Well, this is a first.

It seems that we might have our first prey refusal. Skull struck the rat weanling, coiled around it, then dropped it and moved away. We had this happen once before when we let the prey get too cool. So, we did the same thing that worked last time, cleaned it off, reheated it and offered again. He struck, coiled, started working on the head for a bit then dropped it and went into his warm hide. He's now got his nose sticking out the warm hide while the rat lays a few inches away.

So much for never having a refusal.

We'll leave the rat in there over night. It it's not gone in the morning, we'll try to offer again in a few days.

Mine did something like that last time being fed. I wiggled the rat in front of him but as usually no real response or interest comes in for a smell but moves inches away and lays down waiting, at this point I drop the rat for later consumption or till it needs to be reheated

That's quite normal for him, if he refuses to strike i just lay it down and after minutes of observation he starts chowing down the rat. Not this time, he just waited and waited till i wanted to reheat and try again. As soon I moved it with a tweezers he struck and ate the rat ;)

The thing about Skull is that he usually zaps his prey hard and fast. He did have trouble striking this one for some reason and then after both times of coiling around it, he just seemed to lose interest. We've been feeding him about every 4 days. But since we've switched from mice to rats, I'm wondering if that is too frequent. Although, he was acting hungry today, cruising his tank and hunting about.

I dunno.

Snakes are weird. :P

Mine did something like that last time being fed. I wiggled the rat in front of him but as usually no real response or interest comes in for a smell but moves inches away and lays down waiting, at this point I drop the rat for later consumption or till it needs to be reheated

That's quite normal for him, if he refuses to strike i just lay it down and after minutes of observation he starts chowing down the rat. Not this time, he just waited and waited till i wanted to reheat and try again. As soon I moved it with a tweezers he struck and ate the rat ;)

Well, Skull ate tonight. He zapped the rat hard and fast like he usually does. I'm thinking there was just something about that other rat that he didn't like.

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Originally Posted by Garnet

Well, Skull ate tonight. He zapped the rat hard and fast like he usually does. I'm thinking there was just something about that other rat that he didn't like.

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That's so funny.. My guy came out of shed and always eats. I put a rat weanling in the tank and he wanted nothing to do with it..was face to face and didn't strike,just slithered away,he did this 2 nights in a row,then my buddy killed the rat for me, breaking it's neck he still didn't want it. Then yesterday I offered a FT. Large adult mouse and he was face to face again,nothing to do with it. So he sees me come home tonight from work and keeps coming out of the tank,he's done this before when he wants food. So I go to the store and get a rat weanling,within seconds of dropping the rat in the tank his head is out of his hide,as soon as the eat walked by him,like usual struck hard and fast like the hungry pig he is and he wasn't even out of the hide yet. By time I dropped the rat in to the time he struck,had to be no more than 15 seconds ..so I don't know why he didn't want the other rat or the FT mouse....I was starting to stress out,but relieved that he ate.