm up the nose again under a lamp.

Good luck!

[loonunit]

Yeah, I've had a few snakes "kill" their dead mice and then not eat them this month. Sometimes I can retrieve the mouse, dry it off and warm its nose, and the snake will eat it the 2nd time I offer it; sometimes they just aren't interested after all. But these are animals that have been fasting off and on all winter, so I'm counting any interest as a victory.

I'm just glad nobody's wasted any of my live mice by killing them and not eating them.

(Basically, I think it's seasonal. I suggest switching him to an every-other-week feeding schedule until his appetite picks up again.)