Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone fed their rainbow a Bird or chick or something? I was playing with the idea of buying a 5$ Finch and tossing it in the cage. The pet store guy said it wouldnt be a big deal and the only issue is that it cost more.

Im just worried what a Finch would do once in the cage with the snake. . woudld it just sit there unknowing? or would it freak out and try to fly etc.

what are your guys thoughts on this?
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Russ
1 Brazillian Rainbow Boa (< 1 year old)
1 Rosy Boa (G/F's Snake)

Somehow i have to feed both?!
Melbourne, Fl

...on a variety of factors. One thing is size. I never offer rodents that are thicker then the thickest part of the snake's body.

Another determination of offering a bird is the age of the snake. For example, my CRB, which is a year old, so far refuses frozen rats. This is most likely because it is so used to being offered live rodents for its entire life. Another reason could be because frozen rodents have a different scent than that of a live one. The point I'm trying to make is that your snake might not even realize the bird is food. It might even consider the foreign scent as that of a potential predator, causing the snake to be stressed. So I suggest you stick with the mice and rats.
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Scott

Reptiles
--------
0.0.1 Colombian Rainbow Boa (Rocky)
1.0 Ball Python (Sultan)
0.1 California Kingsnake (Leota)
1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle (Yugi)
0.1 Red/Gold Bearded Dragon* (Irwin, R.I.P.)

Other
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1.0 Betta Fish (Tyrone)

I like to avoid birds for 3 reasons.

1) Pound for pound, not as nutritious as a rat
2) Expensive
3) If the snake develops a taste for them, you're stuck feeding birds. This isn't as big a deal with BRB's as with some species but it's still possible.

I really don't see any way that a bird could hurt the animal. If anything, they're probably safer that live rats. Still, not a big fan. I gree with the guy at the pet store though. Probably not such a big deal.

You never did tell me if you've heard of Frankie's Wings 'n Things in Melbourne. Man they make a good Buffalo wing
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

I've seen the place but i've never actually eaten there, I am a big fan of wings though i grew up in the and we're ALL about wings down there

But i duno, i think i might try it once just to see it. My snake has a very good feeding responce and has allways been good as far as eating goes. By no means to i plan on making it a habit
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Russ
1 Brazillian Rainbow Boa (< 1 year old)
1 Rosy Boa (G/F's Snake)

Somehow i have to feed both?!
Melbourne, Fl

Mike,
...Melbourne is a long ways from home for you. Frankies used to have another restaurant at Port Canaveral. My sister in law and her third husband used to rave about the wings there. The one in Melbourne is still open and they now have one in Merritt Island and another in Port Saint John. I am not sure but I think the one at Port Canaveral closed. I will try the one in Port Saint John next time I am down visiting my parents. I like my buffalo wings very hot. I heard that at Frankies you can get them extra extra hot.
Jeff

>>I like to avoid birds for 3 reasons.
>>
>>1) Pound for pound, not as nutritious as a rat
>>2) Expensive
>>3) If the snake develops a taste for them, you're stuck feeding birds. This isn't as big a deal with BRB's as with some species but it's still possible.
>>
>>I really don't see any way that a bird could hurt the animal. If anything, they're probably safer that live rats. Still, not a big fan. I gree with the guy at the pet store though. Probably not such a big deal.
>>
>>You never did tell me if you've heard of Frankie's Wings 'n Things in Melbourne. Man they make a good Buffalo wing
>>-----
>>Mike Lockwood
>>www.tooscaley.com

The hotter the better!!!

I've always wanted (or wanted to write) a cookbook that focused on food that causes pain.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm..... food that causes pain.
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Next time either of you guys are comming down make sure to let me know about it or post it on the forum or something. I'd love to go grab some hot wings with you guys, it would be expecually cool if you guys brought some snakes down

p.s. I am the proud winner of the 2004 Hooters hot wing eating contest.
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Russ
1 Brazillian Rainbow Boa (< 1 year old)
1 Rosy Boa (G/F's Snake)

Somehow i have to feed both?!
Melbourne, Fl

Russ,
....Hooters= limited menu slections, uninspired food, slow service and high prices.......I love the place.
Jeff

>>Next time either of you guys are comming down make sure to let me know about it or post it on the forum or something. I'd love to go grab some hot wings with you guys, it would be expecually cool if you guys brought some snakes down
>>
>>p.s. I am the proud winner of the 2004 Hooters hot wing eating contest.
>>-----
>>Russ
>>1 Brazillian Rainbow Boa (< 1 year old)
>>1 Rosy Boa (G/F's Snake)
>>
>>Somehow i have to feed both?!
>>Melbourne, Fl

Heh the wing eating competition i won was sponcered by a Fraternaty at my college, now let me explain. I am not a Frat person, im not huge on paying for friends, but when they do rush they give everyone that thinks they MIGHT want to join the frat free wings at hooters.

