Sumatran Keeps Wrapping And Not Eating Suddenly

My male and female both did this same thing on feeding day yesterday. Both of them were lunging out of their tubs and snapping when I pulled them out at feeding time... lol Both of them immediately struck and wrapped, but when I checked on them a couple hours later the rats were laying in their tubs. I heated them back up with my heat gun and both of them immediately struck and wrapped again. That time they both ate, though. I'm not sure why they're doing this...

Interesting. I have no idea, Rambo wont strike if i'm offering, i have to leave the f/t on a napkin in his boaphile and he'll go for it after a few minutes. Hes never turned anything down though, theyre always gone when i check back in on him.

My Borneo went through a phase doing the same thing. She did it for a couple months when I switched her to small rats at about 400g. She's up to 1100g now and still is on small rats each week and always eats now. I think it's more frustrating than then straight refusing. No idea of a fix other than to reheat until they eat or quit striking.

Kyle


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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Interesting. I have no idea, Rambo wont strike if i'm offering, i have to leave the f/t on a napkin in his boaphile and he'll go for it after a few minutes. Hes never turned anything down though, theyre always gone when i check back in on him.

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Both of my Matrix Bloods are like that. Only one time has my big Matrix girl ever actually struck and wrapped while I was offering the prey. I always have to just leave it for her. Her boyfriend will sometimes take it from me after about 20 minutes of puppeteering... lol Most of the time I end up just leaving it for him, too, though. One of my Ball Pythons has never taken a rat from me. If only ALL snakes were as ferocious of eaters as Boas, huh?

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Originally Posted by Kroberts10

My Borneo went through a phase doing the same thing. She did it for a couple months when I switched her to small rats at about 400g. She's up to 1100g now and still is on small rats each week and always eats now. I think it's more frustrating than then straight refusing. No idea of a fix other than to reheat until they eat or quit striking.

Kyle


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I actually just increased these Sumatran's prey sizes a few weeks ago, too after finally getting them to start eating frozen/thawed consistently. I was wondering if that could be the problem. Maybe they're still just trying to get the hang of eating larger prey items, huh? I had been giving them "mouse size" rats. Now they're getting something that is between "mouse size" and small rat size prey. I'll be glad when all of my younger Borneos and Sumatrans are finally eating full size small rats. It will make buying my rats much easier. They're just at one of those weird in-between stage right now...

My ball python did that too.
She'd been fed live before I bought her but fed really well on f/t for perhaps 3 feedings after I bought her. Then surprised me by striking, wrapping and ignoring. I waited a week and she was acting really hungry and snatched the rat pup out of my tongs as soon as I opened her tub, but again, didn't eat it. Another week and still, she'd have a really good feeding response, but wouldn't eat after wrapping. She was starting to lose weight so I caved and bought her a live pup, she nailed it before it even touched the floor of the bin and ate it immediately.
She's due to be fed again this weekend, I'm going to try another f/t but am resigned that I may have to pick up another live pup. I HATE that!!! I have no idea what caused the change in behavior but was happy I was able to get her eating again as she's only 5 mos. old.

This girl of mine STILL does this! Every feeding day I have to keep reheating the rat and re-offering it. After about the 5th time of repeating this she will finally swallow it. She doesn't ignore it, though. She immediately snatches it right up and wraps it every time, but when I return the rat will still be laying there with her slobber and bit marks all over it and she will be looking out the front of her tub wanting fed. I have watched her and the problem is, she can't figure out that she has to swallow it head first. She will be trying to swallow it from the side, from the back and everywhere else. It's really weird!

How old is she, what size feeder are you offering, and how often do you offer it?

Samantha will be 2 years old this summer and she is currently eating one small rat every 7 days... She was doing the same thing with weanling rats... I have watched her and once she unwraps she will keep biting the rat from every angle like she can't figure out that she is supposed to eat it head first, but eventually she gets it. The rats are always all slobbered up and bloody from her biting it all over. This crazy snake would be in big trouble out in the wild! lol She reminds me of a spoiled child, who has to have their food cut up and arranged on their plates just so before they'll eat... lol