Re: I dont think he likes being handled?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pretends2bnormal
Might be worth trying to dip just the head into ~100-110 degree water for 30 seconds or so. Get just the head really nice and hot to make a better target for him. (Or blow dry that spot particularly if he refuses wet rats)
Or, maybe change how you dangle the rat so he has "no choice" but to grab it head on? I.e. hold it by the scruff with tongs and present it face-first as if walking toward him & froze in front of hik. If the head is hottest & the most prominent target, he might have better odds hitting the right place & eating more reliably.
I'd still want to know his weight & the weight of the feeders personally. Not now if he is digesting, but sometime since things sound a bit off to me. Small rats typically weigh 50-80g, some variations of the upper and lower end depending on the seller. And most 6-7 month old BPs I've seen are not really big enough for that size feeder. Some can be of course, but most of mine I've gotten at 3-4 months old were sub-200g and did not get over 400g (weighed after a poop) by 6 months, males especially. 10% feeder for a 400g BP is around 40g.
In the meantime, maybe a picture of him? With something easy to judge as a scale?
If yours isn't actually up to weight for small rats and your small rats are the 50-80g range, the feeders may be a bit larger than he's comfortable with eating and he is only noticing it once wrapped when he doesn't grab the head. Might not be the case, but without knowing the weights it is hard to say.
With right sized feeders and an enthusiastic strike, it is very unusual for him to be dropping the feeder. This coming from someone with a spider that does display some wobble, particularly around feeding, and has more issues hitting the rat than reorienting to eat it after.
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I can try getting the head hotter. He refuses wet rats, so I thaw them out in a ziplock bag and then in hot water so they stay dry.and I've tried dangling in by holding its scruff and he misses more and has smacked his face against my tongs, and it makes me nervous he might hurt himself doing that[emoji27] and I've held it by its hips to have better control of the rat and it's not any easier with the awkward angles I have to hold it in than to dangle it by the base of the tail and hope he gets the head.
Give me a few minutes to find something to set next to the feeder for size reference and the frozen feeder next to him if I can... but i really dont think the feeder size is the issue, he has no problem eating them if he bites the head.
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Re: I dont think he likes being handled?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pretends2bnormal
In the meantime, maybe a picture of him? With something easy to judge as a scale?
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Actually, I'm on my last two rats in the freezer, one that would be for him and one for my other BP which is full grown or close to it and on much larger pray... and the last one of "his" rats is actually a bit smaller than the other ones... I buy a months worth at a time and I just got 1 single rat that is smaller than the ones I've been feeding... still going to give you a pic, but I have to find something that looks about the same size as what I have been feeding him, or atleast offering him....
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Re: I dont think he likes being handled?
I rolled up a piece of paper to a *very* rough size comparison, I typically eyeball the size of his pray by his girth... this is the best I can do right now. Tomorrow I could probably give you a better idea with a weight and an actual rat to show.
I tried my best as to not disturb him too much, (if I get to open his enclosure before he wakes up and I have to move him, or attempt to handle him, or anything i always tap his hide, kind of like knocking before entering so he knows I'm there.) He let me remove his hide and take a quick pic before he lifted his head to see what was going on. Probably because he just ate and is digesting and resting, but usually the second he hears the click of the lock on the door, he comes right out ready to strike.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ac806967ac.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5c88ac0d70.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...eaa982224a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fb0d5b5cf7.jpg
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