Ate Rat Backwards... help

[smittyd16]

Just a quick question, can eating a rat backwards injure my BP?

He is a little on the special side. I believe he has some brain damage. The previous owners I rescued him from would flick him in the snout as "head training" and she starved him once he got over three feet because she "didn't want him to get any bigger"!

My wife and I have nursed him back to health but he has problems with trying to eat rats backwards. He'll usually realize the head is the way to go, but yesterday he actually ate the rat backwards.

I'm just worried the claws might have cut him on the way down. His rat bulge obviously looks weird because the legs aren't folded in.

Thanks for any help you can give me! :)

[infernalis]

No problems....

My snakes eat them both ways just fine.

[alessia55]

One of my BPs, Kaybe, will eat his prey backwards sometimes. I used to get worried about it, but now I always laugh it off. He should be fine- mine is ;)

[insignia100]

My hognoses will often eat their hoppers sideways. Stupid snakes. :)

[theapexgerman]

My az mountian king eats backwards sideways and even upside down

[KORBIN5895]

Sounds like your snake is just a butt kisser.

[smittyd16]

Sweet! Thanks guys!
Kinds feel like a rookies asking! Better safe than sorry right? Haha

[theapexgerman]

That wasnrt a dumb question it quite funny to see a snake eat upside down

[lady_bug87]

we used to call my GTP a butt muncher she ALWAYS ate it backwards she usually eats it the right way now

[CK SandBoas]

My Royal always eats his dinner backwards, maybe once or twice he's eaten it head first, but for some reason, he likes his dinner butt first, lol.

[shaunyboy]

it will do your python NO harm eating prey backwards

i've had carpet pythons eat backwards and get the prey down no problem.....

i've also had them get a rats back leg hanging out each side of their face,making it impossible to swallow.i had a jag wrestle with a rat backwards for over 2 hours,he was exhausted when he realised,he had to spit it back out and eat the other way round:yes:

i used to give his rats head an exra heat with the hair dryer,that way he struck the head first and ate

re claws scratching
snakes will eat birdes with no problems,imo birds beaks,claws,etc are a lot harder/sharper than rats claws

what symptoms are present in your snake that indicates brain damage mate ?

cheers shaun

[DavethePython]

It is best for the snake to take the prey head first but if they don't you are supposed to just let it be. they may have more trouble taking larger prey down until they get past the back legs but it will go. Our 3ft Ball took her first small rat last week tail first and had a real fight trying to get past the hind legs. After about a half hour I could not stand to see her struggle with it any more , so I took a pair of chopsticks I use to feed them , and gently pushed the hind legs in forward towards the rats stomach . At first she just froze , and after about 10 seconds must have realized I was trying to help her and kept on going. Once both hind legs were in her mouth I let her go. She had not issue . And on a side note, she did not even look twice at the rat , just grabbed it with no hesitation . Switching her from mice to rats was easy. I do not think I am gonna have as much luck with Dave . He is fussy to begin with lol.

[shaunyboy]

i personally wouldn't interfere, even if they're toiling with the back legs,i leave it to the snake to sort out itself

i don't think it would ever come to it,but if the snake was totally exhausted and in some kind of distress,i would intervene,as said though,i don't think the snake would let it get to that stage

cheers shaun

[BurmeseGuy]

Yeah it's normal man, I have yet to own a snake that hasn't at some point eaten one backwards...in fact I had a Burm that would eat hers religiously backwards...my albino now had gotten butt in mouth then realized, "I think I'm eating this backwards" and spits it out then gets the head...lol

[UwabamiReptiles]

My dxj always eats her rats backwards and I haven't had an issue with her yet. She is actually my best feeder and is starting to put on some good size. Just like everyone else said, nothing to worry about. But it it does catch you off guard when you look at them and there's just a head sticking out of their mouth.

[Kiljosh]

Haha Stubbs eat's them backwards a lot, it's seems it's easier dealing with it that way because head first the front legs don't bend the right way. Tail first and the back legs bend up into the rat's body as opposed to "hugging" Stubb's face like the fronts do.