Feeding help

[stretcharmy]

It seems that my Retic Helena isn't very smart when it comes to eating. She strikes, constricts, and then can't find the head and then drops it and gives up. It's quite the pain, I end up having to re-feed her three times to try and get her to catch the head just perfect. Going into a retics cage to pull and re-feed a rat isn't all that fun and it's going to get me in some trouble in the future for sure. I've tried leaving them with her over night but she doesn't ever go back to them. Does anyone have any feeding or corrective advice?

[Havok73]

I had this issue with two of my hatchlings. Two things that worked for me was I gave them smaller prey or fed every 10 days. Only time now when they won't eat at all is when I miss their preshed. It gets hairy when they smell prey and you try pull the rat out again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JoshSloane]

Ive had to do this once with my burm baby. I found that if you keep wriggling the rat after they strike and constrict it really enhances their response, tightening their grip on the feeder. Keeps them more interested I think.

[reptileexperts]

heh, I have one sub-adult retic that does this. To an extent its a routine now. I feed her, she wraps it for an hour, loses interest, holds onto feeding mode and will follow your every move. Once I get back into the cage with some tongs, I pick up the rat, jiggle for half a second. She wraps again, I pull tight on the tail a few times to imitate it kicking. She generally eats it after that. If she drops it again though, its rinse and repeat a third time and she's never gone past the third attempt to eat. She's done this ever since I've had her, I just consider it her quirk and run with it. You may have to do the same.

[distaff]

So, THAT'S why Viper Keeper keeps tugging.
It always bugged me to watch him do that, not seeing any reason.

[stretcharmy]

thanks everyone