Reptile & Amphibian Forums

You guys seem to love hand feeding. So what's going on?
Are you picking your snakes up while they are eating or do your snakes have a mild temperment or are smart enough to know the difference between your hand and a mouse. Seems like they'd strike at you instead of the mouse!

I had a boa that would strike at anything that moved around feeding time, even movement he saw through the tank. But my kings are a little fussier. Takes them a while to even find the mouse. The mouse runs and they have to start all over looking. So much for all that heat/vibration sensing abilities!

Tom

First, the hand feeding thing is a signature of this forum, Thanks JETZEN, and its great. I don't do it, but hahahahahaha OK once in a while. I think it means the ones who do it, love to do it, love the snakes, hate mice, still find joy in their charges. or are simply showoffs, hahahahahahaha its all in good fun.

Now for you. First, reptile feeding responce is directly related to conditions, poor responce=poor conditions, etc etc. Great feeding responce=great conditions. There are a billion degreeds between the extremes.

To add to that, you can have good conditions and starve your charges. The higher degree of hunger, allows a wider degree of prey items(common with natures animals) When really hungry or starving, they will eat all sorts of prey they would not ordinarily feed on. Including you. A satisfied individual, is more choosy. Humans taste nasty.

So, feed the boa more, improve the conditions for your kingsnakes and all will be well in snake keeping kingdom. Smile and cheers

Nicely put FR.
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Yeah, there is really no reason to hand feed your snakes. If it makes you happy and doesn't stress your snake, what the he@#. JETZEN started a trend that spread to other folks. It helps them bond with their snakes, and probably helps them hold still for photos. It's not for me, but whatever floats your boat.

What exciting adventure have you and Hugh been off to? Long time no hear! How's it going Frank?
Todd Hughes

Is that an annulata or a thayeri. It looks like an annulata but I'm not sure. Either way its a good looking milksnake (morph).

BTW what part of the country do you in?

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Vichris

Vichris Variables

HEHEH, that's annulata, I only have one thayeri and his pic is getting worn out. He is a kinda drab m.s. form but I like him a lot, good snake , good feeder. I live in Corpus Christi, Texas
, the third coast! Lots of annulata here, so I have a few.
Todd Hughes

Man I hate to say it but those other two annulata's are dogs compared to that first one you posted. That first one is a screamer.

The first snake I ever BOUGHT was a mexican milksnake. I sold him off with about 60 other snakes when I was reducing my collection.

BTW I used to have a male thayeri like that MSP you have. I bought him from a guy in AZ named Thom Slack (No Slack Reptiles). I'm pretty sure he's out of the bidness. Anyway I bought 2 males and 2 females from him. The other male, his sibling, was alot like him but much better orange background color. The one like yours actually produced brighter colored babies than the good looking male. Go figure.

I thought you lived in AZ. Been herping for GBK's this year yet?
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Carston Zoldy (Zee)(Blueking) and I are off on the 19-27 to do the madness. Hoping for rain but I think we have a good chance. What about you?
Todd Hughes

I'd love to be out there but I have kids and too many other commitments close to home this time of year. Besides I've got about 7 female snakes that are about ready to drop eggs.

I am planning a trip to southern NM to look for some NM Pyros later in the summer.
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

When?
Todd Hughes

As always Todd, that annulata you have is outstanding. My 05 male is starting to color up more with each shed.

Steve

That yellow collar is stunning! Hope he does brighten all the way. Thanks, Steve. I got another female that I rescued from an apartment that someone vacated. No food or water for three weeks and soiled newspaper. She is feeding well and hydrated nicely and is in shed now, so it's looking good for next year with a 1.2 trio!
Todd Hughes

Hi Todd, not much lately as its a giant drought. Very very dry.

We, Hugh and his family and I, just had dinner at a local mex food rest. and on the way home found a nice lyresnake.

Lots of gophersnakes running around my property.

In the area that I fed that pair last winter, there may be 10 or more adults???????????? got me, they must have invited guests.

Not far from there(40feet) I was draining an outdoor pool for mertens monitors and it wouldn't drain right. The plug was giving me trouble.

The dang things are everywhere. Cheers

well hes not thirsty anymore. Nice pic.

