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feeding emergency!

greener06 Jun 19, 2004 11:24 PM

I dip netted some small fish out of our local pond to feed my ribbon snakes. They looked like good food so i didn't think twice about it. When I fed them to my snakes both of them had trouble swallowing and kept spitting out the fish, but my bigger snake Zeus got one partially down. He can't swallow the fish and his jaw is unhinged, and i can see the fish partially down his throat! On closer examination the fish i caught have barbs on their backs. I know I am an idiot, but what can I do, if anything? I am so worried about Zeus! Please help ASAP

Replies (1)

greener06 Jun 19, 2004 11:39 PM

Ok the situation has been resolved- Zeus regurgitated the minnow. We looked it up and what I fed them were common stickleback minnows, which are apparently native to rivers, brooks, and ponds on both coasts. If you are going to feed your snakes wild caught goodies, learn from my mistake and identify your food!! The spines on the back of the fish weren't visable until we picked one up by its tail, when its spines became erect. Sorry for the "emergency"-- I'm just glad he's OK.

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