Feeding

I just got a BP and this is the first time I'm feeding him. (Also my first snake)

I just threw the rat in his tank and he's coiled in the corner while the rat is running around the tank. Whenever the rat comes near Alfred (the name of my BP), he raises his neck and sometimes jabs at him. But the rat is still alive and I think has made a nest of the dirt and moss in the tank.
Alfred is doing a yawning like thing...is he yawning or unhinging his jaw?
Because he's done that a lot.

I will feed him in a different tank later on but right the one he's in is the one he's going to eat in and I don't have everything I need for his new tank.
What do you think of feeding them in separate tanks?

How long should I wait for him to eat it? Because he's in a new environment and I think going to shed soon so he might not want to eat but I don't want to take the rat out until I'm sure.



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take the rat out now

You don't need to feed in a separate container.
But what Dennis said, remove that rat now before your snake becomes the prey.


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Originally Posted by Rob

You don't need to feed in a separate container.
But what Dennis said, remove that rat now before your snake becomes the prey.


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What's the rat going to do? He doesn't seem interested in my snake that much

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Also for future reference, if your snake will absolutely not take frozen thawed. Don't just toss a live rat in there willy nilly. Either humanly pre kill/stun or at very least make sure you put it in position to get a good head grab.


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the snake's not going to feed today. it's in defensive mode.

BPs can take awhile to settle into new environments. leave the snake alone for another 5-7 days and try feeding it again.

what was he eating before you got him? it would be good to offer the same prey he is used to. Live/FT/PK? mice/rat? size?

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Originally Posted by sammarie

What's the rat going to do? He doesn't seem interested in my snake that much

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Idk if you're trolling or not, but what that rat is going to do is potentially kill your snake.

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Originally Posted by sammarie

What's the rat going to do? He doesn't seem interested in my snake that much

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Google rat bites he could maim or even kill your snake never leave a rat or mouse that isnt eaten

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Originally Posted by sammarie

What's the rat going to do? He doesn't seem interested in my snake that much

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a rat can do serious damage to a snake. it's enclosed with a predator, it's fight or flight time. well, since it's enclosed, flight is out the question.

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Originally Posted by StillBP

Google rat bites he could maim or even kill your snake never leave a rat or mouse that isnt eaten

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I've heard alot about that but this rat is just staying in its corner and pooping a lot, if my snake wasn't hungry what would he show?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by sammarie

I've heard alot about that but this rat is just staying in its corner and pooping a lot, if my snake wasn't hungry what would he show?

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Take the rat out now. We have explained this clear enough, if the rat kills your snake that's on you at this point. Not trying to be rude, but you need to listen for the well being of your snake.

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Originally Posted by Rob

Take the rat out now. We have explained this clear enough, if the rat kills your snake that's on you at this point. Not trying to be rude, but you need to listen for the well being of your snake.

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I know I took it out. I just don't know whether or not my snake actually wanted to eat it because I don't know that much about their specific eating behavior or the difference between hungry or not hungry

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by sammarie

I've heard alot about that but this rat is just staying in its corner and pooping a lot, if my snake wasn't hungry what would he show?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by sammarie

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1. If you've heard a lot about that happening, why would you ask "what the rat's going to do" in the first place?

2. So you know that rats can injure/kill snakes if left in an enclosure with them... and you decide to 'just throw it in'?

edit: I had other things to say but I posted before you had mentioned that you removed the rat. Thank you for cooperating, but be more responsible next time and don't do something that endangers your animal's life.

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Originally Posted by sammarie

I know I took it out. I just don't know whether or not my snake actually wanted to eat it because I don't know that much about their specific eating behavior or the difference between hungry or not hungry

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Ok good deal. Not hungry behavior is exactly what you explained in your first post, the snake was striking in a defense way not a feeding response.

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Originally Posted by Rob

Ok good deal. Not hungry behavior is exactly what you explained in your first post, the snake was striking in a defense way not a feeding response.

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K, thank you

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by sammarie

K, thank you

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Sure thing, just try to be on top of things a little faster. Improperly live feeding can go bad very fast.

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Originally Posted by cristacake

1. If you've heard a lot about that happening, why would you ask "what the rat's going to do" in the first place?

2. So you know that rats can injure/kill snakes if left in an enclosure with them... and you decide to 'just throw it in'?

edit: I had other things to say but I posted before you had mentioned that you removed the rat. Thank you for cooperating, but be more responsible next time and don't do something that endangers your animal's life.

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I'm not that experienced of an owner (main reason I posted this) but I have read a lot of things on keeping a snake and I read articles and posts in lots if places.
When I put the rat in I made sure to keep a close eye on what was going on and made sure I could see everything its doing so in the case it did attack my snake I could stop it.
I've never seen a snake eat before so I didn't know if what was going on is a normal thing and the snake would attack eventually (again why I posted this).

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by cristacake

1. If you've heard a lot about that happening, why would you ask "what the rat's going to do" in the first place?

2. So you know that rats can injure/kill snakes if left in an enclosure with them... and you decide to 'just throw it in'?

edit: I had other things to say but I posted before you had mentioned that you removed the rat. Thank you for cooperating, but be more responsible next time and don't do something that endangers your animal's life.

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And by "just threw" I meant just as recently not only
I recently threw the rat in but now its out

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Originally Posted by Rob

Idk if you're trolling or not, but what that rat is going to do is potentially kill your snake.

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I know that the rat can hurt him I sort of meant that completely differently and it came out very differently than I meant it

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Originally Posted by DennisM

the snake's not going to feed today. it's in defensive mode.

BPs can take awhile to settle into new environments. leave the snake alone for another 5-7 days and try feeding it again.

what was he eating before you got him? it would be good to offer the same prey he is used to. Live/FT/PK? mice/rat? size?

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He ate live

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Originally Posted by sammarie

He ate live

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mice/rat? size? offer the exact same thing, but not for another 5-7 days. don't be surprised or worried if he continues to refuse his next couple of meals. BPs can be like that. As long as the snake is not underweight, he'll be fine and will start feeding once he's settled in.

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Originally Posted by DennisM

mice/rat? size? offer the exact same thing, but not for another 5-7 days. don't be surprised or worried if he continues to refuse his next couple of meals. BPs can be like that. As long as the snake is not underweight, he'll be fine and will start feeding once he's settled in.

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Ok, thank you
He ate last Monday so I thought today might be good, how late should I go?
I'm pretty sure he's average weight because I only recently got him and he was in good shape and hasn't seemed to loose any as far as I can tell. I haven't had a chance to weigh him yet but I think he's still defensive so I'll give him a while before I do.

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Originally Posted by sammarie

Ok, thank you
He ate last Monday so I thought today might be good, how late should I go?

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offer every 5-7 days. he didn't feed today, so don't offer again for 5-7 days. try to keep him on a semi regular schedule regardless of whether he fed the previous time or not,

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Originally Posted by DennisM

offer every 5-7 days. he didn't feed today, so don't offer again for 5-7 days. try to keep him on a semi regular schedule regardless of whether he fed the previous time or not,

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Ok

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If you're going to continue feeding him live I'd offer him food every 7-10 days until he starts to eat regularly. What are you going to do with the refused rats? Also make sure the prey item you're feeding is the right size. Are your temps and humidity dialed in correctly? Make sure your husbandry is on point, give the snake a week to acclimate to its new environment with no handling, and then attempt to feed it. Best wishes with your new critter. Post pictures of your snake and setup when you can.