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With all due respect, this is the first time I have heard that a snake will release a seized prey item because it is too small. Prey size in nature varies but snakes, like other opportunistic feeders, will normally consume whatever they can get a hold of. Granted, captivity differs considerably from the wild, so it may perhaps happen.Morelia hatchlings are large enough to start on fuzzy mice, so one would expect at nearly 12 months of age that it would be eating adult mice or say a 35g or so rat. While there is no “correct” sized meal, an appropriate food item at your rate of feeding should leave a clearly discernible bulge once in the snake’s stomach. For a snake with healthy body condition this should be around one and a quarter or so times its normal midbody diameter.In addition to upping the food size, you can also try playing ‘tug-o-war’ for several seconds with the food item, once the snake has latched on and coiled. Tugging on the rodent’s tail in this manner can help to elicit a stronger feeding response. Presumably it mimics the rodent’s attempts to escape, as would occur in nature, making the snake more determined to ensure that this does not happen. It is at least worth a try.
With all due respect, this is the first time I have heard that a snake will release a seized prey item because it is too small. Prey size in nature varies but snakes, like other opportunistic feeders, will normally consume whatever they can get a hold of. Granted, captivity differs considerably from the wild, so it may perhaps happen.
Morelia hatchlings are large enough to start on fuzzy mice, so one would expect at nearly 12 months of age that it would be eating adult mice or say a 35g or so rat. While there is no “correct” sized meal, an appropriate food item at your rate of feeding should leave a clearly discernible bulge once in the snake’s stomach. For a snake with healthy body condition this should be around one and a quarter or so times its normal midbody diameter.
In addition to upping the food size, you can also try playing ‘tug-o-war’ for several seconds with the food item, once the snake has latched on and coiled. Tugging on the rodent’s tail in this manner can help to elicit a stronger feeding response. Presumably it mimics the rodent’s attempts to escape, as would occur in nature, making the snake more determined to ensure that this does not happen. It is at least worth a try.
