How to feed snakes

[jamesbecker]

well, im just a newby to snakes, and before i buy my first, i want to know exactly how to feed it.

whats the best way? just dangle a pinki mouse infront of it untill it takes it or what?

also, how long does it take on average for a snake to get its meal down, and how long to digest.

thanks in advance

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Hold the mouse with tongs and wiggle it a little in front of the snakes nose. Mine take about 5 mins but they are pigs. I think it takes 72 hrs to digest a meal.

 

[Jdsixtyone]

And let go of the mouse as the sake grabs it. I hold it just enough so it can hold the mouse but loose enough so the snake can grab it without me loosening the tongs.

 

[webcol]

i Just put the snake im feeding in a large container ( Not in the enclosure, because they may get agresive if they are fed in the enclosure alot, they assosiate the enclosure opening with feeding time), and basically one of my snakes i need to hold it right up to her face for 20 mins untill she bites it , the others i put the pinky on the ground and they will strike it, sometimes i will hold it in and they will take it.

 

[Jarden]

Yeah dont u find that annoying untouchables when you have to tease them with the mouse for awhile before they actually click that its food lmao

 

[Troyster]

I dont hold the food item near the snake at all,i simply drop the mouse or whatever randomly into the enclosure and allow instict to take over for the snake.Which in turn then makes the snake "hunt" out its prey.
By doing this it eliminates the theory that the snake will assosiate your hand entering the enclosure as food time and strike at you,and for this same reason i NEVER use a hook to pick up any of my snakes,i just reach in touch them with the back of my hand to let them know im there and scoop them up.By following this practice all 3 of my snakes,including a Jungle which people say are bitey snakes,are great handlers and none of them are cage defensive what so ever.

 

[jessb]

Don't forget to make sure that the mouse is warm (ie thawed in hot tap water) as most pythons use heat to hunt their prey. I dangled the mouse with tongs for the first 6 months because I was so fascinated watching them feed... Now I just put them in, but often stay to watch them feed.

If the mouse is the right size it will usually take your snake around 5-15 minutes to constrict and swallow the mouse. Less than 5 mins and the prey might be too small. Much longer and it may be too big (or you may just have a stupid snake like mine who always tries to start eating the mouse side-first!)

 

[Bax155]

Everyone has their own methods and this is mine..
I first place my rodent in a tub of hot tap water, check every 5 mins weather it feels defrosted or not, a 10g pinkie will only take around 5 min a 100g rat is gonna take about 20 mins, although time will vary with ambient temperatures. Once defrosted I empty the now cooled water and replace with hot tap water again and leave rodent for 1 min, this way the rodent is now nice and warm, I then remove and place on paper towel to remove excess water, but not drying it completly as a little moisture I find is good for your snake, now I take the rodent by the tail in a pair of tongs, I use a pair of needle nose plyers, I then dangle the rodents head in front of the snakes head, they should strike within seconds although some snakes may take longer, when they strike I pull back and lift the rodent a tad and find they hit it on the head 80% of the time, if they wont strike just leave the rodent in enclosure for the night, if they dont take during the night dispose of the uneaten rodent and try again another day, there are other methods if snake doesnt eat like force feeding but I personally have never had to try these methods, I feed in enclosure and my male is a gem to handle my female is the total opposite but this is probably due to her being new to my collection and not being handled much, so in theory she should grow out of this, if she keeps it up after a month or so I will try the feed in a separate tub idea that people have previously stated, I also like to use a hook when handling. Also dont handle for 2 days after feeding this gives them time to digest their meal, I usually wait till I see them cruising around their enclosure, as they generally go into their hides while digesting. With regards as to the size of feeds I bought a set of scales, I weigh each snake then feed them 20% of their body weight.
As I said at the start this is my method of feeding which works for me, its up to you to find the best way to feed for you.
Good luck,
Bax....