Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How often does this happen? Mine never do, they just swallow it down
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2.1 Thayeri
1.1 Nelsoni

Mine do it all the time I wasn't aware others didn't.

All of mine always do.

But, I dangle it with a pair of over-sized tweezers to provoke a feeding response...

...and then there's this guy:

//Todd

...a little confused, would you say??
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Diego

Diego & Tiffany's Zoo:
SNAKES
1.2.0 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.1.0 Hypo Everglades Rat Snakes
1.1.0 Trans-Pecos Rat Snakes
1.1.0 Salt and Pepper Bull Snakes
0.1.0 Amel Pacific Gopher Snake
3.1.0 Sonoran Gopher Snakes
0.1.0 Amel Sonoran Gopher Snake
1.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnakes
1.0.0 Gray Banded Kingsnake
0.1.1 California Kingsnake
1.1.0 Thayeri Kingsnake
3.2.0 Rosy Boas (Mexican, Temecula, & Mid Baja)
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.1.0 Indonesian Dwarf Pacific Boa
1.1.0 Cape York Spotted Pythons
1.0.0 Ball Python
1.1.0 Western Hognoses
0.0.1 Lyre Snake
0.0.1 Glossy Snake

LIZARDS
2.0.0 Bearded Dragons
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
1.0.0 African Fat-Tail Gecko
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.4.0 Leopard Geckos
1.0.1 Yellow Niger Uromastyx
1.1.0 Chuckwalla
1.4.0 Banded Gecko
0.0.1 Gold Dust Day Gecko
0.0.5 Sandfish

AMPHIBIANS
1.0.1 Green Tree Frogs
1.0.0 Bubbling Kassina
0.0.1 White's Tree Frog
0.0.2 Gold Frogs
1.0.0 Fire Salamander

Yeah man- I think this is one of those 'retarded' snakes.

You CANNOT feed this guy enough, and it's pretty much a sure thing that he pulls this crap every time he's handled! 8-D

//Todd

That a great pic! Got to love over eager sankes!!
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-Robert-

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"All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: Freedom,Justice,Honor,Duty,Mercy,Hope"
- W. Churchhill

1.2 Lampropeltus getulus "Brooksi"
0.1 ALbino Argentina Horned Frog

NOTE: I pre-kill the rodents and just started using F/T.

This is from observation and things I have read/seen on TV anyway snakes can detect the heartbeat/breathing of a prey item with that said my snakes will sometimes coil the prey item if I don’t let them have it right away. What I mean by that is if I just toss the prey item into the cage they will normally hunt it down and consume it without constricting, however if I dangle the prey item so it looks alive most of the time they throw coils around it. Sometime just to trigger a natural response I will move the prey item around to make it seem like its alive then they will normally throw coils around the prey item. More often then not my boa and python will coil its prey, my Kingsnake on the other doesn’t always do so. I just started F/T prey items and all still coiled, before I used pre-stunned/killed prey items and it seems like they held onto the prey items longer before they began to consume it, maybe because the prey item may still have twitching nerves? I have seen snakes (black rats) in the wild eat dead prey items and NOT coil it so snakes definitely can tell when a prey item is dead based on movement and maybe some other factors but movement is key, once they hit the prey then they can sense if the food item is dead or not unless you move around like I sometimes do, when I do this they don’t constrict it for long just enough time to see if there is any breathing.

So in my opinion it’s good to make the snake work for its food every so often, don’t just let them have it make them wrap some coils around it make it seem likes its alive.

I agree 100%.

That's why I use the tongs for all my snakes, and simulate live/fighting prey. Even after they've grabbed it, I'll tug on a food or tail, and they'll tighten their grip.

Good exercise and I believe helps with the feeding response.

Interesting to note though with my 05 Southern Pine- as a newborn, I used to feed her out of my hand, and wouldn't make the thing appear alive, and she was as gentle as could be.

As she grew, I started to use tongs, and one day she broke out of her shell and went BALLISTIC on the thing! When I say ballistic, I mean she absolutely went crazy snatching the rat out of the tongs, thrashing it around, burying it under several coils, pressing it down on the bottom of her enclosure.

I think the reason was because she thought it was alive because I was moving it around instead of holding it still. I was glad to be using tongs that day, and continue to do so... she's a total SPAZ when she senses food!

//Todd

nice.

My Rosy Boas and Ball pythons constrict thawed rodents just as aggressivly as a live rodent.. I guess they really want to make sure it's dead!!

My kings & corns rarely constrict thawed mice.. but, are more prone to constrict if i feed off forcepts rather than just dropping it in.

~ Mike Russo

Most of my snakes that were started off on live pinkies and fuzzies continue to constrict all food items. I usually offer food on tongs and give the food a little tug and shake to encourage them to constrict it before I let it go. The only snakes that I have that don't constict are the stuborn feeders who were too scared to take food from tongs. With these snakes I would just leave food over night. They don't constrict.

I think encouraging constriction is healthy. Gives em a little exercise.

Snakes are not retarded. They know when something is alive or dead. My snakes will constrict a FT for only a few seconds, whereas they will constrict a fresh killed for a while. Even a snake on FT that has never constricted anything in its life will constrict if given a live prey item.

I feed f/t via tongs, head first. My black rat always grabs it and immediately begins swallowing. My corn always wraps and constricts and then extracts it from the coil as if he ahd just killed it. The interesting thing is that the corn was captive bredm, while the rat is wild caught . . . I would have expected reverse behavior, given their backgrounds and feeding history. Bottom line is that snakes can be individuals.

Well my kingsnake only constricts a f/t mouse to hold it tight so she can easily swallow it. If she cant get a grip of it, she constricts it. This also helps it going down because squeezing it makes it thinner and easier to go down.

I was feeding my New female Axanthic brooksi when she decided to go for the tong intead of the fuzzies! The first pic is of her constricting the tong and the other two are of her with Two fuzzies. I guess he was hungry! Enjoy!

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-Robert-

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"All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: Freedom,Justice,Honor,Duty,Mercy,Hope"
- W. Churchhill

1.2 Lampropeltus getulus "Brooksi"
0.1 ALbino Argentina Horned Frog

by the way I feed only f/t and all 3 of my brooksi contrict every time, tong or no tongs!
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-Robert-

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"All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: Freedom,Justice,Honor,Duty,Mercy,Hope"
- W. Churchhill

1.2 Lampropeltus getulus "Brooksi"
0.1 ALbino Argentina Horned Frog

I have a Florida King that doesn't eat unless I tease him with his F/T so he can "kill" it. He'll just roam his feed tub till he sees SOMETHING move and he'll attack it. (even if it's ME) Till then he'll just ignore his prey.

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Ace

wow thanks for all the info. I guess i figured they had been raised on f/t since birth. Ill try the tong thing.
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2.1 Thayeri
1.1 Nelsoni

well, i grabbed a pinky by the tail and he grabbed it and i shook and pulled, he wouldnt let go but no constriction. But at least he didnt let go, so thats some exercise, right?

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2.1 Thayeri
1.1 Nelsoni

tried again and the little [bleep]er wants a tug of war....So i guess he wins. Weird. I tried the same with my nelsons milk, he sniffed and flicked and was ready, but eventually refused. He prefers to eat at night. Oh well at least they are eating. Funny how those little thayeris wont let go. I hope they hump as enthusiastically as they eat.

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2.1 Thayeri
1.1 Nelsoni