So what me and my friends do is check the dates and show up at hooters and eat free wings that the fraternaty pays for. When i did this my freshmen year i won the wing eating contest

Other then that i only sometimes go to hooters on fridays at noon for the lunch raffle in hope to win stuff!
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Russ
1 Brazillian Rainbow Boa (< 1 year old)
1 Rosy Boa (G/F's Snake)

Somehow i have to feed both?!
Melbourne, Fl

It's O.K. Russ. You don't have to explain. You can admit it. The real reason you go to hooters is for excellent side salads isn't it???
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

I used to live down the road from a chick hatchery that sold male chicks for $0.15 each (minimum purchase was 10). I used to feed them to a boa constrictor, a blood python and a Colombian Rainbow. I never had any trouble with them going back to rodents whenever I wanted.

The problem with adult birds is that they are all feathers and weigh almost nothing. They also result in much messier feces from the snake.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Chris,
...I had forgotten about the messy feces problem when feeding birds to snakes.
Jeff

>>I used to live down the road from a chick hatchery that sold male chicks for $0.15 each (minimum purchase was 10). I used to feed them to a boa constrictor, a blood python and a Colombian Rainbow. I never had any trouble with them going back to rodents whenever I wanted.
>>
>>The problem with adult birds is that they are all feathers and weigh almost nothing. They also result in much messier feces from the snake.
>>-----
>>Chris Harrison
>>San Antonio, Texas

...Back in the 1960s the very cheapest thing we could get to feed to our snakes was baby chickens. We ordered them from Sears out of their farm catalog and the males were priced at maybe 13 cents each and they shipped you live chicks in the mail. The postage was dirt cheap because at that time the post office had special rates for agricultural items. The mail man always brought them to the door because he was worried about leaving a box of chirping chicks outside. Ratsnakes and litte Boa Constrictors love baby chicks. It used to be commonly believed that large Pythons should be fed an occasional big chicken for the nutritional value. For awhile I was feeding turkey legs to my Burms. They ate them well and seemed healthy eating them. I am with Mike on not feeding Finches to snakes because of the price. I also think that we herpers need more friends and feeding cage birds to snakes is not going to go over very well with some folks.
Jeff

>>Has anyone fed their rainbow a Bird or chick or something? I was playing with the idea of buying a 5$ Finch and tossing it in the cage. The pet store guy said it wouldnt be a big deal and the only issue is that it cost more.
>>
>>Im just worried what a Finch would do once in the cage with the snake. . woudld it just sit there unknowing? or would it freak out and try to fly etc.
>>
>>what are your guys thoughts on this?
>>-----
>>Russ
>>1 Brazillian Rainbow Boa (< 1 year old)
>>1 Rosy Boa (G/F's Snake)
>>
>>Somehow i have to feed both?!
>>Melbourne, Fl

HAHA I am certain to be descrete about it. . . Perhaps chicks if not finches? i dont mind the cost of the bird because i dont plan on doing it often, if more then once.
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Russ
1 Brazillian Rainbow Boa (< 1 year old)
1 Rosy Boa (G/F's Snake)

Somehow i have to feed both?!
Melbourne, Fl

Ruiss,
...A few of the rodent sellers also have frozen chicks for sale at low prices. If you live close to a hatchery the males chicks are always for sale very cheap. Some people keep snakes that will only eat birds, at least for the first few months and they feed them commercially available quail chicks to get them started.
Jeff

>>HAHA I am certain to be descrete about it. . . Perhaps chicks if not finches? i dont mind the cost of the bird because i dont plan on doing it often, if more then once.
>>-----
>>Russ
>>1 Brazillian Rainbow Boa (< 1 year old)
>>1 Rosy Boa (G/F's Snake)
>>
>>Somehow i have to feed both?!
>>Melbourne, Fl

>>...The mail man always brought them to the door because he was worried about leaving a box of chirping chicks outside.

Too true. Not only right to your door, but right to your door in the first available vehicle from the postal station after arrival from the hatchery. I think it was not just SOP in those days. One driver allowed as how those cartons made a heck of a racket with all the peep-peep-peeping. "Get those things on the truck and outta here now!"

Although I'm not keen on the runny (and odiferous) feces that bird eating produces in snakes, I wouldn't hesitate to use them on a recalcitrant feeder. For anyone who is interested, hatcheries are still shipping those peepers via the USPS. Male chickens have an economic worth equivalent to male ball pythons. Ask for culls or cockerals. They're the cheep.., er, cheapest.

-Joan