biting and spitting it out

twice in the last week my ball has been biting mice then spitting them out. he stays int he position to pounce and keeps smelling for awhile, then he leaves them and doesn't eat.

suggestions?

i know sometimes them dont eat, but the spitting out surprises me.

Hi,

We need a few more details.

Are you feeding live or F/T?

Are you feeding in his enclosure or outside of it?

Are you watching him eat?

Does he coil round it or only strike but not hold on?


dr del

Sounds like your watching him eat with the lights on and he's getting nervous.
Try leaving him alone and turning out the lights.

My lesser used to do that a lot when he was young. I figured out after a while that he only did it when he struck anywhere other than the face. He wouldn't be able to swallow it right away, so he'd spit it out and try to figure out where the head was, and sometimes he'd just take too long and lose interest. If he's not doing it already, see if you can get your snake to strike at the face, it might help. :)

Are you feeding live or F/T?

F/T slightly heated up. I am sure he was underfed by his previous owner and the first few weeks i had him he ate super fast.

Are you feeding in his enclosure or outside of it?
In his enclosure.

Are you watching him eat?
I turn the lights down but I am in the room.

Does he coil round it or only strike but not hold on?
He only struck and didn't hold on.

This behavior started on friday when i put F/T mice in his cage because he is underweight and the pet store didnt have the right size for him. he smelled them both over and over and struck one then spit it out. he stayed in striking position and went back and forth smelling each for over an hour, but when i woke up in the morning they were still there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ash

My lesser used to do that a lot when he was young. I figured out after a while that he only did it when he struck anywhere other than the face. He wouldn't be able to swallow it right away, so he'd spit it out and try to figure out where the head was, and sometimes he'd just take too long and lose interest. If he's not doing it already, see if you can get your snake to strike at the face, it might help. :)

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I have two snakes that do this, and one is particularly picky. She will strike every feeding night, but unless she bites is square on the head, she'll drop it and lose interest. Then I offer her another one (or sometimes the same one if I can prevent getting tagged), and hope she bites that one on the head. I wouldn't mind so much if she was a better aim, but no such luck... :(

Is your snake trying to eat, and then giving up? Or just "killing" it and then leaving?

The reason I ask is because I have read about snakes trying to eat something too big and they realize they can't so they just give up. But if your snake was eating these before that probably isn't the case.

it doesnt seem like he is trying to eat, cause he just strikes then lets go... and after the first time this happened he was still ready to pounce and stretching out his jaw and stuff, then just didnt eat. the mice are small enough.

i have heard that when they refuse food to wait a week, but i am wondering if i still should in this situation?

he is 1.5 or 2 years and the person i got him from was feeding him only 1 pinky once every two weeks so i really want to make sure he is nourished!

To me it sounds like a defensive strike. When it's a hunger strike they usually coil. If he is nervous and you are watching him, it may not be hunger but a bit of panic. I haven't ever had a picky eater, so no personal experiance here, just what I have seen/heard before.

He should be ok if you wait a week. Don't handle him, just let him get settled in and then next week make sure the f/t is warmed up properly and warm enough for him to really get a signal from.

Good luck with him. I'm sure you will get him healthy in no time! ^_^

how long have you had the snake?
also what size caging is it in?
pinkies are way too small for a snake that old. im guessing its really small still
it could be that its stressed out.

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Originally Posted by rayann

in the wild they have more than 20 gal. as long as there are good hides i dont see why not. a super large tank 70-100 gal came to me and my 1.5/2 year old loves it. he utilizes all of the space and explores every inch. i had to have him in a smaller tank while i was doing some work on it and for those 3 days he spent all his time in his hide when in his normal space he climbs a lot and is more active.

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Is this the same snake?? If so, he is definitely not trying to eat. The snake in this post is stressed. The exploring is a sign of stress. A comfortable ball will stay in their hide most of the time, sometimes coming out at night to look around a bit. When he stayed in his hide in the smaller space, he was feeling more secure.

If this is the same snake, I would suggest putting him back in the smaller container, leaving him for a week, then trying to feed him again, once he is acting more comfortable. Once he is eating reliably, then you can try to use the bigger tank again.

Whereas in the wild they do get more than 20g, they don't often leave the termite hills they live in. It's possible to use a tank that large, but keeping the temps and humidity in the correct ranges is not only going to be hard, it's going to be expensive. Your also going to need a ton of stuff to clutter the tank so your bp doesn't get so stressed. Personally I would give up on the huge tank until he is eating well at least.

his belly just turned pink so he may have not been eating because he is about to shed....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tweets_4611

Is this the same snake?? If so, he is definitely not trying to eat. The snake in this post is stressed. The exploring is a sign of stress.

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Good catch!

As for not eating due to a pink belly, mine doesn't shed until about 3 weeks after I notice the pink, and it's not going to go without eating during all that time. I would err on the side of caution and get your snake feeling totally secure rather than assuming the non-eating is due to a pink belly. Especially with a pinky every other week, he probably needs to catch up (which is what mine has done).

his eyes went milky a few days later... he has been spending lots of time in his hides these days and in the humid hide so i think its shed time, but i will try to give him more eating privacy.

Normally a strike without a coil is defensive. He probably would rather be left alone then eat.

If it happens again, you might want to try re-warming the mouse. I had a Colombian Boa that was very picky about temperature. After trying for so long, I would re-heat the mouse, making sure that it was just slightly warmer than body temp all the way through. (happened when I was impatient and didn't allow enough time in the warm water bath) She would then find it acceptable and snatch it right up. Also make sure that the mouse is not too warm. That could also be a reason that he is grabbing then spitting it out. Another thing is if it is too warm the mouse will start to cook, which is not good for the snake.