Funny Feeding Habbits

[Minkness]

We all have that one snake that's just odd when it comes to eating. Perhaps it's ahy or it begs or excessively coils or doesn't coul at all.

I want to hear your stories of your animals feeding habbits. =)

I'll start us off.

Lottie (Lesser BP) She is super shy. She only comes out of her hide at night when I'm not looking and Ibonly knowthis because ai have made a few 'surprise' visits in the middle of the night and that's the only time I see her out. When it comes to feeding, she gets except. Pokes her head out of her hide and stares her prey down. (F/t, don't worry guys lol). She may come out about 3 inches, but that's it. I have to bring her food to her. She strikes hard, then instantly drags it back into her hide....to never be seen from again!

Persephone (Irian Jaya Carpet Python) Not shy in the least. Perches on the tippy top of her climb, strikes hard, then eats it upside down! She has never taken a meal on the floor of her enclosure. Only from the top, and she ALWAYS has to hang down while she does it.

Horus (Normal Red Phase Hognose) He is such a dapper gentleman. I can totally see him in a top hat.l, monocle, and curled mustache as he he gingerly accepts your gift of food. I swear he even politely bows his thanks before opening wide and swollowing it. He has always been a good feeder, especially for a hoggie I have been told, and just so...POLITE! It's the only word I can think of to describe him. Lol.

All the other hogs - Hiss and throw a fit. Most take the offered rodent when pressed to theor nose, but one is 'shy' and demands that you leave the offering for him to eat in peace.

Amara (ivory bp) Maki (banana mojave bp) Pharoah (Hypo Brooks King) Orion (Spotted Python) female rough scale boa (needs a name) female hog island boa (needs a name)) are all pretty normal. Strike, coil, swollow.

Then there is ny newest addition. The female albino cape gopher. I know I should wait a week before offering food, but she's SO skinny...and doesn't seem shy or stressee from what I could tell. So I figured I'd thaw 2 rat fuzzies and see if she took them. Well, I offer her the first ine, and she went pretty crazy. She was loosely laying along the back of her enclosure and as soon as I opened it, her head shot up, periscope style, and she was staring me/prey down. She darts to the front and looks between it and me, then strikes the fuzzy HARD and pulls away. She doesn't coil, but instead shakes it like a dog does a toy. She then lays it down and looks back at me, half coming out of the enclosure. I show her the second one and she locks on, and strikes again. This time I hold onto it a bit and it becomes a kind of tug-o-war. I was hoping this would excite her enough to get her to coil and actually eat. Well...ot excited her all right and when I let go she shook it like she did the last one, but even HARDER. I closed the tank this time and went to sit down to just watch her. She put it down with the 1st one and then started to stare at me again, head bobbing and weaving. Was so weird and funny! I just leave her alone though, watching her. She is clearly still excited and begins to push/nose the fuzzies all around. Then, without warning, one is halfway down her throat! She practically inhaled it! Took less than 3 minutes for the whole thing to disappear. Within 5 more minutes, the 2nd has followed the same fate. And she was STILL looking for more. I swear....she gave me puppy eyes!

So...needless to say her first feeding went well lol. I don't think I'll have to worry about future meals with how she clearly loves her food lol. All of her antics is what made me think of everyone else and how they tend to feed lol.

Now, lets hear about your crew's habbits at meal time!

(Also, just a little note, thinking of naming the gopher Solara)

[sattva]

I like the name Solara!

My story is more boring... My Retic and my Taiwanese beauty take it the same way... They stick their heads out their hides hit hard, coil and the party's over!

My little JCP is still getting solitary confinement in a paper bag with his food... But I pretty sure I will be trading him for a full grown JCP...

[SerpentineDream]

Ophelia the woma python wants to eat everything all of the time... including me. At feeding time she launches herself at the opening of the cage and will pop right out if I'm not careful. If there are any rejects from other snakes that are rat fuzzy-sized or smaller, she disposes of them.

