Missed strike at live feed

So my BP has been on short feeding strike after trying to switch to FT. We tried again after a few days and she took a shot but missed the mouse! Does this happen sometimes or is there a large issue I should be concerned about?

Not every lunge is going to hit, and sometimes they just strike in the general direction of the prey out of fear to try and make it go away. When my gal isn't feeding she will strike 'at' the f/t but not hit it.

So it missed and then gave up or what?.. sometimes some of mine will miss, but they gain their composure (lol) and go back after it. I only have 2 live feeders though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of the hazards of snake ownership. Wait until they miss and almost grab you lol. That's when you will thank the gods for the glass sliding doors on your cages or the forceps/tongs you use to feed with. All of my snakes have missed here and there. It's not a big deal. They just recoil, reload and launch again. Whats the worst is when they grab the rat and wrap it along with the tongs. That's when feeding the horde stops for a bit until the snakes uncoils and starts eating the rat so you can grab the tongs back lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

So it missed and then gave up or what?.. sometimes some of mine will miss, but they gain their composure (lol) and go back after it. I only have 2 live feeders though.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

No I left the mouse in there for another 30 at least. Had to give up at that point because o had to leave and know not to leave live alone with her. Trying again now with a different mouse.

Did she strike and pull her head back again, or strike and left her neck stretched out? It could be a defensive strike, which often "misses", because they weren't going for a coil. From my one BP who goes on feeding strikes, when I pressured him too much with the feeder and he didn't want to eat, he would strike at it defensively.

Sometimes feeding strikes miss though. I just pick the mouse up and offer again, and they coil it right away.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bennie1986

No I left the mouse in there for another 30 at least. Had to give up at that point because o had to leave and know not to leave live alone with her. Trying again now with a different mouse.

---

If he refused, he will probably refuse again. That's why you need to give him 5-7 days off. Otherwise you run the risk of stressing him out worse and putting him off feed even longer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

She finally ate again yesterday. She ate two of the three mice but still refused to eat the one she "missed" the other day. That mouse was alot more hyper than the others so maybe that made her nervous, I won't offer her that one again.

You could always start switching her over to rats. She will need rats eventually anyways... plus, they seem to be less jumpy and active as mice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mine missed a frozen thawed an hour ago and bit the floor. So I had to pick Aspen out of his mouth. Then reintroduced the meal and went well. Mine gets strike happy and antsy.

Sent from my 5027B using Tapatalk

Sometimes mine is so excited she will miss. If I've pre-scented she will launch towards my hand as I'm opening the tub. Once it's near her she gets it every time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Micki

So I had to pick Aspen out of his mouth.
Sent from my 5027B using Tapatalk

---

That's one of the reasons I got away from aspen and switched over to Reptichip coconut husk. I'll never go back to aspen, I've had some bad experiences with snakes getting a mouth full and then going off feed because of it. Never happens with Reptichip, plus the coconut husk lasts 1-2 months before I have to change it out.

Usually on a missed feeding strike I found that if I put the rodent right up to his face and rub it in his face and on his side he will immediately grab it and coil, works almost every time. If you wait too long it's hit or miss, has to be right away after the strike as soon as you can get that rodent right up in his face. The strike says he is ready, you just need to give him the help.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

You could always start switching her over to rats. She will need rats eventually anyways... plus, they seem to be less jumpy and active as mice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

We rescued our girl from a local pet store. She is 7yo and only weighs 1000 grams. The post was the result of trying to switch to f/t rats but I think it was too soon. We are going to keep up with 2 to 3 mice until she starts gaining weight. We plan on trying again but don't want to risk putting her off feed when she needs to be making gains any way she can.

First of all, feed in a clean and separate enclosure. Then you don't have to pick Aspen out of their mouth.
I have transferred my babies with fresh kill to warmed frozen. I do a puppet show swinging the warm feed in their face to get them to strike. I've seen enough icky photos with live feed (especially those eating larger rodents). The snakes literally have scars all along their bodies, and I can't imagine how I would handle that. If the snake has a gentle personality they might not be aggressive enough with live feed. I'm not willing to let a large mouse or a rat to chew on my boys. Not everyone will agree, but this has worked for me to feed them and keep them gentle.