great feeding response but...

[JUNKyardHOE]

so I was able to get my new ball, sylar to want to eat... and he is darn fast, however his aim is horrible and missed... twice and then when I tried to get him to take it a third time he hissed, and it was loud and long... anyways the only was I was able to get the feeding response was by doing the zombie mouse dance... now my question is, is there a way I can make his chances of connecting with the feed item whether it be a f/t rat instead of a mouse... or moving him into a bigger enclosure like a box, or maybe moving some stuff out of his cage? and should I try and feed him tomorrow? cuz he is definitely hungry as he is starring at me right now with that look like if I was to put my hand close to the cage he would try and eat it right through the glass!

[Lolo76]

Are you sure he was striking, and not trying to scare it away? You'd know by the neck, since they usually coil/twist immediately when striking, even if they miss... it's actually pretty funny when Delilah (who has terrible aim) does that, and constricts an invisible mouse. Also, have you fed him live prey? Sometimes a live rat pup is best for shy or "bad aim" snakes, since they can really take their time getting in position. Rat pups don't move very fast, if at all, so the snakes are less intimidated by them. I'm not an expert or anything, but these are a few thoughts off the top of my head.

[Lolo76]

Oh, and most people recommend waiting a week between attempted feedings... but I've had luck doing back-to-back feedings (one refusal followed by a success) with certain snakes, so that's not a hard rule. Usually it only works when I'm offering different prey items, though - live vs F/T or mouse vs rat - and rarely works when offering the same thing.

[JUNKyardHOE]

I am pretty sure he was striking he did that "s" curve thing before he struck and I am sure he would have coiled if he hadn't hit his hide at full speed... twice, which is also probably why he hissed

and I don't have access to anything other than adult mice and rats, unless they are frozen

[rabernet]

What you've described sounds a lot more like defensive strikes to me (they also quickly go into the S shape for defensive strikes as well). Defensive strikes are not meant to be accurate, but they are meant to frighten off a predator (you). Especially when you described him looking like he wanted to strike your hand through the glass. Even my hungriest animals don't strike at the tub when they see the heat from my hand or body from the outside. I only have strikes at the side of the tubs when the animals are feeling out of sorts or threatened in some way.

OR - you didn't properly heat up the F/T item to give him a good heat signature to aim for. They use their heat pits more than their eye sight for zeroing in on the prey item. Which is why they are still so accurate even when in full blue.

No - do NOT offer again tonight. If they refuse, you should wait a full week. You can stress them out by offering food too frequently.

[Vypyrz]

You may also try pre-scenting the room, which should put him into offensive feed mode instead of defensive "ewww, there is a mouse in my house" mode...



Rob

[Shadrach]

Try heating the f/t item with a hair dryer. Apply more heat to the head area this has worked well for me in the past. Also you can put the mouse on the floor of the enclosure and use something long to push it across the bottom instead of dangling it in frot of him that way he doesn't pick up on you hands heat.

[Vypyrz]

Try heating the f/t item with a hair dryer. Apply more heat to the head area this has worked well for me in the past. Also you can put the mouse on the floor of the enclosure and use something long to push it across the bottom instead of dangling it in frot of him that way he doesn't pick up on you hands heat.

Good point. I use long tongs and grab mt F/T's by the skin on the back or neck and walk/wiggle them along the ground so it looks like a natural position.
After I thaw mine I use a blow dryer to heat it up right before offering it. Plus, using a blowdryer lets you direct the scent around the enclosure so they get ready. Kind of like ringing the dinner bell...


Rob

[Strtaylor]

I feed live and the first time i fed ( a week after i got my 3 babies) The 2 males struck and hit perfect first shot, But were kinda of skiddish and took them longer because it was new to them ( i feed out of their enclosure) The female Sat in defensive positions and struck exactly like what your describing, The first 2-3 times were complete misses and i thought (being new to bps) that she was just missing, so i let her keep goin the 4-5 time she hit the mouse dead on and released, thats when i knew she wasn't trying to eat but was being defensive, and she was stressed. So i put her back in her enclosure and this week i fed the 2 males the same way as before and they ate within 10 seconds of me dropping the mouse and i just put the other mouse in the females enclosure and id say within a minute she had it wrapped and was eating. The biggest thing i think is making them comfortable if they are stressed they wont eat. Thats why i fed her in her tub and left her alone for a complete weak before that.
Im new to this but hope that helps a bit!

[JUNKyardHOE]

OR - you didn't properly heat up the F/T item to give him a good heat signature to aim for. They use their heat pits more than their eye sight for zeroing in on the prey item. Which is why they are still so accurate even when in full blue.

I think this is most likely cuz it was in his cage for about 30 mins before I did the zombie dance and he didn't notice it then so it was closer to cage temp at that point