Here we go...

[xxxjustinxxx]

i had the same problem with my ball it wante to "hunt", it took me about a month to get the hang of it, all i did was drag the rat around the container for about 5 min. in sorta ike a figure eight, and he would move for a bit, and then go in for the kill! and if that doesnt work, try prekilled, all you have to their is get a hard surface like a table, grab it by the tail and whack its head on the edge of the surface, and wait till all the flinching is over and then feed it to your snake.

[louise]

i have always had good luck with dangling the rat in front of the hide box. the snakes curiousity always gets the best of them.

[ChicagoCubs22]

did u read my reply? I TRIED ALL OF THE ABOVE.

1. They ARE switched to f/t...

2. I'm not an idiot

3. I'm not an expert

4. In the end i only mean the best for my snake

5. I hope you all dont think that this never happens...Its just a coincidence that i happened to post this on an internet forum. People do stupid stuff to their snakes all the time, and yes it is inexcusable. But a mistake is never realized until the consequences are paid, and i still stand by my choice of doing that. Rats that attack snakes are usually bad mannered. Adult rats especially are bad mannered since they've been through birth and hierarchy and all that stuff...But a live small rat being in the vicinity of a snake for a night is not a crime. What happens in the wild? And if snakes were defenseless, they wouldnt be in existence right now, so dont give me that B.S. Also, when rattlesnakes are in hibernation, they live for months in rat burrows without eating. Are you telling me that 1 night is bad? if snake fatality from rats occurs as much as you all say it does, those rattlesnakes should'nt be in existance either.

You people are rediculous...Get over it

[louise]

I'm not an idiot

yes you really are.

if snakes were defenseless

then explain chance. maybe she is just real dumb?

Are you telling me that 1 night is bad?

im telling you one second is bad!

now im telling you i wish somebody would put you in a small room with a wild boar. yum dinner time!

[lethargiic]

man this thread keeps getting better and better...

btw rats dont have a hierarchy...they dont run under a government..they dont live to over power one another...rats will either live in social communities..or they will be territorial...Also rats do not have a manners...they cant be good or bad mannered..it's natural instinct.

snakes will be defensive when they need to be. their main defensive move is to get away. Do rattlesnake intentionally bite ppl on purpose? i dont think so...

What happens in the wild is nature..but what happens in captivity is YOUR responsibility.. no one has given you any so called "b.s" the only b.s. i see is you trying to justify your actions..

You people are rediculous...Get over it

personally i think you need to get over yourself.

[JuliusSqueezer]

You are wrong on so many levels

For one...rattlesnakes do not "hibernate". They brumate. There is a huge difference. They do not brumate in rat burrows either. Some species den up in dens that have been used by themselves and their ancestors for centuries. Some share dens with tortoises and other snakes. Some will den in abandoned burrows of various types. Some end up eaten for their efforts.

Second...Your snake is not in the wild. It is in captivity and in YOUR care. It is YOUR responsibility to provide the best possible care. Ignoring hundreds of years of collective first hand experience given to you freely is a slap in the face and I can't speak for anyone but myself but it's people like you that from time to time make me question why I waste so much time here trying to help people.

Third...Mortality rate in the wild FAR exceeds survival rate. This is why snakes have such large litters and clutches. Nature does not always take the best care of it's creatures. Everything is prone to predation including the predators. If you want to mimic nature then you need to provide an occasional flood and forest fire in your snake cage. Maybe put a hawk or two in the cage as well. See what happens.

Fourth...ANY live rodent past the age that it's eyes are open is capable of killing your snake. Bad mannered? huh? Your assessment of rat psychology came from where? Your butt? Please put it back. I wouldn't call self preservation "bad manners". Rats are smarter than snakes. In the wild, if a rat isn't subdued right away or if a snake for whatever reason does not want to eat, whichever animal first decided to avoid this confrontation will leave. In a 40 gallon tank, both animals are cornered and cannot leave. This will cause a nonfeeding snake to cower down and a cornered rat to become very defensive. It may take a little time or it may not but eventually or right away, a cornered rat will grow bold and eliminate any threat.

[SoberGuy]

OK, I'm new to owning a snake. I actually just brought my RTB BCI home tonight. I'll post pics later. Back to the topic, I read A LOT first. For a long, long time. It's people like you, Julius, that have helped people like me, knowingly or not.

At any rate, I know a lot about some things, but I don't think I'd ever claim to know everything about any subject. Pride is a killer, and it's unfortunate that one mans prideful, know it all attitude may eventually kill his snake. I have a three month old son, and I can't see taking any risks with him, despite knowing that 90% of the time things would be ok. Why would I want to take the same risks with a snake?

The old saying is so true: There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[louise]

congrats on the snake and the baby