Quicksilver the purple passion ball python used to be my pickiest eater. I had to do an elaborate zombie rat puppet show. Now on feeding day he is waiting for me, dangling out of his cave in the strike position and greedily flicking his tongue as I approach. He strikes hard (and not always with great accuracy, so caution with one's hands is in order) and constricts for at least 5 minutes before chowing down.

My 3 newer ball pythons are terrible eaters (husbandry is spot on and they are otherwise healthy). They, like Quicksilver was, are accustomed to live prey. They are not impressed by the zombie rat puppet show. They give me fits. We're working on it.

Corns and milks are easy, reliable feeders that will happily accept food from tongs, except for my adult female corn snake who prefers having it left in her cage. I never have to worry about any of them eating though.

A couple of my corns get carried away, like Dante.



And like Dragon.



Diego the red phase western hognose throws a hoggie hissy fit when presented with his fuzzy mouse. He hisses and bumps it repeatedly with his nose, then waits for me to lay it down in front of him. Thus properly subdued, the prey can be eaten.

The Russian rat snakes slowly approach the tongs and study the food being offered. They nuzzle it. They inspect it from all angles. Then they slowly open their mouths, gently pluck the fuzzy from the tongs and glide away with it, politely and serenely as you please.

The black milks all want theirs left for them, so I oblige. Food is always gone later.

The baby garters attack their pinky mouse parts with a ferocity that you would not expect in a creature the size of a nightcrawler. It's rather comical.

[REM955]

Cuddles (Woma) appears to do the same as your russian rat snakes. Nuzzling and inspecting before grabbing. Has not coiled since taking the first fuzzy.
However, I just leave it on the hot spot before lights out and she just finds and makes do with it.

[Ian of Oldham]

M y DJB. baby just doesn't give me a chance to put it in he strikes so quick blink and you miss it.
My BP goes round and round it checking it out and then sleeps around it cuddling
it when the lights go out he then eats.

0.1.1 Royals 1.0 Corn 1.0 Boa 1.0 carpet and a mad Cat

[SWDK]

I've got a mix of super shy and fussy eater to down right crazy eaters.

Black milk, pueblan milk, albino cal King, Everglades rat and Gonyosoma are all of my shy eaters. I have to leave the food in their enclosures and it's gone the next morning. The 2 milks and cal King run away and hide if I dare show them their food.

All my corns, MBK, Bairds rat all eat with a quick strike and a coil. Never refuse a meal. My blue beauty recently switch from being shy to striking found from tongs, but no coil.

The albino garter, hypo Brooksi, cribo and Dumerils are my crazy eaters who would gladly launch themselves out of the enclosure and right past the food because they strike so hard. I'd say the garter, Brooksi and cribo are all on par with flying around like crazed nut jobs at the sight of food. The Dumerils is my most powerful striker and really packs a punch.

My pied BP and baja rattlesnake both strike with gusto, but only if the food is nice and hot. Must be over 100 degrees or they have no interest. The baja rattlesnake will strike and hold onto the mouse pumping venom into it for a good 5 minutes before letting go and waiting to eat.

[dannybgoode]

Auntie Rachel knows when it's coming up to feeding day and will lie and wait had just poking out of her hide.

Any hint of a rustling bag and she's suddenly very interested in what I'm doing and will come to investigate. She doesn't behave like this when it's not coming up to feeding she just seems to know.

Julius recognises the little pot I put the locusts in for feeding. The moment he sees it he's up to the glass waiting for me to open up and put his dinner in. He goes mental just at the sight of it. He's also getting to recognise the sound of me lifting the box of locusts off his viv and he's started coming to investigate.

[macandchz]

mac is usually pretty good about eating-just grabs,coils ,and then the mouse is gone in 2 minutes. but this week was different. he coiled but didn't eat it. it was like he was savoring it. he bit the head, then switched around to the tail. all i could see was a big coil and a mouse butt sticking up in the air! i tried to remove the mouse to see what he'd do, but he just hung on tighter. so i took him and the feeding box to his enclosure and gently slid them back into mac's tank. after 5 min the mouse was gone.