Wierd striking behaviour.....

[Shamperz]

Hi there

The last couple of feeds with my 1.5 yr old boa something strange is happening.
Rather than getting herself into position with the rat head on, she gets a whiff but rather than turning and striking at the rat, she goes for whatever is closest. This week she went for her log first and last week was a shadow that went across the back of the viv.

On both occasions she immediately went for the rat on realising her error but with such a pathetic second strike as im sure the first go would have hurt (im sure if i hurled myself headfirst at a tree or wall I would loose my appetite).

Anyone else had this. I wouldnt want her to stop striking.

[LiamRatSnake]

Originally Posted by Shamperz

Hi there

The last couple of feeds with my 1.5 yr old boa something strange is happening.
Rather than getting herself into position with the rat head on, she gets a whiff but rather than turning and striking at the rat, she goes for whatever is closest. This week she went for her log first and last week was a shadow that went across the back of the viv.

On both occasions she immediately went for the rat on realising her error but with such a pathetic second strike as im sure the first go would have hurt (im sure if i hurled myself headfirst at a tree or wall I would loose my appetite).

Anyone else had this. I wouldnt want her to stop striking.

The king especially will just strike at movement. She's just being a bit thick.

[sender]

my 14 year old boa has to be 100% that food id food before striking which normally means ten minutes of stalking!!
at least she's eating, but if your worried take her to the vet, even if its just to be told she's fine its make you feel better

[tattoodfreak]

Is the rat warm enough for the boa to detect it properly? Try warming it's head up with a hair dryer or by dipping it in some hot water for a few seconds.

[bladeblaster]

Originally Posted by tattoodfreak

Is the rat warm enough for the boa to detect it properly? Try warming it's head up with a hair dryer or by dipping it in some hot water for a few seconds.

yes agreed, warm it up a bit, it should feel neutral to you, ie at body temp or slightly warm. If she is only getting scent and no heat it will confuse her.

[Shamperz]

I know the deal with feeding. I always slip it in a plastic bag and leave it in warm water for a while before feeding. So no issues there. But this is new.
Im not too worried just dont want her to be doing herself any damage by smacking her head.

Think i'll just let the scent in there first to get her juices going and get her stalking before putting the rat in there.

Thanks guys.

[bladeblaster]

wiggle the rat around to get her attention.

[C.Bruno]

warm the rat up with a hair dryer.

Handle the boa more.

[Shamperz]

Helloooooo?

Is anyone reading my comments properly? Ive got three boas and been doing this well over a year now. I am well aware of how to feed them.
What im describing here is behaviour which is out of the ordinary. Im not sure what handling her more would achieve.

Dont worry guys i'll just keep an eye on her.

Thanks