Posted by:
JohnLokken
at Sun Jul 6 12:12:17 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by JohnLokken ]
>>Brian is absolutely 100% correct. I come off being opinionated at times but when you have kept as many large constrictors as I have had (including both my personal "pets" and the 100's I have rescued and rehabilitated throughout the years), it is ALWAYS better to feed inside the cage; in fact, I will go even so far as saying that if you feed your burm/large constrictor in a separate cage, you are being irresponsible...harsh but that's how strongly I feel. Sooner or later, as Brian mentioned, you will be heading for disaster. Many of the fatalities that have occurred in the U.S. due to burms, came from stupid feeding errors, otherwise known as "SFE's". I feel horribly for these people and if they had learned responsible feeding methods, perhaps they would still be alive today. When keeping large constrictors, there are RIGHTS and WRONGS when it comes to responsible ownership...there is no "grey" area. As long as you follow STRICT and consistant procedures, you will never have a problem with feeding your snake in his/her own cage. The same can be said of taking your snake out of its cage. I hear the bogus argument that when you feed a snake it its cage you condition it to strike at anything that opens the door....that is absolutely absurd and I have NEVER been bit from any of my burms (or the burms of those that I have rescued) when fed inside their own cage. With the proper use of shields, hooks, regular interaction, etc. you shouldn't have any problems. The problems come from the folks who feel that they should condition their snake to feed in a separate container/cage. Sure, this may be fine for a small burm of 8' or less but to do this with a 16' burm?...absolutely not! Look at this scenario. You take your big beast out for its feeding. YOu then feed it a 12lb rabbit and like many burms, even after this large meal, they may be looking for more (or, may be full and do NOT want to be moved). Now, instead of that snake resting after eating a good meal inside its own cage, you now have to move that potentially "still hungry" snake back to its cage. That's the first danger. The second problem, and just as important, is the undue stress you are putting on the snake by making it move after eating a large meal. Big constrictors don't like to be messed with after a taking a large meal....period. So, if anyone wants to make an argument out of this, save it. I won't be swayed and I hope, if anything, some of the folks who may be feeding in a separate container, will reconsider what they are doing (maybe it will save your life!).
>>
>>Rob Carmichael, Director/CUrator
>>The Wildlife Discovery Center
>>City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation
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"To be the best..........You must lose your mind."
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DITTO.....DITTO.....DITTO.....What they said. np - JohnLokken, Sun Jul 6 12:12:17 2003