Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everybody,

Been lurking in the shadows for months, and have learned much from reading your posts. I have kept geckos for years, but had been wanting to branch out, reading up on your posts got me interested in kingsnakes. Sure enough – had to get one! Got a young goini last week. What fun! That guy is really tame, and man does he like to eat!

That brings me to my question. I have read various caresheets, and haven’t found an answer. My question: I see all of these really cool pics of you folks having your snakes eat from your hand. At first, I thought that was cool, then I got to thinking, maybe there is another reason for this besides just being cool. Is there? I suspect if they eat from your hand then there is no danger of substrate being swallowed, correct? And most importantly, since my snake seems rather tame, if I feed him by hand will he come to associate my hand with dinner?

Thanks!
Ray

#1 IN-HAND FEEDING JETZEN (me) i do it because i can elevate them to my level while taking their pics. But actually i prefer to feed them in individual feeding containers.

Why the individual feeding containers - saftey?
I'm guessing if my hand doesn't smell like rats he won't go for my fingers?

Cool pic by the way, got to give it a try.

Individual feeding containers prevents substrate from being accidentally swallowed.

Some people think it also makes the snakes less likely to bite, but I don't think so. I feed in cage and never get a feeding response bite unless my hands smell like rodent.

Placing them in the feeding container may however stimulate their desire to eat because they know they are going to be fed when placed in the container, but I don't know - in my experience, if they are hungry - the scent of rodent is enough to stimulate them to eat.

I do remove water dish when feeding live rodents because I've had mice go between water dish and caging side, resulting in a poor inefficient constriction. I've also had snakes constrict in the water dish, resulting it needing to be cleaned right away after they feed. I suppose feeding in a feeding tub avoids that as well. But so does f/t - which I'm trying to migrate my snakes to, but am having trouble because I don't have enough snakes to justify bulk purchase, and local pet shop poorly stocks frozen rodents.
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3.0 WC; 0.2 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

It's also kind of a cool way to interact with some of my fav's. I think we all have a spazz snake or three in our collections and if you don't now you will in the future! What I want to see is the pic of Jetzen holding the mouse by the tail in his teeth and let ol' Muttly put on a blindfold and go for a shot in the dark!!! LOL! JK! that would be like me trying to feed one of my pits in hand, might get a face full of teeth! Seriously, some snakes like my mbk are really manageable, even pussycats but still have a strong feeding response, but there are some I wouldn't make a habit out of hand feeding. Learn their moods and you can experience it yourself if you want, or not. To each his own. I usually feed in cage and am there to remove aspen if needed, but rarely happens, but I hand feed sometimes.There are some who don't share this view along with feeding fresh killed or thumped.
Todd Hughes

You said, "some snakes like my mbk are really manageable, even pussycats but still have a strong feeding response".
I haven't had a snake for long, but I see this to be true! My goini is mild as can be until that pinky is put near him - then watch out! I had read that goini's were fierce eaters, and I have to agree.
So far I've been feeding him in cage, but put the pinky on a plate. Of course, by the time he has swallowed it he is off the plate, but I have kept an eye on him.
Thanks for the advise.
Ray.

piece of cake..........

Heheheh, try this south Texas red bull that had a runin with the cat and you will sing a different tune! He no longer bluffs and is hissin an pissin the second the door opens if he is awake! The only snake I purposely sneak past when he ain't sleepin! But I handle him still and about 10 minutes later he calms a bit but will go off again to any sudden movement.
Todd Hughes

no thanks, my blk pines grew out of their juvie attitude pretty fast, but they got to big and i sold them,bummer.

Yes safty for the snake they can't swallow substrate when they're in a feeding container, basicly i feed in hand because that's the way i like to take pics of them.

Hands with rodent smell:
It only matters if you put your hand btwn the snake and it's supper, Well not alway's, today a guy was showing me his collection he pulled out a nice cali and it latched on to his finger well as soon as he extracted his finger then the cal latched on to another finger, the snake was obviously hungry i think it would have grabbed anything that did'nt smell like gasoline.

I think I will try a feeding tray.
But I gotta try feeding by hand. I'll post a pic when I get the nerve to try it!

Thanks for the responses.

Ray

Two ways to go:
1. hold prey slightly above snakes face and hold on! When it goes on attack it will latch on and coil and you scoop and support.
2. Pick up snake first and wait till it calms, then offer food item and contnue support
I would wait until you get it feeding regularly before trying this. You got a goini so it will probably always be hungry! Have fun and be safe, lol!
Todd Hughes

Hand feeding is for wussies ...

Get your scuba gear on and let yellow bellied sea snakes copulate while wrapped around your arm!

I've actually heard of that happening, supposedly on camera too - but I haven't seen the video.
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3.0 WC; 0.2 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

"hand feeding is for wussies" YOU are SO wrong! Only real MEN are BOLD enuff to feed in hand.

it would be VERY foolish and suicidal to try it with venomous snakes and large boids.

Well we gotta start somewhere! It is very difficult to find them in the Gulf of Mexico, DOH!
Todd Hughes

You said, "You got a goini so it will probably always be hungry!" He is. Right now I am feeding him about every thrid day. Should I feed him more? As I said earlier, I have raised gecko's for years, and we feed them as much as they like. Does the same hold true with snakes? Care sheets at this site say once or twice a week. It seems mine would be fine with more. While I want a well fed snake, I don't want him unhealthy.
Any advise?

I wouldn't. That is a good amount of food for a snake but I feed irregularly, not on a set schedule. Just what I do, my opinion. I think they have hit and miss hunts in nature, and they don't move about as much as they could if in the wild so not much exercise. I like my males a little lean and my females fed well. Maybe move up in prey size to small fuzzies.
Todd Hughes

framed and glassed pictures make great feeding trays