The eastern diamondback rattler at the Buffalo zoo typically has 3-4 sets of fangs in its mouth at any given time. The animal no longer strikes at food, so it doesn't break off fangs when it eats. Just like with non-venomous snakes... Some will still coil and act like the animal is being killed while others just sit there and eat off the tongs. I had a borneo blood that would coil it's frozen/thawed rat for 45 minutes before it would start eating.



Rattlesnakes are known carrion eaters in the wild (at least some species... can't say for all). I've never seen this in person, but others have. I'll venture a guess that even wild rattlers will sometimes just find carrion and go up to start eating.



If I dangle food in front of a viper from tongs, the chance of a strike is pretty good, from the animals I've worked with (especially warmed food and a pitviper). If I just lay the food in the cage, sometimes the animal doesn't eat, and sometimes an animal will just go up and start chowing down without a strike. (The EDB from the Buffalo zoo actually just starts chowing down from the tongs most of the time.) Safe to assume that with snakes in general, every one can be different.



Just my thoughts. David.

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