I woulda really have loved to been there to see that! Being a Gopher snake lover I would flip seeing a ton of them in the wild, thanks for the pic Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

LOL! That's a great shot and story! Very dry here as well, getting ready to head to alternaland for the pilgrimage on the 19th! Hope we get some rain soon before the hunt.Thanks for keeping it real!
Todd Hughes

Is that the one you're going to let me take home with me, after I visit you???

Zee
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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

I've done it twice, and I don't know whether it's a habit that I'll continue. I did it the first time because I'd seen pictures of other people doing it and wanted to see whether I could "keep up with the Jetzen's."

I have a friend who wants to see a snake eat, and if I could get my guy to do it regularly, then I could let my friend see a snake eat. If I feed him in the cage, all she'll see is some moving around behind fake plants. If I can hand feed, she'll see more of the action.

People do tend to associate a snake's willingness to eat this way with the snake's being free of stress and happy in his environment. To some extent, it's a way of trying to claim that one is keeping a snake happy.

Of course, it's also a way to guarantee that the snake won't ingest any substrate.

Finally, it makes for pictures that get people's attention. I have a buddy whose corn snake has caught live mice in the air as if he were a dog catching a frisbee. I'd really like a picture of that.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

it, i do it all the time anyway. Try it you might like it and under NO circumstances should it be tried with large boids or hots. thanks for starting an interesting thread.

Posted by: JETZEN at Thu May 4 04:22:48 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

it, i do it all the time anyway. Try it you might like it and under NO circumstances should it be tried with large boids or hots. thanks for starting an interesting thread.

How about with 18 feet saltwater crocs ? I would think that the snake might associate your hand with food and when you go to hold it without food you might get bit ?

Snakes are not stupid, they without question know their keepers from their prey. Its most often times the keeper who has no idea about the real behaviors of snakes.

If you look at JEZTENS snakes, they are not underfed, they are healthy normal snakes, this allows them to "not eat the hand that feeds them". If you try that with underfed snakes, you are indeed asking to experience what mice experience. hahahahahahahaha

Anyway, it always makes me laugh when people say, it will train the snakes to associate your hand with food. The snakes already associate you with food, you should teach them your hand is not food. Cheers

Thanks for the good points FR, it seems like a lot of people think snakes are really stupid, whereas I believe they easily comprehend the differences between prey, predators, and the humans that pick them up now and then.
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Matt from Minnesota

Posted by: mattcbiker at Thu May 4 19:10:26 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

Thanks for the good points FR, it seems like a lot of people think snakes are really stupid, whereas I believe they easily comprehend the differences between prey, predators, and the humans that pick them up now and then.
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Matt from Minnesota

I actually find my snake to be incredibly stupid . Great pet never bites very pretty but no "brighter" than fish. He is neat though and hope to one day get a female to breed them.

snakes, but some of mine will go after anything that moves including fingers. And i had one not too long ago swallow my entire middle finger. And i've had a lot of mine grab my hand or my arm and then immediatly let go like maybe they did'nt like my flavor. easterns/"goini"/floridana are my most aggressive, then the Nigrita/splendida/cali and then my nigra/holbrooki.

I feed mine in the tank but I put the hopper (thawed) in a hide area with a paper towel so my snake doesnt eat the bedding.
I always thought if you took them out and fed them they might asociate you with food . My snake doesnt even see me put the mouse in his extra hide area . Have never been bitten and handle him every other day for like 15 minutes.

out of my racks is when they really go psycho, then when the tub is placed on the table and the tub lid is lifted some'll come out flying and that's when they will grab anything, sometimes the edge of the tub, i have even seen them grab my pack of cigs. And that's fine with me anyway, i don't much care for do nothing snakes.

I don't handle my snakes much except when they already have food in their mouth.

I've tried hand feeding a few times and I have tried a few differnt ways. Sometimes I take out the snake and handle it, then offer it a food item while its on my lap/hand. Others I've tried to just gently lift them while they were eating. I have had a few successes each way and several refusals. I am curious JETZEN, master of the hand feed, if you would indulge us with your hand fedding training method of choice.
cheers
zach