Breech eater

[kitedemon]

Hey all,
I have a question, I have one snake (08 Mojave) that simply wants to eat his rats backwards. Every time. At first it didn't bug me as they were quite small but now it is a bit of an issue I need to feed a bit smaller than I'd like as he just can't figure out how to take anything larger. (He is 1600 gm and if I feed anything over 110 he will chew on it for hours and try to eat it it is an odd sight to see the rear legs of rat on ether side of his mouth but in the end he will leave it with the hind end all soggy and the front end dry)

I have tried just heating the head of a well thawed rat and leaving the hind end room temp. Offering tail first, combinations of both I was wondering if anyone had any other ideas?

He is an awesome eater he always will take a rat and if it is a bit small. I think he has refused once maybe twice his whole life He has failed to eat once or twice but if I offer a smaller he takes it no problems.

Alex

[steveboos]

Well my big rule is if they can get it down, don't worry. But if it's such a task for him he doesn't even eat them any longer. I would go ahead and keep feeding numerous mice per feeding. Sometimes snakes just don't "Get it", so you have to work around these things.

[FatBoy]

Sounds like you will be able to adjust better than him...I would just feed him something small enough he can swallow backwards. Maybe just feed him an extra meal each month to make up for it. It's kinda like a mouse eater...I feed my rat eaters every 7 days and my mouse eaters every 5 days, that gives them one extra meal a month.

[kitedemon]

Thanks Guys! That is basically what I have been doing about 100gm rat every 7 days rather than 10 days for the rest. I kinda hopped there was oh did you try ... but I guess that was wishful thinking! I don't usually go to bed until I know every snake has eaten... (OCD I know) I feed him at 9-10 pm and I am usually still waiting around at 11 or 12. I have a few friends that have trouble feeders so I guess I am lucky as all 9 of mine are super eaters and rarely refuse in shed or out they don't seem to care much.

[TrpnBils]

My first boa was 6' long when I got her. Up until that point I'd only ever had a corn snake so I wasn't used to feeding something as large as the rats she was eating. Her first rat was basically eaten sideways and I about crapped my pants thinking she was going to split herself open.

Incidentally, one of our normals likes to feed butt-first too. Since right after we got him, he's had a name tag on his tub that reads "Hello, my name is Ron and I'm an (butt) man" (make the word substitution in your imagination). It's been there for a year and a half now and we basically forget it's there until somebody comes over to see the snakes and they invariably have to ask "umm....what's that all about?"