BP can't catch up with food

[mthurston0001]

I have recently aquired a 2y old VPI Axanthic Killer Bee. Shes starting to lose weight because she doesn't want to eat F/T. So I put a live rat in with her. She's super interested but...she cannot seem to catch the damn thing. I've tried three times to feed her and each time she'll strike 3-4 times but can't for the life of her, get it. So at this point I'm wondering if anyone has had similar experience and what helped the issue. Orrr maybe I just got the most un athletic snake in history 😂

[Bogertophis]

You recently acquired this snake, but what did the previous owner feed her? You need to do the same for now, while she is settling in with you (change gradually
to f/t later...please!!!) When you offered f/t, how did you do it? Using tongs? Make it appear to be alive? Heat it up??? Your method may need improvement.
Often it's US that need to learn, not the snake. Too much or too little motion can turn off a snake, & snakes aren't all the same as to what they like.

FYI- Live rats can kill a snake...what size/age is the rat you tried to feed? Sizing DOWN might work? Or better yet, if she had always been fed live rats (?), try
offering her a live rat pup as an "appetizer". (rats or mice with eyes closed do NOT bite back...all others, with eyes open, do bite and pose a risk to your snake)

Some (not all) snakes will be pumped up after killing & consuming a rat pup to go on and take a larger pre-killed one (much safer & often your snake may learn
to just accept either fresh p/k or f/t this way).

I know (first hand) how frustrating some snakes (esp. BPs) can be to feed...you have to keep trying & not give up. Feeding live rats is NOT the long-term answer-
sooner or later your snake will be injured badly or even killed by an infection from a rat-bite. It's entirely possible she has already HAD a bad experience with a rat-
and is deliberately "missing" her mark, or hesitating & thus failing to connect.

[Tonald Drump]

Ok, first off, as I usually feed live, it's not a good idea to start off with a rat immediately. Try something a bit weaker and a bit smaller, like a large mouse or anything smaller that that. Also, if she still can't keep up, it might be worth investing in a pair of feeding tongs to dangle the mouse/rat. Just a few thoughts though

Sent from my vivo 1601 using Tapatalk

[mthurston0001]

You recently acquired this snake, but what did the previous owner feed her? You need to do the same for now, while she is settling in with you (change gradually
to f/t later...please!!!) When you offered f/t, how did you do it? Using tongs? Make it appear to be alive? Heat it up??? Your method may need improvement.
Often it's US that need to learn, not the snake. Too much or too little motion can turn off a snake, & snakes aren't all the same as to what they like.

FYI- Live rats can kill a snake...what size/age is the rat you tried to feed? Sizing DOWN might work? Or better yet, if she had always been fed live rats (?), try
offering her a live rat pup as an "appetizer". (rats or mice with eyes closed do NOT bite back...all others, with eyes open, do bite and pose a risk to your snake)

Some (not all) snakes will be pumped up after killing & consuming a rat pup to go on and take a larger pre-killed one (much safer & often your snake may learn
to just accept either fresh p/k or f/t this way).

I know (first hand) how frustrating some snakes (esp. BPs) can be to feed...you have to keep trying & not give up. Feeding live rats is NOT the long-term answer-
sooner or later your snake will be injured badly or even killed by an infection from a rat-bite. It's entirely possible she has already HAD a bad experience with a rat-
and is deliberately "missing" her mark, or hesitating & thus failing to connect.

Previous owner fed live rats. Its possible she's had a bad experience for sure, if so she doesn't have any scarring to show for it though. I'm not trying to keep feeding live. just trying to get something down her due to weight loss runtil I can figure out the nuances of this particular snake. Thanks for the response

[mthurston0001]

Live is a little hard to get in my area, but I did find a small rat. The thought had occurred to me to go with a mouse but the only ones I can seem to find are pretty small. Maybe end up doing that anyway. Thanks

[bcr229]

Does she have any signs of spider wobble? I have a spinner that can only eat f/t because she couldn't hit a live rat to save her life once she gets wound up and striking; she tends to hit every direction except the rat.

You may want to try a set of really long tongs and just use them to hold the rat's tail while the rat is on the tub floor right in front of her, so it can't run away.

I would not attempt mice as they are even more nimble than rats are.

[Bogertophis]

Does she have any signs of spider wobble? I have a spinner that can only eat f/t because she couldn't hit a live rat to save her life once she gets wound up and striking; she tends to hit every direction except the rat.

You may want to try a set of really long tongs and just use them to hold the rat's tail while the rat is on the tub floor right in front of her, so it can't run away.

I would not attempt mice as they are even more nimble than rats are.

That's a good point, I hadn't considered a possible genetic issue.

And some snakes are fussy about taste & scent...mice are very different from rats, some snakes will take them (not care) & some won't.

Good luck!

[mthurston0001]

Does she have any signs of spider wobble? I have a spinner that can only eat f/t because she couldn't hit a live rat to save her life once she gets wound up and striking; she tends to hit every direction except the rat.

You may want to try a set of really long tongs and just use them to hold the rat's tail while the rat is on the tub floor right in front of her, so it can't run away.

I would not attempt mice as they are even more nimble than rats are.

Ohhh...you know what? That didn't even occur to me but now that you mention it I feel pretty confident that's the issue. I'm going to try holding onto the rat with some tongs I guess. Not crazy about the idea though. Meanwhile attempting to gwt in touch with the breeder still as he had her for the first two years and so it seems he was doing something I'm not apparently