Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have two mandarin rat snakes that are feeding on small live pinkies. They have eaten f/t a couple of times, but refuse to eat them 90% of the time. Sometime refuse the live ones. I have only been dealing with cal kings for a couple of years now and they have always constricted from very young. My mandarins don't, they push there nose agents them for a minute before they open there mouth, like they are checking to see if they are alive or not, then they just start eating. It's sorta funny to watch. Do they learn to constrict later? How will they eat larger mice when the get bigger?

DAVY

>>I have two mandarin rat snakes that are feeding on small live pinkies. They have eaten f/t a couple of times, but refuse to eat them 90% of the time. Sometime refuse the live ones. I have only been dealing with cal kings for a couple of years now and they have always constricted from very young. My mandarins don't, they push there nose agents them for a minute before they open there mouth, like they are checking to see if they are alive or not, then they just start eating. It's sorta funny to watch. Do they learn to constrict later? How will they eat larger mice when the get bigger?
>>
>>DAVY

Davy, Mandarins are constrictors, but a far cry from a Cal king. Mandarins are from montane areas of southeastern Asia. They are adapted to hot, humid summers and cool, dry winters. They are normally nocturnal too.

Snakes don't need to constrict pinkies, because they are helpless.

Terry

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