A little feeding trick..

I have a little feeding tip for those who use either glass tanks, or less opaque r-maids; it seemed like sometimes I was getting odd feeding refusals. My snake would constrict, then seem to ignore the prey after letting go.. I figured it out... they sometimes get distracted by outside motion. So, I put the rat in, watch them constrict, make sure no rat teeth are where they can bite the snake; then I put the lid back on the cage and cover it with a large, heavy blanket until the snake has swallowed. Reason being, it seems like if something walks by (the cat, my boyfriend, or me) it seems to distract the snake from eating; it will turn away from the prey and toward the motion. But with the blanket over them, they have a nice, dark feeding area :) I peek in, in about 10 minutes after constriction, and the prey is gone. :)

Thanks for the awesome tip. I've seen our little piggy almost lose interest in his mouse once when my boyfriend was watching him. I'll keep this around, helps the peace of mind.

Yup; I too have the "BP-Feeding-watching" boyfriend syndrome, lol. I have convinced him to at least wait until they start swallowing, lol.

Then comes - immediately after feeding - "I will die if I can't pick up the snake" syndrome. The terrors we put them through :P

My cape gophersnake will only eat if I cover his cage with a big towel and turn out the lights. Been doing that for a couple of years now. I've never, ever seen that one eat. Consequently, he's fed multiple fuzzy mice, rather than an adult mouse, because I can't monitor the live feeding.

yeah i figured this out about Monty back when i was using a glass tank. my rule was if you want to watch the feeding then you have to sit on the bed (other side of the room) and make no noise until i give the signal (usually when he's already started swallowing.


When i switched to the T3 because of the opaque sides i really didnt have the same problems.

Neither of our girls seem to mind us watching them eat although I do try to make sure neither of us is moving around when they are. =)

Mostly we sit there and "coach" them. =)

"No, Cleo, the nose is at the other end....the other end...yeah down there...you got it...nooo! too far...that's the butt...go back...a bit further...there you go!"

I've seen a marked improvement in feeding a couple of my super shy ball pythons once I moved them into a rack system (which is dark everywhere except the very front of the tub).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Schlyne

I've seen a marked improvement in feeding a couple of my super shy ball pythons once I moved them into a rack system (which is dark everywhere except the very front of the tub).

---

That is a big factor in problematic feeders, put them in a black rack or a dark rack and often they eat and eat consistantly. Covering the front with a dark colored towel often helps too!

I haven't had that problem yet. SO far, Stryker has eaten 2 F/T mice right in front of me. I do the mouse dance with the tongs and he strikes, constricts (one time for a WHILE, I didn't have the heart to tell him it was already dead, I just humored him) and then finds the head and swallows. Of course, I know not every feeding will go perfectly so all these tips are awesome! THANKS!