Why do you think she isn't taking the f/t rat?

Tuna has been eating f/t rats for the past 6 meals. Just now I lowered a warmed up f/t rat into her tank. She crawled right up to it, started smelling it and then started focusing on the tongs I use to feed her. It's like she smells the rat and wants to eat but can't seem to focus on the head/body of it.

Then she struck at it and bit it by the foot and curled up around it. After a minute she let go of the foot and started circling her head around the rat as if trying to find the rat's head.

No clue what's going on, any thoughts on this? I changed her tank a week ago but this started happening before too.

It may not be hot enough. And once mine strike I just leave them alone and check back in the morning.

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Originally Posted by mpkeelee

It may not be hot enough. And once mine strike I just leave them alone and check back in the morning.

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I've tried 4 times now: 85F, 95F, 100F, 110F
As soon as I lower the rat she immediately comes out and starts smelling it.
Then she'll crawl around around it smelling, but doesn't do anything.

Maybe she is going in to shed? My BP always refuses even before he goes blue.

I have never measured the temperature of my mice or rats. Once they are completely defrosted I just stick them in the hottest water I can stand to touch for a minute, shake em off and then feed. These days more than half the time I don't even heat them, Atlas prefers his wet, so I do that for him, but King Crimson, my corn will take his room temperature. Once they strike, I close the tubs and turn off the light. Some times if Atlas gets a weird angle, he will strike and coil, but not eat. For him if it is still there in the morning he gets a second shot and I will heat and re offer. He's never struck and not eaten when I have done this. If he doesn't want it he is shedding.

Shedding is a possibility as Tuna's belly is turning pink.
The weird thing is that after she bit the foot and didn't eat it I took the rat out, re-heated it and put it back in. She was facing away from the rat, she turned around and instantly took and ate it. I tried feeding a second rat as the first one was a bit small and she did the same thing, came right up to it, smelled around and wanted nothing to do with it.

Try doing the "zombie dance" with it. Make it wiggle around like it's alive. I also get a really good response if I make it "struggle" after the snake catches it.

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Originally Posted by meowmeowkazoo

Try doing the "zombie dance" with it. Make it wiggle around like it's alive. I also get a really good response if I make it "struggle" after the snake catches it.

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Already do both those things

If she doesn't strike just leave it in there and let her be. Just cause they don't strike doesn't mean they aren't hungry. Sometimes theyre shy. And as they said it could be caused by the possible upcoming shed

Well she's never been she and has always been a solid eater.
I left the rat overnight and she didn't take it.
I think I'm gonna leave her be for a while and see how she does in a week.