Spilotes Feeding "PIC"...

[Simon R. Sansom]

Well,
My little girl finally decided to feed for me :o)

Even though she's captive-bred and has been used to taking frozen/thawed for her previous owner, she's been a real pain for me.
Today I went and got a small live mouse from the pet store as a last-ditch attempt. As soon as she saw it, she grabbed it.
I was interested to note that she did not constrict the mouse. She just held it with the head in her jaws until it stopped struggling, and then proceeded to swallow it.
Do Spilotes constrict?

Here's a pic.

http://64.49.221.207/pix/simonsansom/862823picture.jpg

[Pixie]

I can't answer about this species as I have never owned one or read up on them but I would suspect that they do constrict their prey like the majority of colubrids.

I have had the same experience with one of my milks. He was a fantastic eater, never refused a meal wether in shed or not and always took f/t. Then I moved him to a different tank with all the same furnishings and the bugger stopped eating for 5 weeks. He was starting to get skinny and I was getting worried but he just started to eat last week and it took a live pinky to get him going. I guess some snakes don't take to changes very well.

As for the non consctricting, well, the very snake I speak of had always had f/t and never constricted his food before. He did the same with the live pinky, just grabbed it by the head and waited till it suffocated, then swallowed.

Then I have one corn snake that is fussy and will only take live prey. She sometimes constricts, sometimes doesn't...??? Guess it depends on her mood!!!

[Vanan]

Kinda like the Pituophis who aren't technically constrictors. Even racer for the matter, they just get the prey down in their bellies the fastest way possible. No energy expended to kill completely.

[silke]

Congrats !
glad she is over her fast !

[Xetox]

I have got a corn that is going through a fast right now.....dont know what her deal is but she just won't eat.

[Simon R. Sansom]

Yes, I'm not quite sure why these lapses in feeding response happen.
I recently had a fecal sample from the female examined, and the result was negative for any parasites. Both of my Spilotes are captive bred, and I consider them quite "clean".
I've been thinking lately that it may be a seasonal issue (photo-period, cycling temps in the room), but the male has been feeding up a storm, so that kind of blows away that theory. However, there is the possibility that females (even youngsters) may be affected differently than males by seasonal variation.
Or it could even be just an individual disinclination to feed (boredom with the same food items?). I don't know.
If anyone has any other thoughts or comments to add on the subject, I'd really like to hear them.

Anyway, I hope that she decides to go back to taking thawed, because it's a harrowing experience to have to feed live mice to this snake, because she doesn't constrict. She just seems to hold on until the mouse stops struggling (I don't think it's dead) and then swallows it...
VERY, very quickly, I might add. I've never seen a snake swallow their prey as quickly as these guys. The male can get a 3/4-grown mouse down completely in less that 10 seconds. Just amazing.

Sorry for rambling...

Simon

[jason h]

actually yes spilotes constrict and are very powerful at that,but the speed that they swallow a prey item there really isnt any time for it LOL!!!,how big are yours? i sold my 9' male and 7' female last summer and i bin kickn myself for it ever since!!!

[Simon R. Sansom]

Hi Jason,
My two were produced in '02, and are about 36" in length.
They are awesome animals, aren't they?!

Simon

[jason h]

they are wonderful mine were easily handled if you could get them out of the enclosure,but while they were in it the the male would strike the glass even if you were 5-6 feet away and he wasnt holding nothing back,it also made changing the water dish VERY exciting LOL.

[Simon R. Sansom]

Jason,
I guess I'm lucky because my two are both pretty handleable., as long as you don't expect them to behave a like a ball python or a corn snake!
They certainly can move quickly though when they want to. Whew!

Simon

[marylyn101]

My king is an easy feeder but she eats only every 2 weeks.

[Herp guy]

IO dont know but i know garters swallow food alive. Sometimes they are so hungr y they cant wait.

[paul_le_snake]

we got a cbb tiger rat at work last spring, it was eating fine before it came to us, but it took 2 months before it finally ate. had to use live rat pups to get it going and then after that it was on dead hoppers / adult mice. even with the live stuff it never constricted. i did notice that it would only take food if the mouse was on the bottom of the cage.....
cheers
paul

[Burmies]

It would be nice if I could see the picture, I see just a red X.

Burmies