Does it take them FOREVER to eat?

[KCAlbright]

My two snakes (One is three years old, going on four soon-- The other is brand new, maybe three months) both provide me with a challenge when feeding time rolls around. The little one takes over a half an hour to finish a small mouse. Bella, his big sister, takes a while herself when consuming the large rats I thaw out for her.

Not to mention, it's usually a pretty messy ordeal (They tear open these thawed out mice and rats), and I have to clean up a lot afterward.

Are any of your guys slow/messy eaters? Or does anyone have trouble feeding their snakes?

[blushingball419]

Oh yes, I know exactly what you mean Just yesterday in fact, I gave my girl Karma a f/t mouse and she struck it so hard that I heard the skull crack and then she squished it when she constricted. I don't think she's ever ripped it open, but every once in awhile she gets a little bloody. You might want to make sure you're not cooking your mice, because that's generally the only reason they split open easily.

My ball usually eats live, and sometimes she'll start gulping it down right away and is done in 10 mins, and then other days (like yesterday) she seems to have such a hard time figuring out how to eat it. It gets all buried in her coils, or for some reason she can't find the head even though it's right in front of her. She always eventually figures it out, but yesterday it took her about a half an hour, and it's really frustrating in the meantime. So, yeah, it's perfectly normal to have bps that take longer to eat than others.

As long as they eat, that's the most important thing!!

[KCAlbright]

That is true!

Yeah, it seems like mine either gobble them right down, or take forever to get them into their stomachs. My Bella never knows what end to tackle first, and she seems to puzzle over it for a while, but always gets it down.

[Generationshell]

I haven't had the luxury of seeing a mouse or rat get mauled
But im sure sometime in the future I will.
My bp isn't a picky feeder at all. Has his food down in 5 mins.
Yesterday he even took a f/t mouse. but that took 30 mins of dancing and reheating it lol.

I think It just depends on the individual snake. Some are picky, others arent. :]

[Kaorte]

How are you thawing the rats/mice? If they are too hot (or thawed at too high a temperature) they will pop really easily. That being said, your prey should not POP open when your snake strikes and constricts. The idea is to get the whole thing down in one gulp.

As for the length of time it takes for the snake to completely swallow, that is completely normal.

[Reptile King]

A little off topic but I have been wondering about this. Why is it that some rodents are bleeding from the nose/mouth area after they are thawed?

[Kaorte]

A little off topic but I have been wondering about this. Why is it that some rodents are bleeding from the nose/mouth area after they are thawed?

The bleeding from the nose and mouth is normal. I don't remember why it happens though.

[jxk]

A little off topic but I have been wondering about this. Why is it that some rodents are bleeding from the nose/mouth area after they are thawed?

I've assumed it was just that fluids that had dried and been frozen were now warmed and liquified so there's a bit of leakage, but the most I've seen is a little smear on a paper towel--no drops or anything.

Regarding the OP, I've seen a lot of variety in eating times too. Sometimes it's instant, other times she'll leave it alone for a while and eat it after 30 mins or so. Since I switched to a tub setup it's always been quick.