Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This was an awesome thing to watch, on the first day I got the SK, I decided to try and give it a meal. I put them together in a little container and left to go herping. I came back about an hour later to find the SK constricting the brown. I got many pics, but I am not too good with the camera, therefore I only had a few good pics worth using. The snake didn't fully eat the brown, it got it 3/4 of the way down and spit it back out. I put them together at around 7 p.m., the brown snake finally died at around 10:45 p.m.
Michael

Michael's Place

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Michael's Place FREE caresheets on colubrids check it out
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

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Michael's Place

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Michael's Place FREE caresheets on colubrids check it out
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

Last pic of the battle

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Michael's Place FREE caresheets on colubrids check it out
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

This pic was taken while the SK was drinking water off the rock.
Michael

Michael's Place

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Michael's Place FREE caresheets on colubrids check it out
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

I really don't understand. I do my best to preserve all snakes lives. I know in the wild the Kingsnake predates on other snakes but in captivity why would this be necessary?

lol it's a awesome thing to watch. Plus smaller snakes are readily available where I live, it's just easier to do. I'll admit I already had success in feeding the snake 3 different types of food since I had it, brown snake, nightcrawler, and nightcrawler scented pinky parts(arm,leg and tail), but the snakes are just easier to obtain.
Michael
Michael's Place

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Michael's Place FREE caresheets on colubrids check it out
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

this is the same guy who had posted a pic saying ringneck eating a baby rosy a while ago. And a couple weeks ago he posted the same pic in the rosy forum of a different website asking.."is this a rosy boa..?" and of course he already knew, but I guess he gots jokes. I also agree, when keeping a snake in captivity there is really no need to feed snakes to them-(unless you keep snakes that wont eat anything else than snakes) but skarlet kings even if not wanting to eat mice you could feed anoles or skinks. Anyways, peace,
jeff teel
Captive Bred Tri-colors

I live in PA, I have no access as of now to small skinks or small anoles. Have you ever seen a baby scarlet king, they are very small, my SK is around 7 inches or so. By the way, at the rosy forum, I was simply asking if it indeed was a baby rosy boa, I am not a boa person, I did not know that's what it was. If you wanna get me some small feeder lizards, go right ahead, but I don't have any, nor can I get any, so the snake will stay on a diet of snakes and pinky parts until it's big enough for pinky mice.
Michael
Michael's Place

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Michael's Place FREE caresheets on colubrids check it out
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

If you have been lucky enough to get your sk to take pinkie parts, thats the way to go. Many of us wish we were so lucky.

To tell you the truth, it wasn't that hard at all, my SK was WC from Seminole County, Florida. It's only been in captivity about 2 weeks. The captor said he'd place pinky parts in it's mouth and it just ate them. After feeding it a F/T nightcrawler I figured I might as well try scenting other stuff with nightcrawler. I have a small container that I use to freeze nightcrawlers and worms, I put a pinky mouse in the container because I had to feed my big northern ringneck, I shook the container after I put the lid on, the pinky was semi-wet so the dirt that was inside the container stuck to the pinky, I then put the container in the freezer until about midnight. Took it out, let the pinky thaw, rip off the tail, I held it in the SK tank and the snake came out and started chasing it, but it ended up not taking it then. So I ripped off a pinky arm and leg, placed all three parts on a rock in the tank and went to sleep. I woke up to see the snake snacking on the last part.
Michael
Michael's Place

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Michael's Place FREE caresheets on colubrids check it out
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

Hey,
Just look back a ways on the small snake forum, theres a post saying ringneck eating a rosy boa. You just posted it to try and get a reaction from rosy peole, but hey, thats cool for reals man,LOL, wait another LOL. But if you have it on pink parts then there is no reason to feed it snakes. And yes, I've seen baby sk's before. I've bred long-nosed snakes and they are about the same size if not smaller then sk's, and I would feed them fuzzy tails. I dunno, I just love all herps, I dont even feed live mice cause I feel bad for them, i just like all animals and would feel bad feeding snakes to another snake-(I feed live baby lizards to mtn.kings that wont eat pinks, and I hate doing that) who knows, I guess some people like seeing snakes being ate by other snakes but not me, peace man and stick to those pink parts if you can help it..?,
Jeff Teel

I can try, it's actually really hard to find very small snakes around here, so even having them in the snake's diet will be hard to do. I'm gonna try and get it on a diet of nightcrawlers and pinky parts but who's to say that it will work.
Michael
Michael's Place

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Michael's Place FREE caresheets on colubrids check it out
Michael_Fedzen@hotmail.com

There are PLENTY of lizards in PA! First there are plenty of 5 lined skinks in PA. So many in fact that you can even find them inside of big cities.I use to find a lot of them near some rail road tracks in Philadelphia PA and there was minimal field/grassy area around the tracks, Not outside the city..INSIDE the city! Outside the city there are tons of skinks. Seems every rock I ever lifted had 1-4 skinks under it,and if there weren't any skinks there were plenty of redback salamanders also. There are also fence lizards in PA as well as coal skinks.

