I haven't had that problem yet. SO far, Stryker has eaten 2 F/T mice right in front of me. I do the mouse dance with the tongs and he strikes, constricts (one time for a WHILE, I didn't have the heart to tell him it was already dead, I just humored him) and then finds the head and swallows. Of course, I know not every feeding will go perfectly so all these tips are awesome! THANKS!