How to tell when a rat pup isnt enough?

forza_inter · 06-21-11, 01:25 PM

Hey, hows everyone doing? so i've had my 5 month old dumerils boa on rat pups since i got her (been about a month and a half now)...and up until today her feeding commenced the same every week.....i put her in her feeding box, shed take the rat pup, stay coiled around it for 5-10 mins, then swallow it. while she eats i did my weekly full cage cleaning. take out any poo i may have missed during regular spot checks, stir up the subtrate a bit for her, wash her rock cave thing and her water dish- you get the point...

usually i would have more then enough time then dome to do all this and she would usually have just started eating.

i leave the lid on the box open a bit so i can peak in every once and a while to see how shes coming along....then today, i barely started cleaning everything and i went to look in and she was just swallowing the last of the tail....i was shocked, ive never had her eat that fast. so needless to say i have to rush like crazy to get everything done and put her back.

so i was wondering if maybe its time to move up from rat pups or was she maybe just really hungry today?

(i havent posted any photos of her in a while so i'll add some for you guys as well)

NennaMeerkat · 06-21-11, 01:36 PM

She may just be realizing the food she is eating is dead and there is no need to coil around it. However! Some snakes can take food items that seem to large for them. What I have been told before around here is that they should have a nice sized bulge that you can clearly see after the snake eats. If there is no bulge you could probably go up a size.

Someone I am sure will come along to verify this or alter my statement.

forza_inter · 06-21-11, 01:45 PM

By dan_mancuso at 2011-06-21

By dan_mancuso at 2011-06-21
(her current up to date tank)

NennaMeerkat · 06-21-11, 01:48 PM

Do any of those show her right after a feed? Also Nice setup

What is the thing under the fake plants to the right?

forza_inter · 06-21-11, 01:49 PM

actually its interesting that you say that....she didnt strike at it as fast as she usually does, but she coiled around it like normal so who knows....if she does start realizing that the food is dead will that make any diff? i mean as long as she eats it shes good no?

and no come to think of it i usually watch for the bulge as she slithers out of the box back into the tank and today i couldnt even find it.....

thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

She may just be realizing the food she is eating is dead and there is no need to coil around it. However! Some snakes can take food items that seem to large for them. What I have been told before around here is that they should have a nice sized bulge that you can clearly see after the snake eats. If there is no bulge you could probably go up a size.

Someone I am sure will come along to verify this or alter my statement.

forza_inter · 06-21-11, 01:52 PM

thanks....its a wooden log i got from the pet store....yup paid over $30 for a piece of wood lol

but she loves it....i find her under there a lot more then under her rock

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

Do any of those show her right after a feed? Also Nice setup

What is the thing under the fake plants to the right?

NennaMeerkat · 06-21-11, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forza_inter

actually its interesting that you say that....she didnt strike at it as fast as she usually does, but she coiled around it like normal so who knows....if she does start realizing that the food is dead will that make any diff? i mean as long as she eats it shes good no?

and no come to think of it i usually watch for the bulge as she slithers out of the box back into the tank and today i couldnt even find it.....

thanks

Plenty of captive snakes that, in the wild are quite wonderful strikers, never strike at all. As long as the snake eats you really don't have to worry about anything. Be glad she is eating for ya on a steady basis.

You might consider upping to the next larger food item, or if you aren't comfy with that...just double the size you are giving her now. Meaning giving her 2 items instead of one. I know that sometimes my little hognose will eat 2 pinkies instead of one and she is far to small to have anything larger yet. Just something to think about.

Wood Hide
I bought the same exact thing and broke it up into 4 pieces for my little hoggie. Its a nice more natural hide for snakes since many like to feel something right on top of them when they hide away. I thought that it was the same thing when I first saw the picture.

forza_inter · 06-21-11, 02:00 PM

yea im pretty happy that i havent had any problems feeding her since the 1st failed attempt when i got her. maybe i'll try 2 next week....see how that goes

thanks a lot

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

Plenty of captive snakes that, in the wild are quite wonderful strikers, never strike at all. As long as the snake eats you really don't have to worry about anything. Be glad she is eating for ya on a steady basis.

You might consider upping to the next larger food item, or if you aren't comfy with that...just double the size you are giving her now. Meaning giving her 2 items instead of one. I know that sometimes my little hognose will eat 2 pinkies instead of one and she is far to small to have anything larger yet. Just something to think about.

Wood Hide
I bought the same exact thing and broke it up into 4 pieces for my little hoggie. Its a nice more natural hide for snakes since many like to feel something right on top of them when they hide away. I thought that it was the same thing when I first saw the picture.

Coffee Black · 06-21-11, 02:08 PM

You could try going up the next size in the rat pup category, if you get to see the rats before you buy them. If you order them from Rodent Pro or something then it could be difficult to do. I had my coastal on rat pups that were about 20 grams or so. The ones she is on now are about 30 grams. The guy I buy them from has them grouped up according to Rodent Pro's sizes, so I hand pick the pups that are a bit larger.

stephanbakir · 06-21-11, 02:23 PM

Bringing them up a size is a good idea, some snakes constrict every once in a while but after eating F/T some just slurp food down like spaghetti!

forza_inter · 06-21-11, 06:08 PM

Really? I didnt know that

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

Bringing them up a size is a good idea, some snakes constrict every once in a while but after eating F/T some just slurp food down like spaghetti!

stephanbakir · 06-21-11, 06:52 PM

Not quite like spaghetti, but they slither up to the food, open their mouths and eat.
Like any other snake eating without the forplay.

TeaNinja · 06-21-11, 07:03 PM

my big male dumerils definetly eats f/t differently then live. when i first got him he would wait totally still then snack the live rat as it walked up to his face. with f/t he just kind of bites it and pulls it in and eats it instead of the whole constricting/kill thing.

i'd guess that they WOULD eat faster when they are super hungry.i can't say for sure, but i KNOW that when my dumerils is pretty hungry he will strike the f/t rat in his cage within like 10 minutes, and when he isn't super hungry he leaves it all night and when i wake up it's gone by morning.

also if the prey isn't leaving a decent belly lump, it's probably time to up it a size.

here's my girl dum that i just got recently, she's pretty much in the same boat. she's eating the rat pups i have bred but she can probably up a size also

here's a good example of a good sized feeding lump from my ball python.

btw, your snake has some really nice head and body markings

forza_inter · 06-28-11, 11:17 AM

thanks zak

just fed her again, and she can definitely tell its not live....she just bites it quickly and kinda pulls it under 1 coil and starts to eat almost immediately. im not noticing any lump in her stomach at all and when i went to put the shoe box back inside her tank she refused to get out lol. she usually slithers out right away or after about a min or two....she didnt leave for at least 10 minutes, and i had to also keep tilting the box more and more to direct her out....she just kept coming back up lol never seen her do that so im guessing she was expecting more.

she also goes right into 1 of her hides after she eats....shes been in her tank for a good 5 mins and shes just staying on her log, in the open, searching around like shes looking for more food lol crazy girl. that was the last rat pup i had so the timing worked out well. i'll def be moving up a size in prey

what is the next size? specific name for it? or should i just go into the store and explain it to them?

TeaNinja · 06-28-11, 11:27 AM

i'm pretty sure it goes pup, weaned, small, medium, large.
and it Definetly sounds like she was still hungry and can up a size. i fed my little girl one of my rats the other day and they are generally around "small" size right now and she had a pretty chunky lump after eating.