Getting a bit frustrated

I decided I would come here and post to see if anyone might have some helpful advice. I have quite a few snakes (for me anyway) and I have rescued some babies and adults in the past that refused to eat as well as gotten some fresh import babies. I've had to switch some from live mice to f/t rats and have had some that really tested my patience but this guy...... for lack of a better word is just dumb. His problem is not his feeding response or anything like that. He hits it every single time (even in shed) and is always waiting at dinner time. He coils it and proceeds to "kill" his f/t rat and then when it's "good and dead" he can't seem to EVER find the head! He will try to eat it butt first or foot/arm first and sometimes drag it around a bit and sniff it with a confused look to no avail and then he gives up. After 2 or 3 more times of reheating and re-offering the rat, he eventually gets it but I've never had any snake take THIS long to figure it out and be efficient at it. Oddly enough, he's one that I hatched out myself (August of last year) and I've offered the same way every single feeding since the day he started eating. The method has never changed and neither has his ability to find the head of his rat.

I always thaw the rat thoroughly. Once thawed I blast them with a blow dryer all over the body and then focus on the head for a good 25 - 30 secs (he's eating weened rats) to make sure the head is the hottest spot. None of the other babies I've hatched or raised seem to have this issue, at least not consistently like he does (once in a great while I'll get one that eats it butt first but that's very rare). I'm not exaggerating when I say he does this every single feeding 2 or 3 times. I've even tried putting ONLY the head inside the tub so that's the only place he could possibly bite it and he still can't seem to figure it out until I've reheated it and offered at least twice. Any advice?

Garfield is pretty dumb when it comes to eating his self but not like that. I just leave him alone with it and he figures it out. I once watched him for 30 minutes trying to find the head. Lol. Your snake might just be special like mine. lol.

I have a spider girl like this. SO ANNOYING.
With my others, if they strike and then leave it, I know they won't eat so I remove it. But with her, I KNOW if I offer it again and she tags it in the right spot, she WILL eat. So I feel bad if I take it away without offering it again and again.

Some snakes just need a little extra attention. I find many of these "dumb eaters" tend to figure it out after a while...it just can take quite some time for "a while" to pass and for them to pick it up.

Keep doing what you're doing, he should figure it out. Eventually.

-Jen

My male bumblebee does the exact samething. Yesterday was feeding day and I prep my rats just like you do. Hachi is always ready to go when I open his tub. He strikes and coils then "hugs" the rat for about an hour. It's like he is in a trance and won't move or even start to swallow the rat. I've learned to give the rat a tug with some thongs to get him to swallow. He usually strikes the rats on their front legs and then will realize it's easier to swallow them head first. I usually get the nose of the rat hotter then the rest of it's body and dangle it by it's hind legs. Good luck and keep us posted.

Is it a Spider? My Spider does the same thing, he even tried to eat one sideways once. I just do the same thing and re-heat and he usually gets it the second time.

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Originally Posted by jasonmcgilvrey83

I just leave him alone with it and he figures it out. I once watched him for 30 minutes trying to find the head. Lol. Your snake might just be special like mine. lol.

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He is definitely a special one! However, I have tried leaving it in with him before (sometimes not even on purpose). Thankfully I always check on them because if I didn't, I would have a VERY stinky tub. He just leaves it and gives up on it completely unless I reheat and re-offer.

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

Some snakes just need a little extra attention. I find many of these "dumb eaters" tend to figure it out after a while...it just can take quite some time for "a while" to pass and for them to pick it up.

Keep doing what you're doing, he should figure it out. Eventually.

-Jen

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I hope that's the case! You would think that after a year and how big he is that he would have figured it out by now. None of my other snakes have taken this long and it's not like he's been moved around with different people offering different ways. He's just :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by C2tcardin

Is it a Spider? My Spider does the same thing, he even tried to eat one sideways once. I just do the same thing and re-heat and he usually gets it the second time.

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No, he is not a spider..... that would give him a decent excuse. Nope, he's a holdback dinker or "normal" until proven otherwise.

Alot of my snakes do a good job at grabbing the rat by the head. Usually this leaves them in a good position to just jump right into swallowing without releasing. Maybe try holding the rat a bit further back and up to try to get him to grab the rat by the snout. I think it could work

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Originally Posted by Izzys Keeper

Alot of my snakes do a good job at grabbing the rat by the head. Usually this leaves them in a good position to just jump right into swallowing without releasing. Maybe try holding the rat a bit further back and up to try to get him to grab the rat by the snout. I think it could work

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I've tried that :(. I've even tried putting only the head of the rat into his enclosure (leaving the body outside of his tub)and he still strikes and coils and then once he relaxes his coils he lets go to start searching for the head like he doesn't know he already has it. Him getting it RIGHT on the nose might help but I don't think he's ever got it right on the nose before. I'll just keep babying him until he figures it out I suppose lol. I guess some snakes are just extra special! :D