Posted by:
Bluerosy
at Fri Jul 8 14:46:15 2011 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Bluerosy ]
I would be afraid to do your method. Not saying your method is wrong, but too risky for me. I have only been keeping snakes for 4 years, so am obviously not that experienced. But the image of a whole big mess of snakes in a feeding frenzy cares
Yes the thought scared me to. But i had to learn slowley and by experimenting inch by inch.
The key issue here again is bonding. It is a basic husbandry need much like back in the 70's- people didn't know the word 'brumate'. Now it is basic 101 snake CARE and everyone knows what it is. I hope in the future herpetoculture will learn this word bonding and use it as the basic 101 in snake care.
When you bond Florida kings properly you might have the learn the nerve or get the COURAGE to feed them together. So the way it works is a confidence building process for those that are unsure what to expect..So, for example, you will try the first time to feed them together, but you decide never more than one mouse per snakes at a time and then sit back and watch. Then, maybe later, one day you might try giving them one each and drop in a couple more to finsh after they eat their first ones. But , you are nervous , so you sit there and whatch. all the while checking and peeking at the cage to see that the snakes don't latch on. Thenone day, much later, you might get the courage and curious to drop in a bunck of mice to see what happens while you watch. hmmm this is where it gets interesting with BONDED getula. The snakes will feed and share but the one day you might see two latch on aggressiving and go into their death roll contrictor, feeding frenzy mode. Panic sets in and you immdeiatly open the cage and seperate the snakes and vow to never feed or house them again..end of story, ...no? Maybe for some...
..Some time later you might get up the nerve again to try feeding a pair of BONDED eastern getula kings kept together. So you try and offer a pikle again. A pile of lets say, 6 mice. They may eeat and share like this for a long time but themn maybe once out of a hundred times two will accidently latch on the same mosel. So they latch on and you seperate and the process repeats where you swear off that KINGSNAKES and called KINGsnakes for a reason...
What i suggest is get up the nerve and watch what happens if they both latch on to one mouse and allow then to fight it out. Let it go. Let the process take place and just sit there and do nothing. Just watch and see what happens. What you will discover is thet won't each eat other or kill each other. JUST DO NOT DISTURB THEM! DISTRACTION OR MOVMEMENT OUTSIDE CAN TRIGGER THEM TO KEEP AT IT. Instead, just watch and be pateint, and you will see they let go and figure out they are latched on together. They let go and resume eating. Kinda like the Honey badgeer after he gets bit by the cobra. he doesn't care. he just sleeps it off and then finsishes eating the cobra. lol!
Seriously folks. This is what they really do..
but here is the disclamer for the 100th time:
DO NOT TRY THIS WITH KNIGS THAT ARE NOT BONDED P R O P E R L Y!.
Also i don't keep neonates together as they will eat each other. I start the Bonding process when the snakes are big emnough to take a large mouse (the snakes are about a year old if fed properly or 20" . Then when they reach the size to eat large mice just put them together when you cool in the winter. Makes sure temps drop down to 45-55F. in the room. If you are using heat tape the cool saide should be 65f or preferably cooler..
Do the bonding in the winter. Then when spring nears, there is no guess work with breeding and when to put the males in with the females. No wasted eggs AND NO WORRIES THAT YOU SNAKES WILL CANNIBALIZE EACH OTHER!
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www.Bluerosy.com
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RE: Hello my name is Bond... - Bluerosy, Fri Jul 8 14:46:15 2011