I agree with Allan, an adult mouse tail DOES come in so very handy and can be very filling for a small zonata. The only concern I have with this, and yes, it's from experience, is that the cartilage/bone at the base of the tail can be sharp and can potentially lacerate the linings of the snakes' mouth/throat. It's a delicate process, but for those who are leary, I'd suggest cutting the tail of the adult mouse mid-way to avoid the aforementioned. I would also suggest that prior to insertion of the tail, a quick dip of the base part into vegetable oil to ease friction as well as a slight rotating motion after inserting the tail works best in my opinion to gently work the tail part-way down as opposed to just shoving the tail straightaway. I also start by placing the tail into the mouth and allowing for the baby to take it voluntarily. Most often this is not the case, and a squirm followed by a quick whip of the head is enough to dislodge the tail. After a couple of tries, I then insert gradually further down until success. It CAN be time consuming, however.

Jerry Kruse

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