peep_827
05-01-2005, 12:42 PM
I've been thinking about this for a while and trying to figure out what is going on with Petunia, and I'm stumped. Is it possible that she could be retarded? :laugh: But really, it's not funny . . . or maybe she is blind? Here's what gets me . . . the first time I fed her she was blue so I wasn't too surprised when she didn't see the mouse but bit herself in the side instead. Actually, it was pretty funny, she didn't hurt herself. She did eventually find the mouse, she was starving! As I mentioned before after I got her home and looked at her really good she seemed skinny to me, and I've had her on a 5 day feeding schedule and she has been rounding out. But every time I feed her she takes longer to find her mouse than any of the other snakes, often frantically searching for it and slithering right over it and getting it wrapped up in her coils without even realizing it's there. Then she usually sort of nibbles at the mouse for a bit before she finds an end to start at, and she eats many of her mice tail end first!
Since she has been on a 5 day feeding schedule that doesn't leave many days that I can handle her, however I do try to handle her for a little bit each day that she is not digesting. She frequently has VERY extreme reactions to being removed from her tub, usually she will rattle at me and strike if she gets the chance. It doesn't hurt, obviously, she's just a baby, but I find it annoying. I assume that she's musking, I've never seen anything come out of her, but usually she has an unpleasant smell - almost like sour eggs. So handling her is not a fun experience, yet I do it regularly in the hope she will settle down. The last time I handled her when I got her out of her tub she did her usual stuff and then settled down. I held her for about 10-15 minutes and then out of the blue she struck at my hand. This was 3 days after her last meal, she shouldn't have been that hungry. I laughed about it, but a few minutes later she began nibbling on my finger, like she does when she is trying to find a place to start on a mouse. I hadn't handled any mice since I'd fed her last, so I know I couldn't have possibly smelled like mouse.
I laughed about it then, however more and more I wonder if there is something wrong with this snake? I have considered that perhaps her vision is impaired, or perhaps she just isn't the sharpest pencil in the box . . . is it possible for a snake to be mentally impaired? None of my other 3 act like this, in fact they are delightful to handle and watch. Monty struck at me once during feeding, but that's it. Or is it possible that she's still just that hungry? It seems unlikely to me since she is on a 5 day feeding schedule and seems to be filling out. Am I doing something wrong with her? I bought her with the intention of breeding her, but if there is something wrong with her I wouldn't want to perpetuate those genes! I just don't know what to think about this girl . . . :shrugs:
Since she has been on a 5 day feeding schedule that doesn't leave many days that I can handle her, however I do try to handle her for a little bit each day that she is not digesting. She frequently has VERY extreme reactions to being removed from her tub, usually she will rattle at me and strike if she gets the chance. It doesn't hurt, obviously, she's just a baby, but I find it annoying. I assume that she's musking, I've never seen anything come out of her, but usually she has an unpleasant smell - almost like sour eggs. So handling her is not a fun experience, yet I do it regularly in the hope she will settle down. The last time I handled her when I got her out of her tub she did her usual stuff and then settled down. I held her for about 10-15 minutes and then out of the blue she struck at my hand. This was 3 days after her last meal, she shouldn't have been that hungry. I laughed about it, but a few minutes later she began nibbling on my finger, like she does when she is trying to find a place to start on a mouse. I hadn't handled any mice since I'd fed her last, so I know I couldn't have possibly smelled like mouse.
I laughed about it then, however more and more I wonder if there is something wrong with this snake? I have considered that perhaps her vision is impaired, or perhaps she just isn't the sharpest pencil in the box . . . is it possible for a snake to be mentally impaired? None of my other 3 act like this, in fact they are delightful to handle and watch. Monty struck at me once during feeding, but that's it. Or is it possible that she's still just that hungry? It seems unlikely to me since she is on a 5 day feeding schedule and seems to be filling out. Am I doing something wrong with her? I bought her with the intention of breeding her, but if there is something wrong with her I wouldn't want to perpetuate those genes! I just don't know what to think about this girl . . . :shrugs: