Interesting live-feed story

So, my BP should have been on small rats for awhile now, but due to nothing being available but jumbo rats she's been on mice. Today I found out that the place we get mice from started carrying small rats, so I gave those a shot. Luckily she doesn't appear to have fixated on mice and took it no problem.

Anyway, true to form, she bit the rat just above its tail end and I had to quickly intervene to keep it from doing serious damage. It got in a couple good bites before I could wrestle its head out and get the tongs in its mouth. I wanted to point out that trying its hardest and getting in a couple direct bites, it managed to scuff a scale. I think this is really a testament to how tough snake-skin is. The only damage done was a tiny scratch on her neck that was only visible when it was completely stretched out swallowing the rat. I'll keep an eye on it, but I'm not worried about it at all.
She actually eventually had to let go and constrict it properly (at which point it died in about ten seconds). That's how bad this strike was. I'm kind of amazed at how bad a hunter my BP is.

She did manage to really freak me out because she had blood on a few scales around her mouth that have always been kind of messed up (I assume from an injury or infection at the petstore prior to me adopting her) and I thought she had somehow got bitten in the mouth. Turns out it was rat blood, so no harm done there.

Even though you all know to supervise live feeds, I just thought I'd post this. If I hadn't been right there, she definitely would have taken a pretty serious injury because of a bad strike.

I'm glad your snake wasn't harmed DV.

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

I'm glad your snake wasn't harmed DV.

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Thanks. I swear she would have lasted ten minutes in the wild, she's kind of a terrible hunter.

Glad to hear she pulled it off with your help! Now it's time to celebrate her graduation to small rats. Great job and she will more than likely be a better killer for the next time!

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Glad to hear she pulled it off with your help! Now it's time to celebrate her graduation to small rats. Great job and she will more than likely be a better killer for the next time!

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lol I think she'll be celebrating by not moving from her hide for the next two days. It's definitely a relief to only have to feed once a week though.

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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Thanks. I swear she would have lasted ten minutes in the wild, she's kind of a terrible hunter.

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Tell me about it, I have an adult BCI that insists on hitting the tail end of the rat, if not the tail itself, even if I heat the head so it's warmer than the rest of the feeder. At least he does eat it head first.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Tell me about it, I have an adult BCI that insists on hitting the tail end of the rat, if not the tail itself, even if I heat the head so it's warmer than the rest of the feeder. At least he does eat it head first.

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Haha. I have one snake that will refuse to eat anything f/t if the head has somehow broken off in the freezer. One time I sat and watched him look from the front of a headless pinkie to the back over and over for ten straight minutes before giving up.

Bad strikes happen. Sometimes mine miss and then make a clean kill second time around. Glad everything turned out fine.

I had a spider grab a tail one time. The mouse drug the hatchling around like it did not realize why the snake had his tail. After the spider realized the mouse was not going to die this way her let go and tried again, got him that time. I had another snake that grabbed and coiled the hips and back legs of a rat weanling one time. The baby rat could not hurt the snake but he sure did try for a few minuets until the snake decided to try a better hold. Detached his mouth from the rat rump without letting his prey go. Looked at the rats head for a moment while still coiling his body then struck mouth wide open with entire head inside while re-coiling. Snakes are extremely good hunters. :)

So glad for the health and well being of your snake that you were there supervising DVirginiana! :)

I don't have a BP on live, but my boa is and sometimes it amazes me she doesn't get bit by the rats more. Some of the strikes are just awful, I don't think she'd do well in the wild either, haha. I'm glad to read it's not just my snake who likes to live dangerously! [emoji14]