My Baby Dum is a Bad Striker

[Dvas_Romeo]

I've fed my baby female dum 3 times since I've acquired her...each time a live small hopper (she refused take f/t and f/k left overnight). I dropped the live mouse hopper in the evenings and observed from afar. My dum was definitely interested as she immediately came out from hiding inside her substrate. I noticed her striking at the hopper but each time she missed, or would hit the hopper but not get a good grab. After a few hours of this, I would try dangling the mouse from its tail directly in front of my dum's nose. The first feeding this worked - she struck accurately and began the constricting process and ate. The 2 feeding sessions following, after the few hours without success where I would then intervene and try dangling the mouse close to my dum since it worked the first time, I/she had no luck. She would strike at the hopper and actually hit it, but I am not sure if it's because she's striking so hard that she just ends up "pushing" the hopper away and ends up not grabbing it. Anyhow, the last 2 feedings it came to a point, after many relentless tries, where I left the little hoppers overnight to find out the next day that my dum had taken them successfully. Have any other dum owners out there come across a bad striker? Could it be a case where my dum is just young and still developing its striking technique? Temps/humidity/substrate/hides are all monitored closely. She ends up eventually getting the hoppers each time...but it takes so long that I wonder if it's a case where she's only successful once out of so many attempts throughout the evening.

[dr del]

Hi,

I know this is dealing with another species but I noticed this problem with some of my ball pythons and discovered if I held the prey by the body/scruff it didn't move as much when they hit it allowing a better grab.

I was feeding F/T but in Adams feeding video I saw him do the same thing with live so if you have nice long tongs you can control the grip on it might be worth trying.



dr del

[Dvas_Romeo]

Hi,

I know this is dealing with another species but I noticed this problem with some of my ball pythons and discovered if I held the prey by the body/scruff it didn't move as much when they hit it allowing a better grab.

I was feeding F/T but in Adams feeding video I saw him do the same thing with live so if you have nice long tongs you can control the grip on it might be worth trying.

Thanks Derek! The last mouse I fed my baby dum happened to be tailess and that darn thing was too quick. I only have salad tongs and couldn't catch that mouse running around in the enclosure for the life of me. And I was trying at the same time not to hurt it in the process. I was dripping sweat trying to get a hold of that mouse for 20 minutes! I ended up giving up, all aggravated, but thought "Don't worry little mouse...you may have outrun me...but Cocoa Puff will get you in due time!"

But next time if I come across a calmer mouse I'll keep your suggested method a try!

[JimiSnakes]

Have you tried stunning it? It's not so humane, but neither is constriction..lol. I try not to feed any boa a live anything, but to each their own. If one of mine doesn't want to eat f/t or p/k, I will stun a live and then drop it in. It will flop around a little and or move slowly and then it becomes lunch every time. Good luck!

[Dvas_Romeo]

Have you tried stunning it? It's not so humane, but neither is constriction..lol. I try not to feed any boa a live anything, but to each their own. If one of mine doesn't want to eat f/t or p/k, I will stun a live and then drop it in. It will flop around a little and or move slowly and then it becomes lunch every time. Good luck!

I tried stunning once - and shudder each time I think about it. My dum didn't go for the stunned mouse and it died after about 20 mins - the poor thing! Luckily, my blood python is a garbage can and he gladly gulped it down so the mouse's life wasn't wasted.

[drugaria]

it takes practice I guess !

[Dvas_Romeo]

With my dum's last few feeding attempts, I noticed she lies still in view until the prey settles down and makes itself a burrow to sleep. Once sleeping, my dum will then slowly make her way to the mouse undetected. Then the strike happens and lately it's been accurate. I know we're talking about non-moving sleeping mice, LOL, but hey, at least the practice does seem to be helping her develop her striking skills!