There is NO reason to feed a CB snake ANY type of wild caught snake or even another CB snake for that matter. If you want to see snakes eatting other snakes there are plenty of videos you can order from Discovery Channel. You'll definately regret it if your snake or snakes comes down with crypto or something and infects your whole stock just because you decided to feed it other snakes.

I have kept many w/c scarlets thru the years. Some have fixated so solidly on a particular food item that they will not change. i understand this is not the case here.

But I do have to take exception to the line that there is no reason to feed a snake another snake. while it has health issues, (no doubt)some species are so ophistophagus that there is no other way to maintain them in captivity.

I recall one such situation at the Chicago Zoo (in the 40's)where the King Cobra there would only feed on Indigos. I had a California King that would only eat Brown snakes (till it was almost two foot) as at the time (1979) there was a total ban on Cakifornia Kings I could not replace the snake, so I fed it what it needed.

Maybe it's not the best food to give a scarlet, but it seeems to me to be a lot of fuss over nothing.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

What is wrong with you? I missed this yesterday, I wish I would have bypassed it again today. Either you're horribly immature, or you have serious problems. Don't e-mail me again and take my picture off of your website, now.

Will Still

I know I'm late, been on vacation, trying to catch up.

Will,
What is your "issue" with this issue? You reacted the same way when I mentioned that I fed a dead axanthic brooksi to my snapping turtle. Now, in hindsight, I agree that this wasn't the forum for that particular post, I just found it funny that I spent so much money on one small meal for my turtle. Both times now you have expressed your disgust but have not explained the reason. We all keep carnivorous animals as pets, heck, this is the kingsnake forum. We should be mature enough to deal with the idea of a snake eating another snake. While I agree that the original poster should be feeding pinky parts if it is working, I don't understand why everyone insisted that he should feed the snake anything but snakes. What's the big deal? He's succesfully caring for a snake in captivity and it's a species that MANY have failed at keeping alive (or even getting them to eat anything) in the past.
In both instances you have come out in a public forum and berated someone because they don't share your irrational superstitions. In the case of my post, you actually questioned my ability to control my bowels all because I fed my turtle a dead snake. Should I have buried it so it's existence would have been a complete waste? While I don't have all that much respect for your opinion in this matter, I understand that you are experienced in your specific field. For that reason, please keep your responses and posts restricted to useful information and leave your crusading to the PETA forums.
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Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

Hi Martin,

I'm sorry, but for the life of me I cannot recall the thread you are referring to (snapping turtle eating a dead brooksi). If I insulted you in my response, I apologize. If the thread is still available to be viewed please send me the link.

My issue here is the glorifying of the suffering of that poor creature. I know, I must seem like a hypocrite, I keep snakes that are carnivores, and they naturally kill and eat other animals. That is fine, I accepted that many years ago, but I'm not really comfortable with it. When possible, I feed my snakes frozen/thawed food. I know those animals died, but I imagine it was in a far more humane manner than being constricted by a snake. When I have to feed my animals live rodents it bothers me because I know the only life that creature knows is being snuffed in a very violent and painful way. I derive no joy from the experience and I don't watch it. Michael's post irritated me and so many others for two reasons primarily, first, because of the graphic nature of his photos, which clearly showed that poor brown snake enduring great suffering. But more than that, I was disturbed by the satisfaction he got from the whole event, and every similar event he has posted about. He kept talking about how cool it was to watch. Well I don't share his view, it was horrible for that brownsnake, just as it is horrible for every live rodent that gets fed to these animals that we keep. For me, feeding live prey is a necessary evil that must occasionally be done. I have accepted this and I live with it. I don't like it and I certainly do not like when such suffering is glorified. You are right, I blasted Michael pretty hard, I should have clearly explained my reasons for doing so. You know the saying, opinions are like a$$ho!es, everybody has one, well that is my opinion on this matter, right or wrong, and I feel very strongly about it. Perhaps my response was harsh, but like many others I was angered by the series of photos. I guess if Michael chooses to keep scarlets, he has some choices to make in the feeding department, that is fine. Just don't glorify another animal's pain and suffering by posting graphic pictures of the event.....especially the horrible death of a snake...on a snake forum. Take care.

Will

I went back and looked. The post I was referring to didn't even involve you. I'm an idiot. Sorry. BTW, I guess I pretty much agree with you but I don't mind watching my animals kill their prey and I honestly take an interest in it. However, I wouldn't say that I watch because it's "cool". It's more for the scientific value. In the case that one of my snakes requires live food, I most certainly watch if I can to (hopefully) make sure the snake isn't harmed. Again, I apologize, I had you mixed up with someone else and because of that, I jumped in where I didn't belong...
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Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

Hi Martin,

Actually, your response to my flame helped me to realize that I really hammered poor Michael without giving him just cause. I e-mailed him, explained my feelings and apologized for blasting him. Thanks for your help.

Will