week 3 feeding, stressed?

They strike at the prey because of the heat coming off of the prey, it sounds like you might be offering the f/t too cold and it's not liking it even after it strikes it.

i let him sniff it for a few minutes, but like i said, i don't want him eating it off the reptibark since he started almost choking on it last week. and the mouse was about 90 degrees according to my temp gun. i reheated it a few times - both with a blow dryer, from a distance... and putting it under the heat lamp for a short amount of time. i did the same thing ive done 2 other times and he took it those times. he drops it because he strikes the belly and can't swallow it that way.
i am not worried - at all - about the fact he didn't eat because i know its not a problem. i wasn't sure if i stressed him out though by trying for too long to feed him. i am only worried about how active he is being during the daytime.

I agree. It sounds like perhaps it wasn't warm enough. The laser thermometers are really handy becasue you van check the temp of the rat easily.
I believe a rats normal body temp is around 100.f. So the rat needs to be heated to that. The Middles are always the last to thaw out. Generally when I used to thaw and feed I left the prey out over night and then warmed it in hot water and blasted it with the hair dryer. If it's too cold they may strike and coil it but then because of the shock of cold on their mouths they drop it.

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Originally Posted by Homegrownscales

Generally when I used to thaw and feed I left the prey out over night and then warmed it in hot water and blasted it with the hair dryer. [/url]

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that is exactly what i do. i will try to get it warmer next time, but he has eaten no problem before this.




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again though, im not worried about the not eating. he will eat, he has in the past, he will eat again. i dont really know how to make it more clear, that i was just worried that he was moving around all day and not in his hide like normal. i haven't really gotten many responses on what i was actually concerned about. he's in his hide now though. so i will just wait it out and see if he comes back out in the daytime or not.

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Originally Posted by jarobin

... i haven't really gotten many responses on what i was actually concerned about. he's in his hide now though. so i will just wait it out and see if he comes back out in the daytime or not.

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like I said I think he's just maybe hunting and he was looking for the food he had squeezed and now it's gone.

If you are worried about him eating the substrate, I would say either a) put him on paper towels or b) get a largeish paper plate and feed on that. I have planter drip catchers for hides, so when I feed i usually flip over the cool side hide and put the heated up rat down on that. When he comes to investigate, I give it a little prod or shake with the tongs and once he strikes, I close the lid of the tub and tun off the lights and leave him alone. When snakes eat, they are very vulnerable, they are out in the open and they cant go anywhere fast. If its is bright and there are giants (you and your family) hovering he might not feel comfortable swallowing. Next time you try once he strikes, just close the lid, cover the viv and leave him alone. Once he is a bit more established, there will be plenty of time to watch him eat. It usually takes my guy about 20 minutes from the time he strikes to start swallowing, so be way patient, and resist the urge to check on him.

i am feeding live right now to my young one. we have had 3 feedings now. the first two he struck the middle and coiled then he would take a couple minutes getting back to the head. so maybe yours did just need some more time to get back to it and get swallowing. our first feeding i tried f/t two day in a row with no luck so then on the third day i just got live. anyways, you shouldnt have to wait for next week to feed again.

good luck, dave

The substrate issue isn't as bad as you probably think it is. Anything large enough to cause serious damage is usually knocked off during the process of eating, and anything smaller won't really hurt them.

Failed feeding attempts usually result in an "escape attempt" where the snake will look for ways out. It's usually due to the fact that they aren't in the mood to eat and they can smell the mouse and want to get away from the other animal(at least in my experience). Once the smell clears the tank, they usually settle down and go back in their hide.

Regarding striking at the belly, that's actually pretty common, especially while they're eating small mice. If you think about it, they're going for the neck in most cases since they need to hold the mouse still while they constrict. Usually after the strike they move their way to the head. If they're trying to eat it sideways and can't figure out how to eat head first, that's typically a sign that you should look to move up a mouse size.