Adventures in feeding

[MedusasOwl]

Thought I'd share with you my adventures in trying to get Gomez to down 2 fuzzy rats (I really underestimated how fast he grows and ordered too many!) Jo gave me a few tips after I had tried and failed several times to get him to take a second one, he just ignores it. I always try to give him the fattest one first just in case he doesn't take the second.

He took the first one like a pro as usual, pounce tackle wrestle into his mouth. He got a bit of substrate stuck in his mouth/to the rat and he swallowed it before I could do anything about it which scared the hell out of me till I searched on the forums here and was reassured by Adam's wisdom that he should be able to digest it. I think he's comfortable enough with us now I should start moving him to a different container for feedings so I may try that again next time.



Whew... so then I dangle the second rat.
"Oooh" says Gomez. "That smells neat!"
"Yes!" says I. "Eat it!"
"Potpourri for snakes! I sniff it forever!"
"No, its food... eat it! See, it dances!"
"Eee, dancing potpourri!"
"No, food, you just ate one! Please?"
"I'm gonna sniff it and rest my chin on it. Its cozy!"
"Its food Gomez!!"
"Don't I look excited? Aren't I cute?"
"Yes!"
"I like this rat, it smells pretty and interesting!"
"EAT IT PLEASE"
"I will name it Mr. Fuzzington!"



So I put it in the mouth of the skull near his favorite hide and walk away, as this has worked in the past. I come back a little while later, and he has his head on it, sniffing it, while the rest of his body is in the hide. He's obviously fascinated with it and not in digest/sleep mode so... I dangle it again, and he continues to be excited but not strike. So I put it with it's head dangling over the front of his hide and walk away again.

I come back and he's pulled it off the hide and is using it as a pillow.

"Oh for crying out loud!"
"What?"
"Stop being cute and eat it!"
"Stop being cute??? That's unpossible! I luv Mr. Fuzzington!"

So I take the rat out, and it's room temp now. I decide one last try before it goes in the fridge. I steam it again with the Arctic Rodent Defroster dealy and realized the fuzzy had probably cooled off a bit while he was eating the first one.

So I come back with the re-steamed rat and do the zombie dance.

"NOW will you-"
*CHOMP*
"Oh... YAY!"

So down the hatch it goes. All that trouble when he just wanted it reheated! Also all of this stimulation has him all excited. Its as if a little light has gone on in his head that says "Hey... you can have more than one!" He's all hyper and excited and just settling down now. He even bothered to check *under* the substrate for a third rat, and he *never* burrows!

Weeee, adventures in snakes, lol. More than worth the regular heart attacks of maternal concern. Anytime he does *anything* different I turn into a ball of anxiety hoping he's okay. *shakes head* Oy vey. The things you do for love!