Kicked/ripped from inside??

I just fed Delilah her two adult mice, and the first one was no problem... she struck within a few seconds, and took it down pretty quickly. The second was almost exactly the same size, but much more hyper - I swear, this mouse was doing flips & leaping from the floor to the cage! After about 15 minutes Delilah finally grabbed it, and started to eat. I was watching to make sure everything went okay, when I suddenly noticed blood drops on her neck. :O

I could then see the mouse's foot (?) moving inside, right around the spot where the blood was. Did she get ripped and/or kicked by the little sucker?? I took a few pics so you can see, and I'm 90% sure it's not the mouse's blood (which was around her mouth). She seems fine now, but I just wanted to make sure this isn't anything serious, and that I gave her the right sized prey. Also, would this be a good reason to get her on F/T? Here are the pictures:

See the line of blood at the bottom of her neck?
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF5633.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF5634.jpg

Does this mouse look too big? I was giving her hoppers, before somebody here suggested large adults instead...
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF5625.jpg

The rodent size seems fine. But I get those little blood spots also when I feed live. Anyone know why?

The mouse could have bitten the snake if the snake didn't strike the head and also the blood could be from the mouse.

Yikes... I think we're going to try F/T next week, since my other snakes don't care either way. :cool:

You can also try pre-killed, if your snakes like the fresh variety.
Boom shacka lacka!

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Originally Posted by mrshawt

You can also try pre-killed, if your snakes like the fresh variety.
Boom shacka lacka!

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Very helpful info, I have been looking for a humane way to pre-kill my rats besides usinf Co2!

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Originally Posted by Oroborous

Very helpful info, I have been looking for a humane way to pre-kill my rats besides usinf Co2!

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Well that does use CO2, just in a different method. Dry ice sublimes into gaseous CO2. Either way (this or using a CO2 container) will work, it's just a matter of which is easiest/most economical for one to get.

If your concerned take it to the vet.

Clean the area off with water and see if theres a cut visible. If there is clean it with some neosporin (non-painkiller) and that should help.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

If your concerned take it to the vet.

Clean the area off with water and see if theres a cut visible. If there is clean it with some neosporin (non-painkiller) and that should help.

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Does Neosporin cause scales to fall off? I can't remember. Something about water-based vs. oil-based antiseptics.

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Originally Posted by mrshawt

You can also try pre-killed, if your snakes like the fresh variety.
Boom shacka lacka!

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Very cool! :gj: I might have to try that next week, since it's hard to find a store with pre-killed (or willing to kill it for you). Btw, I just offered my new BP a F/T large rat, and she didn't seem to know what to do... I left her alone with it about 5 minutes ago, so we'll see what happens. As for Delilah, I think she is fine, but that blood really scared me!

I have 3 left in my collection that wont do f/t and still get live, each time I feed live I have something to prevent a bite if the snake gets off on the strike, I supervise the kill and if it is a less then ideal hold I will take a pen and keep the mouth off the bp....i use a pen cause it fits perfectly in the mouses mouth .....i dont shove the pen, i just gently keep the mouses mouth off the bp......until the time of passing occurs. Just a thought...

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Originally Posted by mrshawt

Does Neosporin cause scales to fall off? I can't remember. Something about water-based vs. oil-based antiseptics.

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It doesn't cause scales to fall off, it causes the outer layer of the scale to slough off. No big deal, but disconcerting to someone who doesn't realize what's going on.

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

Btw, I just offered my new BP a F/T large rat, and she didn't seem to know what to do... I left her alone with it about 5 minutes ago, so we'll see what happens.

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A large rat is a very large meal for most ball pythons. Depending on her size, I suggest going with either a small / medium or a medium rat. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Kysenia

I have 3 left in my collection that wont do f/t and still get live, each time I feed live I have something to prevent a bite if the snake gets off on the strike, I supervise the kill and if it is a less then ideal hold I will take a pen and keep the mouth off the bp....i use a pen cause it fits perfectly in the mouses mouth .....i dont shove the pen, i just gently keep the mouses mouth off the bp......until the time of passing occurs. Just a thought...

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When I feed live I do the same but I never thought to use a pen. I just grab the mouse/rats paw if it's kicking and clawing and hold it or if the mouth is getting close I grab the rodent by its ear. Actually got tagged the last time I ever fed live. Ill remember the pen thing now, thanks.

It's more than likely blood from the mouse when it was being constricted.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

A large rat is a very large meal for most ball pythons. Depending on her size, I suggest going with either a small / medium or a medium rat. Good luck.

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Yeah, I thought it looked way too big! Unfortunately the saleslady was clueless (it's supposed to be a reptile specialty shop :rolleyes:) and their scale only weighed in pounds, so I had to guess. I ended up just tossing the large rat, since she wanted nothing to do with it, and I'll get her a small/medium live one next. Should I wait another 5-7 days, or try again right away? Thanks for the replies!

P.S. She weighed a little over 1700g last week, so she is a pretty big girl...

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Originally Posted by pfan151

It's more than likely blood from the mouse when it was being constricted.

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I didn't see any marks on her afterward, so that could be what happened - hopefully. I could have sworn the blood appeared as she was eating, plus I did see the mouse kicking inside of her... but maybe I just didn't notice until I saw her swallowing? Anyway, I am going to try getting her on F/T soon, probably once I get the new girl settled.

Could it be the mouse bled from its nose while she was constricting? That happened with one of my hatchlings the second week I fed.

I mainly go the frozen but when I have to give live I do the constriction myself. Its the same as if you fed live to your snake and takes maybe 1-2 minutes. This is'nt for everyone of course but I find its effective and so does my local petshop manager who also has a few snakes. I just make sure I cover my hand with some cloth incase I bet bit but hey, better me bit then my BP

I actually just fed pre-kill to my bp yesterday for the first time and she ate both mice. I was so geeked :D She had not ate in about a month in a half due to a bad RI, so I thought to try to switch her from live to pre-kill while she would be hungry. Worked like a charm :gj: No more live :banana: My pet store actually kills them for me. I don't have the heart to do it.