Meal time...

Not sure if this could end up being a breech feeding or not. I was holding it with the tweezers and dropped it and he grabbed it
Well I can't upload the picture for some reason

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So anyway I wanted to be able to post a picture of this feeding but for some reason it won't upload it so I'll just have to describe it.
I went and bought a fuzzy rat and was dangling it down for him it fell he got it by the butt and would not let go of it ....it took like forever I swear it took an hour! He finally got it swallowed poor thing crawled off real slow into his hide and I'm sure I won't see him for a couple of days. I tried to get it away from him to let him grab onto it headfirst but every time I would try to do anything he would just tighten up more so I said "you know you're the snake you're supposed to know how to do this".

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Don't worry about it...many snakes eat "backwards" now & then. You can lead a snake to a rat, but you can't make 'em eat correctly, LOL!

I know the little turd!
I thought he's just going to get tired of trying to work it where he can get it in his mouth and decide not to eat it....wheeew, I'm glad he didn't give up

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Don't worry about it...many snakes eat "backwards" now & then. You can lead a snake to a rat, but you can't make 'em eat correctly, LOL!

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Just had this happen with one of my 2018 hatchlings on their last feeding. It often takes them a bit longer to swallow the rodent butt first, but doesn’t seem to cause any ill effects.

Mine has eaten meals butt-first a few times. Nothing wrong with it, just happens. Don't know if this theory holds any weight, but I remember reading somewhere that they could possibly get confused which end is which if the rats are frozen in a big bag all together, and one rat's head is stuck right up against another rats rear end, causing some of the oral scent of one rat to be transferred to the rear end of the other.

That's good to know that there's no ill effects of it..
It has to be rather exhausting all the muscle power they're using to squeeze.
I just felt so bad for him even though he was just doing what snakes do

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It happens sometimes and doesn't seem to be a problem, I watched one of mine trying to eat a rat for an hour and a half :O she finally got it, just takes time. One thing that I've found that helps is the way I hold rats/ mice. I hold them just behind the head (think of how a mother cat holds a kitten) with the face looking forward toward the snake. That way they almost always hit the head first and start eating there.

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Originally Posted by SquirmyPug

It happens sometimes and doesn't seem to be a problem, I watched one of mine trying to eat a rat for an hour and a half :O she finally got it, just takes time. One thing that I've found that helps is the way I hold rats/ mice. I hold them just behind the head (think of how a mother cat holds a kitten) with the face looking forward toward the snake. That way they almost always hit the head first and start eating there.

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I know, I've seen one struggle for a LONG time also...they don't give up easily, that's for sure.
I feed most of my snakes off my tongs, & I have one that, no matter which end I offer first, he wants the OTHER end!? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Treeman

... Don't know if this theory holds any weight, but I remember reading somewhere that they could possibly get confused which end is which if the rats are frozen in a big bag all together, and one rat's head is stuck right up against another rats rear end, causing some of the oral scent of one rat to be transferred to the rear end of the other.

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I also don't think this explains it: I've always raised my own rodents & offer fresh-killed just as often as f/t...makes no difference.

I knew in my head that this is a snake this is something they do he can figure it out. I mean there's nobody out there in the wild with them trying to reposition a rodent, LOL
But then the motherly Instinct kicked in and I wanted to reach in and intervene [emoji173]

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