View Full Version : Mentally challenged retic?
Ivanator
10-24-12, 01:59 AM
So I'm starting to believe that my baby lav tiger I got a couple months ago isn't the brightest thing out there. First off, after I give her a mouse, she'll constrict it, then while looking for the head, start trying to eat herself by biting her own body (there's tons of bite marks from all the spots where she bit herself). Then when she can't find the head, she'll just wander away and forget about the mouse the entire night. Now I'll give her the mouse, she'll constrict, not find the head, bite herself muktipke times, then wander away, I grab the mouse again, she strikes, constricts, wanders away and this will go on for like 4 or 5 more tries until finally she'll actually bite the head or find the head and start eating. Sometimes she'll grab the head in the perfect spot for swallowing but still let go and lose the head while searching for it again. Is my snake just stupid? I've never had a retic have so much trouble feeding before.
I dunno, but why mice? Shouldn't she be on rats? Mine is pretty dang special too...he'll strike all around the cage, bite his water bowl, his hide, etc, and finally land on his rat and swallow without constricting...maybe it's something in the water?
shaunyboy
10-24-12, 05:34 AM
give the head a lot more heat than the body of the prey item
it works for the carpets i have,that get in that much of a feeding frenzy,they hit everything and anything
cheers shaun
Ivanator
10-24-12, 09:05 AM
I dunno, but why mice? Shouldn't she be on rats? Mine is pretty dang special too...he'll strike all around the cage, bite his water bowl, his hide, etc, and finally land on his rat and swallow without constricting...maybe it's something in the water?
Cuz I bought like 10 frozen mice when I got her. She's pretty small though, she's only shed 3 times her entire life. Twice with me. I plan on skipping rats all together because I have a hook up on rabbits of all sizes. I just need her to get big enough for rabbit pinkies which are still too big for her
Lankyrob
10-24-12, 09:10 AM
I wouldnt be surprised if it doesnt even relaise a mouse is food, try a decent sized rat (1.5 to 2 times its girth) with a lot of heat put into its skull, i dont tend to worry about warming the whole prey item too much - just the head.
My SD retic (much smaller than a full size retic) was eating rats as soon as we got him at a couple of months old with no issues at all. He now eats rats at least twice if not three to four times his girth.
Snakes are stupid. Plain and simple. FAR dumber than we give them credit for.
Once we can accept that and stop anthropomorphizing them, the better off we'll be.
Wildside
10-24-12, 09:25 AM
Snakes are stupid. Plain and simple. FAR dumber than we give them credit for.
Once we can accept that and stop anthropomorphizing them, the better off we'll be.
Agreed! :cool:
Roadtrash
10-24-12, 10:01 AM
I guess we should be glad they are otherwise they might be keeping us in cages trying to force feed us burgers. ;-)
Wildside
10-24-12, 10:07 AM
Just what's wrong with burgers?
MoreliAddict
10-24-12, 10:18 AM
I guess we should be glad they are otherwise they might be keeping us in cages trying to force feed us burgers. ;-)
I'd love to sit on Spot's branch all day if he'd go to the office for me...
Roadtrash
10-24-12, 12:00 PM
Oh I love burgers but wouldn't want them every day. As for sitting on the branch all day, I know that I would fall asleep and fall off, I love to nap.
Wildside
10-24-12, 12:03 PM
Oh I love burgers but wouldn't want them every day. As for sitting on the branch all day, I know that I would fall asleep and fall off, I love to nap.
Do you think they'd start a forum and argue about how our burgers should be prepared?
Ivanator
10-24-12, 12:13 PM
They'd probably argue more along the lines of how we don't need meat or that occasionally is alright. Life would be hell if that's how it was!
millertime89
10-25-12, 03:54 PM
Snakes are stupid. Plain and simple. FAR dumber than we give them credit for.
Once we can accept that and stop anthropomorphizing them, the better off we'll be.
Maybe your ball pythons are...
OP, you just have a strange eater. I've heard of it before. No retic, even superdwarfs, should ever be given mice. From the moment they hatch they're big enough to take rats. Have fun getting him off mice.
Rogue628
10-25-12, 09:13 PM
^^ I agree. Sometimes getting them to switch is a complete and total pain. Trust me...I learned that lesson the hard way. It took me months to get my burm to switch after feeding her mice for two feedings because I couldn't find appropriate sized rats for her. She's still a very strange eater in other ways.
Ball pythons are just as dumb as any other snake......
Ivanator
10-26-12, 09:30 PM
OP, you just have a strange eater. I've heard of it before. No retic, even superdwarfs, should ever be given mice. From the moment they hatch they're big enough to take rats. Have fun getting him off mice.
^^ I agree. Sometimes getting them to switch is a complete and total pain. Trust me...I learned that lesson the hard way. It took me months to get my burm to switch after feeding her mice for two feedings because I couldn't find appropriate sized rats for her. She's still a very strange eater in other ways.
I was told by the breeder that it is easier to switch them from mice to rabbits then from rats to rabbits so I got a bunch of mice and I have a hook up on rabbits of all sizes. She's already eaten a small rat and a rabbit pinky so I'm not worried about converting her because I already know that she will take other food items. I'm just giving her to mice to get rid of them because I have nothing else that eats them.
I had a problem in the past when one of my large retics wouldn't switch to rabbits from rats. He would even strike at the rabbit, but then let go so I eventually got rid of it because feeding it 6 jumbo rats a feeding was extremely pricey. The new owner is still trying to get it to take rabbits and I gave it to them 3 years ago.
Aaron_S
10-26-12, 09:34 PM
Maybe your ball pythons are...
OP, you just have a strange eater. I've heard of it before. No retic, even superdwarfs, should ever be given mice. From the moment they hatch they're big enough to take rats. Have fun getting him off mice.
I've never had a ball python bite itself...even my wobbly headed mutants...
bigsnakegirl785
10-26-12, 09:43 PM
The only of my two who's bitten themselves feeding was my boa. He's like 3X dumber than my ball python. lol
KORBIN5895
10-27-12, 12:04 AM
Snow fake tried to eat his tail with a chick once.
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