feeding issue?

[cristacake]

Okay maybe you didn't like SKO's tone, but that doesn't mean his reply was invalid. I know it's hard to hear criticisms concerning animal husbandry but he does have a point. I'll elucidate further, because yeah... a more informative response might have been more helpful.

I don't have experience regarding your particular issue as my BP takes f/t with no issues, but from what I've read on here from the many experienced keepers who own dozens to hundreds of snakes, I would suggest trying pre-killed and holding the rodent by the scruff (with tongs, of course) rather than dangling it by the tail. This makes a more realistically lively-looking prey item. I find that my BP seems to get the most excited when I let my hand shake a little, causing the feeder to appear as though it's trembling. I'm not sure which technique you use, but anything is worth a shot. The great thing about BPs is that they can skip a meal with no detriment to their health.

To answer your question: I think as long as your BP managed to eat the feeder after your intervention, it should be fine. It's good that you thought to prevent harm from the inside. It's possible that your snake assessed the situation and deemed that it didn't need to waste the energy to constrict because the feeder was already on its way to death. Not to rub the point in too much, but this wouldn't happen with non-stunned.

And I know you already know this logically, but I'd like you to think about the practice of stunning. Knocking the mouse out and then letting it "come to" is very traumatic to the rodent. If I were to be fed to a giant snake, I would much rather be killed painlessly and quickly before being put in with it, as opposed to getting bludgeoned, dropped in the cage, and being too disoriented and in pain to do anything. To top it off, as soon as your head clears and you can lie on the ground regaining your senses, you still have to go through the trauma of seeing the snake coming at you and starting to eat you. In this case, the rodent didn't even get the luxury of being constricted and quickly dying of a heart attack.

You still have to supervise the feeding anyway and this time you had to step in and correct something with the stunned feeder, so I don't know if the practice of stunning is really much better for you or your BP.