Is this snake behavior normal?

Question

i have a baby foot and a half red tail boa.....and i feed it live food (im trying to transition him to frozen)...but any way when it eat the fuzzy pinkies he dont even constrict the pinkie...he just grabs it and eats it whole while its still squirming..is this normal?

Answer 1

i don't know if it's normal but i can say this from experience. We have a ball python and he's about 4 months old, he quit eating for 2 months. We couldn't figure out way. But we bought him a mouse today and it's gone. I'm sure that your snake (as he grows and gets older) he'll do the exact thing. My husband suggested feeding him hoppers. He should be big enough to eat them

Answer 2

I agree with Been there: done that - I think!. Pinky mice are way too small for a 1 1/2 foot boa. It could probably take small adult mice or pinky or fuzzy rats. And I've never had any trouble converting boas to frozen/thawed.

Answer 3

1 1/2 foot RTB eating a fuzzy.  its not enough food for him.  the snake should be eating a rodent a little bigger than the thickest part of your snake.  there should be a tiny bump in the snake when he is finished eating.  the snake will probably constrict when his prey is large enough for him.  

to get him eating frozen after the mouse is thawed heat it up under a heat lamp for a few minutes...the mouse should be warm to the touch (i know ick).  then try droping the mouse in and see if he eats.  if he doesn't you may have to get feeding tongs and wiggle the mouse in front of him.  if that doesn't work then just leave the snake in his feeding tub with the mouse for about an hour and see if he eats.  if he doesn't eat one week wait until the next week to feed him again...don't try every day to get your snake to eat.  if you do it will stress him out.  good luck!

Answer 4

Sounds like the prey item is a tad to small for him, maybe.  But this should be a good thing, for changing him to frozen/thawed.  The food item should be about the same size as the large part of his body is around.  So, if the fuzzy is smaller than that, it might be time to upgrade to small mice.

Enjoy your snake, and I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 5

yeah probrably

Answer 6

The prey is too small likely.  He knows he doesn't have to kill it to eat it... try bumping it up a size or two.  Good luck.