What could I have done to help? *kinda graphic maybe*

[gibbrishclown]

Hey guys. My girl snake so far hasn't wanted to switch over to frozen thawed food, so I've had my neighbor (who's snakes did switch to f/t, but he insists that they miss the kill and that it's better for them to feed live- he just doesn't listen) buy the sm. rat for her and do all the dirty work. Last week he said she grabbed it around the mouth and nose and just went for it... It was silent. Last night I was willing to be in the room since it'd been quiet before and the neighbor told me they didn't normally scream like that (I'd asked because I heard another one die a few weeks before ) She did get it killed and get it down rather easily... but the killing took way too long. The rat screamed for over a minute off and on, and then intermittently for another 2 minutes... My neighbor was telling me "just don't listen" yeah right!

This is the same sized rat (supposedly, I TRULY didn't/ don't want to see them live) as last week, and she was glad to eat it... I just wondered if there were anything I could have done for that rat to end the suffering faster. Or what can I do to avoid it in the future?

...and while I have a thread going...

My boy BP has upped his feedings by double, 2 weaned mice every week. He's not visibly bigger yet, but he was trying to strike at ME! during feeding yesterday. I fed him one f.t and he hit it so hard it exploded a little, an dthen after cuddling with it a minute he set his sites on me! He even struck a few times, so I just dangled the other mouse for him and once he took to that I got the lid on his tupperware and let him work on the mice in peace. That was way out of character for my boy though... could he have been angry that he got fed Sunday instead of Friday? He's kinda cute when he's mad. hehe.

[SarahMB]

Sounds like maybe she wasn't wrapped around the rat properly. I've gotten to where I can tell right off if the snake is wrapped correctly and will sometimes make adjustments with a pair of tongs. Usually just prodding the snake a bit will make it wrap tighter/better. But that's one reason I choose to feed mice, they don't 'scream'.

As for the boy snake, I'd suggest upping the prey size.

[WTHbbqSnake]

I don't think theres a best way to feed a snake. If you're comfortable with f/t then feed that. If you want to feed live then feed live. I feed f/t only because I'm too lazy to care for that many mice and rats to feed to 20+ snakes. Not because it's better, just better for me. I do occasionally feed live or pre-killed whenever I get a picky eater. If your BP is having feeding problems I think you should do what is required to get him to feed even if it means feeding live or pre-killed. If you don't want to do it I suggest having your neighbor do it so you don't have to watch. There are many methods used to get a snake to eat. Try cutting the head open exposing the brain. Then feeding it to your BP. Most BP's can't resist the temptation.

As for faster killing. I've seen people put it in a pillow case and smash it against a wall. A teacher I used to have grabbed it with two hands and severed it's neck.

Try feeding him something larger and see how it goes.
Is he in a high traffic area?
Tell us about his setup.
Temps, Hides, enclosure size ect.

[MeMe]

personally I have only had a couple of incidents where the rat screamed and it was because as Sarah said the snake was just not positioned well.

It isn't really a factor for me as long as they eat.

I would not suggest 'smashing a prey item up against the wall' to kill it.

there are many humane ways of killing the prey before giving it to the snake.

[gibbrishclown]

I'm personally uncomfortable feeding live, or being directly responsible for a death and I prefer f/t for me and mine. BUT, I have this girl snake that still refuses dead food. She fasted through May while I tried to get her switched, but I couldn't take having a pet that wasn't eating, so I started buying live. I'd tried to feed her f/t at dawn yesterday morning, but she thumbed her nose at it, and I gave it to my neighbor. His corns are my little dispose-alls they'll eat anything, and they're pretty big, so anything I can feed mine his can eat! I give my neighbor f/t food from my freezer and he gets me a small live rat and watches her for me. I'm not even comfortable picking it out or holding the box. I see rats as pets, I know that's weird, but that's just me. Thankfully I have the neighbor boy to do the dirty work for me.. he LOVES it... If she'd eat already dead food, then I wouldn't have any issues. She just won't mess with the dead ones at all, she sniffs it but she doesn't want anything to do with it.

The next size up in mice is jumbo for the male... he was only 135 grams in March when he saw the vet, and isn't too big at all! This is a pic of the boy eating one of his weaned mice just after his early June shed.

[Nate]

same thing happened to me a while back, when my snake didn't do the best of jobs constricting..the rat was squirming around and i felt pretty bad.

I gave Adam a call to seek some quick advise, and his advise was just to let nature do its thing...he said the Endorphins produced by the mouse were kicking in and chances are the mouse didn't feel anything (because endorphis are natural pain killers)

He was right, my snake finally finished the job after a while and ate. I felt bad, but in this line of 'pets', you sometimes have to learn how to have a cold heart. It's not easy, I don't care to feed live, but sometimes a snake has to eat, and it's up to us, willing or not, to make sure they do eat.

[gibbrishclown]

I agree the snakes gotta eat. Just because I don't want to feed live doesn't mean I'll let her starve. I kinda thought if I got in there to help she'd abandon it and possibly go for me... and if the rat were alive still, what then? I bought it to be killed... I just hoped she'd kill it faster and more efficiently. Does that just happen sometimes or does it mean that that rat was too big for her or...? The breeder had her on rat pups, but the neighbor is feeding small rats... she gets em down, but man that one last night took a long time to die.

[wolfy-hound]

NUdging to get them to clamp down harder usually works. I do that with mine when on occasion they don't quite have them constricted enough.
It doesn't bother me, since if I were to feed f/t I'm still responsible for that rat's death too. It's just more honest this way.
The little male might have also been food-fixated and your hand is hot. That's a target at that point to him. It's great that he's going after his food.
If buying jumbo mice is more expensive, think about going to a small size rat, like a hopper/crawler or whichever is the same size as a jumbo mouse. That will get him onto rats, so as he grows you can up the prey size still, and avoid having to buy multiple mice for one snake.
Sounds like you've got some good eaters there! COngrats!
(BTW I like rats as pets too, they are great!)
Wolfy

[SarahMB]

I kinda thought if I got in there to help she'd abandon it and possibly go for me... and if the rat were alive still, what then?

I've never experienced a snake letting go of prey and 'going for me' during a feeding. When I've had to prod them with tongs to get a better wrap, they just adjust themselves.

Why don't you ask the breeder you bought her from to trade out with one that takes frozen? If you are that uncomfortable with feeding a snake that only takes live, perhaps you should consider not having an animal you are not able to feed in a responsible manner.

[darkangel]

I think you may have to address your feelings about feeding live... because you might eventually have an animal that just won't take to f/t (I have one), and you have to deal with it. It's difficult, but you have to remove yourself from all of that remorse. It comes with the territory.