First Tank Feed Failed..

So I went to feed an adult mouse today since he put 2 hoppers down just fine and things didn't go very smoothly at all. Since this was my first time there were many mistakes made on my part. First, the reflection of the mouse really confused him. So I fixed that. Then he wasn't really attacking the mouse in his cage rather the tongs in my hand. At one point he got some cyprus mulch stuck in his mouth so I had to get that out with the tongs. Im sure that stressed him out a good deal. While trying to get him to attack the mouse he missed and bit some fake plants, then missed and nipped himself. That's what I'm really worried about.. Anyway he finally started eating the mouse but eventually spit it out. Im pretty sure it was too big for him. I figured since it was flattened it wasn't as big as it looked, but he couldn't do it. I'm just going to go to PetCo and grab more hoppers and feed him 2 at a time for the next couple weeks. The weight difference between 2 hops and an adult is only about 3 g so that's no biggie..

My questions are how long should I wait before trying to feed him again, and how long should I wait to check on him to make sure he didn't hurt himself? He didn't seem to bite too hard. Just snapped at himself.. I'm sure he's really stressed out at the moment..

Thanks!

As long as it was a spit out and quite clearly not a regurge I would wait another week, or however long you usually leave between feedings and leave him to settle during that time?

Just wait 5-7 days and try again... two hoppers are fine for now

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Yeah it had a few bite marks and he only went at it for 5 or so minutes. Yes it's usually a week. Thanks for the advice


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So no handling until next feed, then?

If you believed he became stressed from the experience I wouldn't handle during that time unless necessary just to be cautious :) Just my own personal opinion :)

As stated above, wait a week before feeding. As far as handling, again keep that to a minimum. Two hoppers are perfectly fine to feed if your snake is not taking an adult mouse. You can also try switching over to rats and try rats pups, that way you don't have to feed multiple rodents in the future as well.

So I succesfully got him to eat one in his tank just now but he has a huge wad of dirt in his mouth. The 2nd one is in the tank but he seems to be struggling now more with the dirt. Should I do anything/take the 2nd one out? :-/ I know they can handle dirt, he just seems to be struggling..

I would monitor him and make sure he is okay, unfortunately not something I've dealt with as I use paper towels as a 'substrate'

Just monitor him, what exactly do you mean by struggling?

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He had a lot of dirt in his mouth and was realigning his jaw a lot more than he usually needs to to eat. He managed to take care of it, get most of the dirt out/swallowed. I did my best to dry the second mouse off before feeding him but of course this one got way more filthy than the first. He's working on it, I had to one of his hides out so I'm hoping/waiting for him to finish this one, go into his cool hide so I can put the other one back in.. Its really just the cyprus mulch that concerns me. Dirt is fine, but those woodchips... They make me a little nervous

Is there a reason you're using both? I used eco earth in my tank.
I use shredded Aspen in my rack

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The Cyprus mulch prevents mold from growing in the tank

What are you using with the cypress mulch? I'm a little confused

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Im using Eco Earth w the cyprus. He put them both down fine, I got his other hide back in there.. Honestly, I apologize. I over-worry about my pets a lot. And I know they're pretty low maintenance animals, but I've never had a snake before so I doubt myself a lot.

It's Ok :) It's better to worry than not care! I used straight eco earth in my tank and didn't have any mold issues. If the bark is troublesome for him I would try the straight eco earth

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I constantly worry about mine! I think it's normal. Glad to hear it went well and he ate for you!

I was snake-less myself until the beginning of October and I'm still learning, I'm sure there are people who have had them for years who still learn something new every now and again. Better to worry than not to care. :)