Whats Up With This??

[Blackwidow69]

:confused: Ok, just wondering how many of you have a boa that likes to eat its food backwards??? I got one that seems to like to do that....:rolleyes:

[stormyva]

My Hog Island ate a small rat backwards once but is the only time I had ever seen one eaten that way. I see posts of people talking about it all the time though.

I wonder if a snake could swallows its head if the tail got tied up around the snakes nose? :D

[Mr Maggot]

Ahhh My Argentine just eats any way she sees fit, especially with large prey. One time she ate a mouse sideways, and folded it in on itself,l because she could, lol
Nothing to worry 'bout
:)

[Linds]

No reason for worries :) Try upping the prey size a bit. Often times frequently swallowing the prey backwards is a sign that the prey size can be upped.

[Herp guy]

Um , my ball does it.Well.............my old ball. It died :(

[Blackwidow69]

:( Awwww, sorry to here about your BP Herp guy.:( As for eatting them backwards a few of my snakes have done it, funny thing is they smell the rear like it has a better smell to it then the cut open nose.. as long as they eat it i dont mind at all.. was just wondering who all else has had one that has done that.. My argentine X colombian a few times tried to eat his sideways, some how he got it down with no probs.. :D Thanks for the input!! Anyone else got any strange feeding habits?? :)

[Pixie]

A couple of mine have swallowed the occasionnal food item backwards but not often. Sometimes they start that way and change their minds.

I find that with both my BP's and my boa (bci) that they take forever to eat! The constriction is fast since they are mostly fed dead prey except for one snake but after that, geez, some can take an hour and more just to swallow their food. And it's not a problem of food items being too big.

The worse one of them all is my BP Janice, she only takes mice and she takes hours to feed! She has a great appetite and I can't remember her refusing any meal (except rats of course) she just likes taking her merry ol' time and savoring her food! She's nearing 4' and she'll easily take 30 to 60 minutes to swallow a mouse!!! After she constricts it, she'll poke it with her snout for about 5-10 minutes, then she smells it all over and tries her first attempt to swallow the mouse. Either she is still all coiled up or started with the butt or side she eventually gives up after 10-15minutes. Then comes more poking and smelling and attempt #2. It'll take her 4-5 tries before she gets it down finally!!!

I don't know if she just likes taking her time or she just ain't too bright!!!

Pixie

[jncoclub]

My burm, hog isle, and colum red tail all have done and multiple times at that. We just roll our eyes and shake our heads. Now they tend to strike at the butts, but them figure out that they need to drop it and turn around so they go head first.
Silly snakes.:rolleyes:

[Burmies]

Sorry to say that I have never had that problem with my Boa Constrictor.

Burmies

[Linds]

Originally posted by Blackwidow69
Anyone else got any strange feeding habits?? :)

Hehehe... one of my Jamaican Boas insists on taking his prey for "walks" around the perimeter of the cage before eating it :rolleyes: Another I wouldn't call strange or unusual, but definitely not pleasant, one of my BCC will only take old rats. He won't take fresh-frozen then thawed, and you can forget fresh-killed. He likes them a bit stinky...dirty little snake... but its been working fine for him :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Pixie
just likes taking her merry ol' time and savoring her food! She's nearing 4' and she'll easily take 30 to 60 minutes to swallow a mouse!!!

LOL... savouring her food about sums that up! That's a long time for a little meal to go down the hatch :p

[rethius]

Originally posted by Linds
one of my BCC will only take old rats. He won't take fresh-frozen then thawed

Wierd. how old? do you just leave the rat out for a while? I'll try that with my reluctant boa, maybe the smell will get him eating!

[Linds]

He's is 3 years old. They have to either have been sitting out before they were frozen, or sitting out after they were thawed, long enough to get a little bit smelly :p It's gross, and I don't like the fact that the bacteria has been building up, I can be a bit of a freak when it comes to germs, but its the only way he eats now, and it hasn't given him any troubles. Recently I have switched up to feeding to two smaller prey items, once a little old, and the other fresh. It has been working out so far. Hopefully he will begin taking fresher prey again! :D This method can be useful in getting trouble feeders feeding again.