First Pokie vs. Fuzzy experience......paralyzed mouse

Nothing THAT interesting here for you experienced pokie keepers I'm sure, but I fed my ~5" P. Regalis a fuzzy mouse last night (one step above pinky - eyes still closed, but with fuzz, and able to crawl around fairly well) - and here's my story.

Pick up the fuzzy after work, and put it into the cage. The pokie hid this whole time - while the mouse was running around. A few times I saw it come out and actually touch the mouse, but then retreat to it's little hide.

After about 2 hours of the mouse running around in the enclosure, I hear the all-to-familiar couple of "squeaks" when the mouse got hit (I was working on my computer in the same room).

I get up, and immediately look into the cage - and I see the pokie standing BY the mouse, without actually touching it. The mouse was on it's back, spazming. This went on for about 30 seconds, and then stopped. After a couple of minutes, the pokie just picked it up, and drug it back up the wall into it's little hangout.

IME - other arborials/terrestrials will bite the mouse and hold on, raising up to allow the mouse to "bleed out" and stop moving. The pokie bit, then chilled out out of reach.

Is this typical behavior for pokies? Like, they know they have the venom and therefore don't even waste the effort trying to smother prey?

NOTE: This was a pretty big fuzzy (~3"?), that was relatively active prior to being bit. It crawled up and down the corkbark, and the plants etc. I was really only halfway expecting the pokie to even take it, more likely just be scared. Needless to say, I was impressed....especially when he hauled the dead mouse vertically up the side of a glass tank.

POKIES RULE! ;P

Sounds pretty cool. Can't wait till my P. regalis starts putting some size on.

Cool!

Interesting experience, Abstract!

It was definitely a first, in my small amount of experience.

To those who keep pokies - is this kill strategy typical? :?

For fun - here is a pic of the offender after he ate the mouse. Sorry about the crappy quality. I say this mouse HAD to weigh more than the pokie....you can still see the "fuzz" stuck to the side of the tank.

I wouldn't call it typical as I've seen it go both ways. Sometimes they hang on others they bite and then get it when dead. They do tend to hang on more when hungry so perhaps the release method is really just them killing an intruder and then deciding not to waste an easy dead meal. Hard to say though till we come across one that can speak to share it's thoughts.

Phil

That was really awesome of you to have the battery and the lighter for size referencing, thanks!

My P.fasciata will eat anything just like my L.para.None of my other pokies will touch anything other than insects.Perhaps they are just to full or to lazy to bother with the big stuff.I feed them twice a week.By the way coll pic of the P.regalis.