So last night I get a reality check

[Smitty33]

First 5 weeks or so with ole Walter been going perfect. He was eating like a monster and I figured all those stories of refusing food would never be this guy well last night he pulled it on me. Did my usual routine, put his f/t fuzzy rat on an open spot of his screen top and went ahead feeding my daughters garbage disposal of a corn snake and sure enough Walter was out of his hide ready to go. So I hit his fuzzy with the blow dryer and dangled him in with the tonges and Walter was smelling and touching it with his nose but absolutely refused to strike. I lay the rat in there and about 10 minutes latter he starts to eat it but drops it in his water dish and can't get to it without his head completely submerged.
So I get it out with the tonges and then he won't touch it. I did leave it in there and he did eat it overnight but frustrating as he was hitting them like a freight train before.

[Reptile Frenzy]

Yeah they do that!

[Lizardlicks]

Refusing to strike isn't the same as refusing to eat. He may have just figured out that he doesn't need to exert all that effort to strike and coil when it's dinner time!

[Smitty33]

Refusing to strike isn't the same as refusing to eat. He may have just figured out that he doesn't need to exert all that effort to strike and coil when it's dinner time!

Yea that's kinda what I figured. I've been impressed with their intelligence, his first feed the rat got into a very awkward place in his tank and it took him awhile to figure out how to get the head first. It was impressive watching him figure it out. They are smarter than a lot of people give them credit for.