Weird Feeding! Anyone Ever Seen This?

[Wholuvsyah]

I feed my snake a small rat once a week. I feed live so the kill and eat usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes. I stay and make sure the rat is taken out with no injury to my snake. Today the weirdest thing happens. The rat doesn't move. He freezes half-standing in the corner of feed cage. He doesn't twitch, move, sniff, no movement at all. Well Cyrus was trying was checking him out-he moves slowly toward the rat. It doesn't move. He sniffs the tail -no movement. My snake draws back to figure out what is going on. I am freaking out. I am thinking this rat has got to be the smartest animal alive. He must know the snake can't get a good grip on him in this position. I am just about to take my snake out of the feeder cage when my snake decides he is going to try again. He slides around and comes straight at him. The rat doesn't even breathe. He gets closer and closer. I am having a heart attack now. I am sure that something bad is going to happen. Cyrus is hovering right over the rat now. He opens his mouth and grips the rat's back-still the rat doesn't move. He wraps himself around the rat and only when he tightens does the rat move and try to get away. What just happened? Do you think he was so terrified that he didn't react or do you think he just didn't know what was going on? He looked healthy. This was a first for me. I had Cyrus for close to 9 months and this has never happened before. Weird.

[recycling goddess]

i really don't believe that ratties or mice even know that the snake is going to eat them to be honest. i've had mice go right into my snake's hide and sniff around... and come back out unharmed. they sniff the snakes tail... and wander around.

most likely the rattie was just stressed out and was standing really still trying to figure out where he was and what was going on in his life...

i do have some advice for you though. never reach in and remove your snake when there's a prey item in with it... especially when you can tell your snake is interested in eating... as you will get bit! only put your hand in IF you snake shows no interest in eating at all.

[stangs13]

Or just imagine a giant snake sniffing you!!

[KittyJ]

It could of been terrified of its new environment. When i fed a black male adult mouse the other day.. made me feel bad. I just basically "switched for the time being to live" just recently and well the black male mouse would sniff Chester my Bp, then go back in the corner (which is inches away) and do a tail twitchy thing, and sprays. I think some mice and rats do know whats comming for them and others do not.

[recycling goddess]

if the mouse was spraying... it was probably marking the tank saying "this place is MINE"

[kellysballs]

I had a male ball that did the very same thing. The rat was standing really still in the corner and David really slowly reached out and bit the rat on the side and slowly brought him in and coiled around it. I thought it was kinda strange too. This ball would eat anything though f/t, fresh dead or live what ever I had available.

[joepythons]

I have had something similiar like this happen with my pastel male.He could not get the rat to move so he starts eating the rat head first of course.The rat never moved until his eyes were covered with Brunos mouth.I think some rats have a extra instinct that tells them to freeze up instead of RUN DUMMY .

[recycling goddess]

some rats have a extra instinct that tells them to freeze up instead of RUN DUMMY .

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

My boas do that everytime!!! In my case its just because the rats are frozen thawed!!

[MARCUS ANTONIUS]

Aw, come on guys!! You know it's because snakes hypnotise their prey!! Haven't you ever seen The Jungle Book!