swallowed some cypress mulch

[elbee]

So I fed Noah his first small rat tonight. And being the great eater that he is he gobbled it right down. However, the rat was still wet from being thawed and a few thin pieces of cypress mulch were stuck to it. I tried to pull them off but then he just swallowed quicker. Anyways, I know he swallowed some. Should I be concerned about this? I normally fEed outside of the cage but lately I haven't. I did open his mouth very briefly and didn't see anything in it so I assume he swallowed it all. I am freaking out a little bit.i

[llovelace]

No worries, it happens from time to time, he'll be fine

[Alexandra V]

When I did my first feeding on loose substrate and the snake swallowed a little, I freaked way out lol.

Truth is, unless they go around basically shovelling all the substrate of the cage into their mouth, a couple pieces here and there won't harm them at all. If they can digest bones and sinew and cartilage, a little bit of plant fiber is really no big deal for them. Don't worry about him, he'll be fine

I feed all my snakes on loose sub and never had any problems, even though from time to time they might eat a couple pieces of bedding. Once they've done a feeding or two on loose bedding then they get the hang of it and don't tend to get it in their mouths very often. Here's a trick though if feeding on loose substrate: thaw the feeder in a plastic baggie if you use water to thaw them, because that way they stay pretty much dry and less bedding will stick to it.