Interesting Feeding Experience......

[Bart70]

Tonight I tried my Cape York Jungle (3.5 months old) on a pinky rat - She has been on fuzzie mince and close to ready for the next size but thought out of interest I would try her on a pinkie rat (people say Jungles can be fussy going to rats....so I though Why not?)

She smashed the pinkie rat.....Nothing odd there as she has always been a very enthusiastic feeder. She took it hanging from a small log in her enclosure so I left her to do her usual 'shuffle' around to get to its head and eat.

I checked her a while later and noticed she was trying to eat it sideways.....No issue - Have seen that before and usually they realise they are doing it tough and reposition.

Checked a few minutes later.....she had the pinkie 'folded' in the middle...and was VERY stretched as she was trying to consume it sideways. I watched totally intrigued thinking that at any moment she would regurg it.

To our amazement she continued and got it all inside her sideways but folded......it took here a long time to move it down into her stomach but she eventually got it there. Her bulge was more like a really large 'marble' than the longish looking mass that is the norm.

She was stretched so tight that you could see the 'pink' rat beneath......as the mass moved down she turned 'pinkish'...a bit scary to watch to be honest.

There was not much we could do....we initially noticed that she grabbed it sideways but normally corrects herself. By the time we noticed that she was battling with it, it was too late to do anything - Was not like we could get it off her so we figured she would regurg if she got into difficulty.

Anybody else experienced this and is there anything I should do differently if it occurs again?

 

[Bart70]

It has been about 30 minutes since she fed and she has just curled herself up in her waterbowl.....Just prior to this she cruised to her bowl and wet the first 1/3 of underside...She is now curled up with all over her body from her 'feed bump' to her head soaking. I am guessing she has probably stretched herself and made her skin feel a little uncomfortable.

She does not mind water..haven't noticed her jumping in after a feed previously though.

 

[Tobe404]

My Pythons sometimes try to attempt to eat every which way. Even sideways. They've only completed a meal either the normal way or backwards though. Sometimes when the bigger(female) MD has had a large meal (Large Rat) she will sit in her waterbowl afterwards for a while before returning to her warm hide.

 

[Bart70]

Yes...I have witnessed several of mine attempt to take them sideways but eventually turn them around and go front or back first. I heard a story of one snake that took a rat sideways and folded it (much like my girl did) but was not able to eat it and eventually gave up.

My girl is still sitting in her waterbowl...She did get totally covered in 'rat juice' so she may be just soaking to get it off as it might feel a bit stiff on her etc.....

She has a hide with heating at 32c so she should be fine for warmth once she gets out. I 'zapped' her in her waterbowl with the IR temp gun and she is 23c sitting in there so it is not overly cold for her in the water. It may not be that uncommon for them to take a sit in their water after a large meal?.....Maybe all she stretching combined with the rat juice has made her skin feel a little uncomfortable.

 

[harlemrain]

My coastal will soak after a feed before going up to his basking spot but never any longer than a couple of minutes

Maybe it's as you said, her skin may feel a bit tight and she's looking to soothe it? Not sure sorry mine never stays in there for long

 

[Jacknife]

It'll sort itself out as she digests over the next 48 hours or so. At that age the metabolism and digestion is pretty fast so I wouldn't worry too much at all...

 

[Trimeresurus]

It'll be fine.

 

[buffcoat]

Sideways, backwards, folded in half, its all the same. Even if it seems "too big" it probably isn't. Now I'm not saying feed them oversized. My better half saw the glottis and freaked out...our jcp is happily perched on her log asking for more.

All in all, if the snake can get the prey down and your temps are good, 99% of the time they will digest just fine.

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[Bart70]

Thanks everyone,

She is fine this morning.....Spent about 90 minutes in her water bowl then headed to her warm hide. It was quite a stretch for her and she does not normally jump in her water after a feed so had a cautious for while. I am guessing she was wanting to soak off the 'rat juice' that had probably started to dry and make her skin feel tight - she got covered in it cos she was hanging upside down when she ate.

Just one of those things I guess........had it been too big for her she hopefully would have regurgitated.

 

[Wilfred]

It shall be fine

 

[JM1982]

My bredli takes the mouse by the head, but then for some reason lets go and tries for ages to get it in sideways- nearly every time. She gives up after some time and takes it from whichever end is closest to her head, which more often than not is the tail!
-good to hear all is ok.

 

[viciousred]

My coastal yearling will only eat from the tail end. will strike the head then let go and head down to the butt..

 

[Becca-Marie]

I had a coastal carpet that used to do this.

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[harlemrain]

Just fed my boy tonight and he did the same but only for about five minutes

Scared the hell out of me by putting his whole head underwater for what seemed like forever but after poking my nose around here I discovered that they can hold their breath for an extraordinary amount of time learn something new everyday

 

[BeZaKa]

It has been about 30 minutes since she fed and she has just curled herself up in her waterbowl.....Just prior to this she cruised to her bowl and wet the first 1/3 of underside...She is now curled up with all over her body from her 'feed bump' to her head soaking. I am guessing she has probably stretched herself and made her skin feel a little uncomfortable.

She does not mind water..haven't noticed her jumping in after a feed previously though.

I have had my Bredli do this after feeding a couple of days after a shed, it also happened to be that I went up a food size aswell. She ate with no probs, didn't take her long to get it down. Immediately after went to her waterbowl and soaked the bottom third of her body for a couple of hours. Then moved back off to her hide on the warm side. Wouldn't be worried personally.