Snake is nipping at me! And general feeding help please (:

[annarawrr]

Hiya everyone, I've had my plumbeous water snake Preshuz for just a few days now and I've fed him twice. Both times using fish from the pet store, first two fish in the first session were less than an inch long, and today he caught and ate FOUR fish in his feeder tank that were almost two inches each! He's only about 18-20 inches in length and slimmer than my thumb, my question is should he be eating so much? At the very least I'm glad he has a healthy appetite.

Another question, how should I remove him from his feeding tank? He struck at me twice but didn't bite when I tried to pick him up after he ate two fish today, so I let him eat the rest. He seemed a bit restless and I didn't want to risk more nipping because his venom might (and in my case probably will!) cause allergic reactions, so I just drained the water and tipped him back into his main enclosure. I know he's new so he may be a bit jumpy with me, but I've handled him briefly three times (including shortly before feeding him today) and he's never nipped. Maybe I'm removing him too soon? Did he mistake my finger for another snake or fish? Any advice or comments? (:

[ilovemypets1988]

towards his nippiness, thats a feeding response. basically, becoz hes feeding, he will be aggressive due to that fact and anything that touches him will be food to him, so use a snake hook.

as for his feeding amount, i couldnt tell you, but you could take a look at this care sheet that i have found for you: Water Snake Care Sheet (http://www.neherp.com/care-sheets/38-snake-care-sheets/67-watersnake-care-sheet)

[Lankyrob]

Never fed one myself but is it possible to put the feed tub with the fish into his enclosure rather than put him into a feed enclosure?

I feed all my snakes in their enclosures on plates and then leave the plates til the next day - apart from my retic the feeding response is switched off by next day so no risk of bites/

[annarawrr]

Oops! Didn't know I should leave him alone while feeding! I just assumed he'd had enough after a few minutes so I tried to take him out, my bad! :p And thanks so much ilovemypets1988 for the care sheet, I haven't seen it before although I've frantically searched the internet for such comprehensive guides!

Lankyrob, it is possible to put his small feeding tank in his general enclosure. The first time I fed him I put the fish in his water bowl, but it's really shallow and they kept jumping out to get away from him and he splashed water everywhere... Not to mention when he DID catch the fish, they sometimes had some of his substrate sticking to them which I've read is generally not very good for them. I'll try your method of putting his small feeding tank in his main tank though! :D

[stephanbakir]

towards his nippiness, thats a feeding response. basically, becoz hes feeding, he will be aggressive due to that fact and anything that touches him will be food to him, so use a snake hook.

as for his feeding amount, i couldnt tell you, but you could take a look at this care sheet that i have found for you: Water Snake Care Sheet (http://www.neherp.com/care-sheets/38-snake-care-sheets/67-watersnake-care-sheet)

Oops! Didn't know I should leave him alone while feeding! I just assumed he'd had enough after a few minutes so I tried to take him out, my bad! :p And thanks so much ilovemypets1988 for the care sheet, I haven't seen it before although I've frantically searched the internet for such comprehensive guides!

Lankyrob, it is possible to put his small feeding tank in his general enclosure. The first time I fed him I put the fish in his water bowl, but it's really shallow and they kept jumping out to get away from him and he splashed water everywhere... Not to mention when he DID catch the fish, they sometimes had some of his substrate sticking to them which I've read is generally not very good for them. I'll try your method of putting his small feeding tank in his main tank though! :D
That care sheet says nothing of venom.

[annarawrr]

Stephanbakir, I think it's cos that's just a general care sheet. In the other (very limited!!) information sheets I've found on my particular snake, the enhydris plumbea, it is said they are rear fanged snakes with mild venom that may cause some swelling or other allergic reactions. This link (http://www.thailandsnakes.com/venomous/rear-fanged/plumbeous-water-snake-venomous-not-dangerous/) mentions the venom and some others may inform you of the side effects (:

[stephanbakir]

Thanks! Reading it now

[marionsclan]

I always feed my snake in a feeding tank and it is usually done and over with in 20 minutes. I put the rat in and then the snake. She eats the one and I wait until she moved it down to her tummy and then feed her the other one. After that I give her some time and when I see her reaching towards the top of the feeder tank I know she wants out and I take her out and put her back in her habitat so she can start digesting.

As for the venom in your snake, it is true, and some care sheets explain how to handle the snake because when you grab them behind the neck their fangs can still get you.

[Dehlida]

Water snakes can be a bit nippy. It's typical for a snake. I'd recommend first getting off pet store fish. They are bad for your snake. They have next to 0 nutritional value and most contain thiamnese. Go buy a single fish, and a mouse. Rub the fish all over the mouse to scent it, he should take readily to rodents.

[annarawrr]

Thanks Marionsclan! I guess your snake is already used to your feeding schedule and how things get done... I see everyone has slightly different ways of doing things so hopefully I'll figure out a way that's comfortable to both me and the snake :D

Hi Dehlida! To be honest I specifically chose a water snake because I didn't want to feed him rodents... I've kept mice and rats and sugar gliders (not rodents, but still cute small warm blooded animals!) as pets before and loved them to bits, so I'd feel a little uncomfortable feeding them those... If all else fails I would buy frozen pinkies, but I'd like to try a fish diet first, if it's recommended. Does anyone feed them solely frozen fish from the supermarket? I've read some care sheets involving this method but I don't think I know anyone who actually does it.

[Gungirl]

I have no knowledge on your snake or even a fish diet but I do want to tell you is that from what I understand is that if you want to do fish make sure 100% salt free! I have read a few posts made by different people on different forums that they feed their snake/lizard fish and salt has caused deaths. I know our moderator ( wayne) is one of them. I hope you can get your snakey to eat, be happy and healthy!

[annarawrr]

Yikes! Okay, thanks. Can anyone confirm that ALL pet shop fish are bad for snakes though? I've read through a list of "safe" and "unsafe" fish and I've made sure to stay away from the unsafe ones, so surely certain pet store fish won't become a problem?