She finally gobbled down her for first rat

TTM2007 · 07-16-16, 10:15 AM

Freya my jungle jaguar had her first rat.
I'm very proud and happy,,it took her over a year to gobble ft rat.

SWDK · 07-16-16, 10:33 AM

That's good news. Now keep the rats coming for future feedings and you'll be good to go.

**EL Ziggy** · 07-16-16, 10:42 AM

Good job TTM. I agree with SWDK I wouldn't offer her mice until she has a really strong imprint with rats.

sattva · 07-16-16, 04:38 PM

A YEAR! did you have to keep throwing away the rats she would not eat? The reason I am asking is that I will be going through this. Don't you just hate newbies? I have to admit its nice to have people to talk to about it... My family thinks i'v lost my mind...

TTM2007 · 07-16-16, 06:10 PM

Yes I flushed down some rats she wouldn't take.
When she was younger I didn't stray too far off her feeding schedule, but as they grow I started to offer rats again when the feeding response was strong enough that she would strike at me. When she finally figured out that the rat was food and gently opened her mouth around the rat I wiggled it to make her fight for it, the constrict instinct kicked in and down it went.

**EL Ziggy** · 07-16-16, 06:13 PM

@ Sattva- That's why we need lots of other snakes to knock off any refusals.

sattva · 07-16-16, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

@ Sattva- That's why we need lots of other snakes to knock off any refusals.

OH! So if one does not eat it you give it to another? How long is a rat good for out of refrigeration? I hate to flush food...

sattva · 07-16-16, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTM2007

Yes I flushed down some rats she wouldn't take.
When she was younger I didn't stray too far off her feeding schedule, but as they grow I started to offer rats again when the feeding response was strong enough that she would strike at me. When she finally figured out that the rat was food and gently opened her mouth around the rat I wiggled it to make her fight for it, the constrict instinct kicked in and down it went.

Good to know! ...How old is she now?

**EL Ziggy** · 07-16-16, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sattva

OH! So if one does not eat it you give it to another? How long is a rat good for out of refrigeration? I hate to flush food...

Sure thing satt. I thaw my feeders and if any of my snakes don't eat within an hour the prey item goes to another critter. Some people leave the prey in overnight before removing them.

sattva · 07-16-16, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

Sure thing satt. I thaw my feeders and if any of my snakes don't eat within an hour the prey item goes to another critter. Some people leave the prey in overnight before removing them.

That's what I was doing with my little JCP... He went missing for a month and when I got him back I thought it would be a good time to switch him from mice to rats... So I would leave it in his cage over night... I finely had to go with a pink mouse in a paper bag to get him to eat...

Ian of Oldham · 07-17-16, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

Sure thing satt. I thaw my feeders and if any of my snakes don't eat within an hour the prey item goes to another critter. Some people leave the prey in overnight before removing them.

yeah I tend to do the same , I alway do one less than I need and then if so pass it on, if any is over then the cat can play with it,lol

2 Royals 1Corn 1 Boa and a mad Cat

macandchz · 07-17-16, 01:19 PM

i am going broke over mac's refusals. ha! ha! if he hasn't eaten it in a 1/2 hour of being in his feeding box it goes. i think he gets how it works because i put him back in his tank a couple of times and he seemed real restless. got him back out again and back into the feeding box. he ate it in 2 seconds!

Ian of Oldham · 07-17-16, 01:27 PM

That is great who is controlling who, thats what I need to know. lol

2 Royals 1 Corn 1 Boa and yet one more rescue A Carpet O and a mad Cat.

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-17-16, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

Sure thing satt. I thaw my feeders and if any of my snakes don't eat within an hour the prey item goes to another critter. Some people leave the prey in overnight before removing them.

This only works if you have another snake on the same size prey item. I don't have a single snake that shares a prey size with another snake. haha I'd rather waste a rat than feed something too big, or feed a snake extra food (say they ate a couple days ago, they are not getting anything else until their next feeding day). Luckily everyone but my ball python feeds every time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by macandchz

i am going broke over mac's refusals. ha! ha! if he hasn't eaten it in a 1/2 hour of being in his feeding box it goes. i think he gets how it works because i put him back in his tank a couple of times and he seemed real restless. got him back out again and back into the feeding box. he ate it in 2 seconds!

You should definitely consider feeding in the enclosure. There are countless threads outlining the issues with separate feeding, and moving a snake before feeding it can certainly cause a shy snake to refuse food.

**EL Ziggy** · 07-17-16, 06:48 PM

@ BSG- I'm pretty lucky too. It's usually only my kings that will take food breaks and all of my other snakes can smash the jumbo mice they might refuse. I tend to feed my snakes fairly liberally, especially when they're younger than two, but if they get a larger than average meal or a snack between feedings I'll just delay their next meal a while longer. I'd also offer another snake a snack before I tossed away a perfectly good prey item. I try to stagger my feedings so there's always a hungry snake that's ready to eat. Tonight I'll feed 3 of my carpets. If by some remote chance one or more of them were to refuse their meal, both of my bull snakes are ready to go since they haven't eaten in a couple of weeks. Most of my snakes can easily interchange prey sizes. I have a couple that eat large rats, several that eat mediums, and all but my Bredli can eat smalls or chicks.