Really odd

[RetiredJedi]

Ok, I'm not wanting to start yet ANOTHER feeding thread but this behavior happened while I was feeding my pin tonight. For one, he is very picky about the temp of his food. He was eating live with the breeder but I fed f/t first try last week. When he didn't take it the first try, I reheated and he took it no problem. Well, tonight I offered, he struck and wraped it but let it go with is mouth but had his body still wrapped around the rat and his neck and head area seemed twisted funny. I kept watching him and he let go of the rat and went into his hide. I waited a while and decided to reheat because it worked last time. Sure enough he struck, wrapped, and I let him alone. I came back and checked and he was just sitting there with the f/t rat laying next to him. I left him alone for a little more time and came back to check again. This time I looked in his tub with my little flashlight and he had half the rat down. That's when the weird part happened, as I looked in to see if he was eating, he started rolling around the tub with half of this rat hanging out of his mouth. It really freaked me out so I turned off the light and left the room. I came back one more time just in time to see that he finally got it down and I watched it move down the rest of his body.

I have never seen him turn his head or have his neck like that before and he didn't hit anything the first time he struck and wrapped. I am checking on him off and on now and he seems ok but do you think he started freaking out because this dumb human was flashing a big light in his face and he just wanted to eat in piece. I is really bothering me thinking back at him rolling around like that but I hope I am just over reacting to him over reacting.

What say you?

[fredanthony]

I'm sure it's nothing, I've seen some pretty weird things snakes can do Was that rat fed larger than usual? Sometimes they will move around and even push against the bottom to assist in getting it down. Also, was it properly thawed out? I've heard of them striking and coiling, begin eating, only to drop it soon after. Next time I would say give him some time after it coils and unwraps, let him do his thing.

[RetiredJedi]

It was only the second time I fed him but the rat was the same size as last time. However that was my first thought too that maybe he was fixing it so it could go down smoother. I don't know it just really freaked me out seeing him do that. At first I thought he broke his neck when he struck it initially but then I thought that couldn't have happened because he didn't hit anything but the rat.

I am certain that the rat was thawed, I just didn't have it warm enough when I presented it to him because he wouldn't start swallowing until I reheated with a hair drier.

[di3_romantic]

My pastel did the same thing. I too thought she broke her neck. How old is he? Mine is around 7 weeks, and I believe there's a slight learning curve with eating the correct way. Makes them look kinda funky.

On the bright side, at least he's eating. =)

[RetiredJedi]

He seems fine now sitting in his warm side hide but I won't be able to check on him until tomorrow after he digests his food. He might be going to shed some time soon also. Eyes aren't cloudy but he does seem to have a blue tint to him.

[RetiredJedi]

This sucks! I'm going to be worried about that little dude all day today.

[RetiredJedi]

Anyone else got some ideas?