dangling prey

[Rattler]

I a newbie and my friend just asked me why we dangle the prey instead of just chucking it inside the enclosure and letting the snake discover it.
Now I said that its better for them to strike it like this and it helps them eat head first.
But that was guessing. What are the reasons for offering thawed stuff this way evry1?

 

[TA1PAN]

So the snake thinks the prey is alive

 

[Rattler]

dont they take it much if its just left for em?

 

[TA1PAN]

Some snakes will some snakes won't, it just make them think the food is alive and they constrict it etc

 

[cris]

Depends on the snake and the situation, many snakes will be happy to eat food left in the enclosure. The thing is you may need to check later, while if you feed them directly and they start eating its unlikely they wont swallow it.

 

[Bez84]

Depends on the snake really, my diamonds i hold out and dangle till they strike it and with my BHP i distract him with one hand and with the other i slide the glass door and throw the rat in and shut it before he whips me in the face lol.
He wont eat until he knows hes alone in the room and nothing is spooking him.

 

[Alldone]

Mine won't eat it unless they think it's alive so I have to jangle them around so they think they've caught it themselves.

 

[Rattler]

tar so far,,
i dont plan on dropping stuff in but was just wondering about the logic of holding it in front like so.

 

[zuesowns]

If they snake hunts the prey then constricts it thinking it's alive - this will increase food response. IMO you need to stimulate the snakes into thinking the rodent is alive, just like in the wild.

 

[JAS101]

my womas and BHP will strike atanything once in hunt mode , so i just throw there food in .
the rest i just dangle because there not so mental when it comes to food .

 

[LadyJ]

I dangle mine just in front of my juvie bredli and he goes it straight away - didn't seem too interested when I just left it there. Depends on the snake, but you'll find that out.

 

[big_head]

I think its at the preference of the individual snake. Some i dangle, some i leave in different parts of the enclosure. With my bredli, he has no preference, if i leave it in his enclosure somewhere, he goes on a hunt for it. As long as they eat, it doesn't bother me!

 

[ShaunMorelia]

With our pythons, when I feed multiple food items (usually 2 smaller items than normal) I dangle one then leave the other nearby, once they finish eating the first one, they'll find the other and start on it.

 

[jack]

i dangle for pythons, more for my own enjoyment of the feeding strike really than any other reason.
with the elapids i just drop the food in surreptitiously, i dont want them to associate me with tucker too much.

 

[ubermensch]

I make the food dance with tongs...my Diamond really likes it, for some reason :/ always strikes about 3 seconds into the dance. Maybe she just doesn't appreciate dancing?

 

[Insane]

just out of interest, how do you guys keep the prey warm when you chuck it in the tank?

my jungle won't even look at anything as food unless its the right temperature. I have to keep re-heating with hot water while I try to get her to strike.... If I leave it for 2 minutes its cooled down enough that she isn't interested...

 

[ubermensch]

Defrost it in hot (not boiling) water and feed it to her straight out of that?
If she doesn't like that, I'd suggest - using your tongs - resting the prey over her heatsource and dancing it about there.

 

[sacred_DUC]

don't really worry about feeding time. it's a matter of getting the rat in cage without my blood being spilt, olives and scrubbies need little encouragement for feeding

 

[D3pro]

lol some snakes I had would stalk and food item and fully strike it even tho the food item was just sitting in the enclosure.
It's up to you and what the snake likes. If the snake takes food better when dangled then do that

 

[chickensnake]

my womas and BHP will strike atanything once in hunt mode , so i just throw there food in .
the rest i just dangle because there not so mental when it comes to food .

+1 my BHP has a super mental everytime she smells a rat, smashes at the glass hisses coils up the bowl lol eventually i will sneak it in her enclosure somehow and chuck it but for my spotteds i dangle it