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05-08-03, 02:56 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Feb-2003
Location: toronto
Age: 42
Posts: 162
Country: 
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what is the best Live food?
I must resort to live feeding to get a boa started! What is the best live prey item to use? one that will not naw my boas tail/nose off!
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05-08-03, 03:46 PM
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#2
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Former member
Join Date: Apr-2002
Location: Left of center
Age: 55
Posts: 462
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Well I was in the same boat for a while With a very stressed, sick wild caught a year ago.He would only eat something still moving.What I did was feed him stunned prey that was bouncing and still breathing (hamsters and rats)They were held with tongs to ensure he got the head everytime and I watched to make sure nothing happened(I was also lucky cause he never got bit) then over time I switched him to fresh killed,then fresh killed referigated then to frozen thawed now he eats like a champ.too bad he has an attitude (has bitten Chris marshell numerous times) lol
Hip
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“You know its funny I was thinking about what you said. The preeminent truth of our age is that you can not fight the system. But if as you say the truth is fluid that the truth is subjective then maybe you can fight the system. As long as just one person refuses to be broken refuses to bow down” “But can you win?” “Every time I say NO”
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05-08-03, 07:50 PM
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#3
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Member
Join Date: Feb-2003
Location: Western Canada
Age: 53
Posts: 499
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I would go for the hamsters.
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05-08-03, 07:53 PM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Feb-2003
Location: Phoenix AZ
Age: 36
Posts: 683
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I know that with BPs gerbils work like a charm. No clue with boas tho. Good luck!
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1.1 Leo - 0.2 Ball Python - 0.1 Beardie - 0.0.1 Rocky Mount. Toad.
-M4D-H4773r
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05-08-03, 09:39 PM
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#5
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Former member
Join Date: Apr-2002
Location: Left of center
Age: 55
Posts: 462
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Something I forgot you could try live chicken chicks or quail(depending on the size of the boa) be prepared fo runny smelly crapola though.I would also suggest lizzard could convince a hard feeder(they do eat a lot of lizzards in the wild for the first 2 years or so.You can try gerbils but I never have (hard to say if they will work or not) I have seen more hard to feed bp's turn their noses up at gerbils than the ones that will take them(some bp's just wont eat till they want to eat )
Hip
__________________
“You know its funny I was thinking about what you said. The preeminent truth of our age is that you can not fight the system. But if as you say the truth is fluid that the truth is subjective then maybe you can fight the system. As long as just one person refuses to be broken refuses to bow down” “But can you win?” “Every time I say NO”
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05-09-03, 03:55 AM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Mar-2003
Posts: 110
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Rats tend to bite faster and harder than mice, so you could start with a mouse. Always stay with the snake until he has eaten the prey...if he doesnt eat the prey, take the prey out he might start eating the snake!! (for real!)
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05-09-03, 04:38 AM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Feb-2003
Location: Moncton, New Brunswick
Age: 42
Posts: 1,279
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I post this pic every time I see some one say they have to feed live or the snake wont eat as a last resort I would go with the stunig Idea if you absolutly have to feed live and the snake can't wait 1 more week just to see if it would take dead food next week.
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0.1 Jungle Carpet Pythons,
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05-09-03, 05:17 AM
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#8
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Member
Join Date: Feb-2003
Location: ottawa
Age: 43
Posts: 161
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Thats why you pre whack it then shake the hell out of it with tongs the heat is still emmited from it and should look live to your snake...good luck.
Syd
__________________
1.1 gtp,1.1 jcp,2.1 timor monitor,0.1 bredls,1.1 pastel boas,3.2 tristis,1.0 ball
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05-09-03, 06:39 AM
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#9
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Former Moderator no longer active
Join Date: Feb-2002
Location: Christchurch
Posts: 10,251
Country: 
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Well how large is your snake? Live feeding are always risky, no matter what prey item you use... if they don't bite (hamsters, rats, mice) they will surely claw (rabbits, chickens). Whatever you wouild normally feed your snake if it was feeding on prekilled or f/t, is what you should be offering it... but do make sure to stun it and supervise carefully!
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05-09-03, 07:26 AM
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#10
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Member
Join Date: Feb-2003
Location: Western Canada
Age: 53
Posts: 499
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Hey Jeff. I know you're no rookie, so I won't give you the "only feed F/T" or "never leave it alone" speils that we both know and agree with. But I'm on the same page as you. Sometimes you have an animal that will only take live weather we like it or not. Now we have to deal with it. With wild caught imports, It's not like it's a risk that the animal is unfamiliar with, quite the opposite. Well live rats are obviously not an issue, so what does that leave? For anything of size it is large hamsters, G-pigs, or small rabbits. I myself have not fed live rabbits, but simply killing them before frezing they put up one he** of a thrashing, I can't see why it would be any different in the clutches of a snake. And my fussy male refused g-pigs any way. So that leaves hamsters, so here are my observations on live hamsters. First they are slow, ponderous and stupid, so a WC animal should have no problem taking one on the first strike. Mice can jump very well and can escape, changing the scenario once they are alert and scared and I feel are more of a risk. Also with hamsters, although I have recieved nasty bites trying to wrangle them it is my observation that when a hamster is in shock they throw their head back and open their mouth. Perhaps in an act of defense to bite the attacker, but never have I seen them close. Even when stunning a hamster myself before placing it in the cage they have done this and not closed again until conscious (or dead in the snakes case). As I said above, go with the hamsters.
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Have you tried the IGUANA? I hear it's great. IGUANA kabobs for all !!! EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA, EAT YOUR IGUANA ... This message brought to you by ssEATYOURIGUANAss.com
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05-09-03, 09:19 AM
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#11
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Please Email Boots
Join Date: Mar-2007
Posts: 1,867
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Hi Jeff
Hi Jeff.
Both Rats and Hamsters are capable of really hurting a snake with their teeth.
Rats front teeth are really long - Oh, wait - I just realized that you don't have access to live rats.
The large front teeth (of rats, and I'm assuming hamsters) are easily removed with a side cutters.
Even when very stunned, sometimes a feeder item will try to bite -so to be really safe I would remove the teeth, and then stun.
I always found that doorjams were very usefull when stunning a feeder item.
Ryan
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05-09-03, 10:30 AM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Feb-2003
Location: toronto
Age: 42
Posts: 162
Country:
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Hey thanks Guys,
- linds- he is about 6 feet long and pretty skinny!!
-I'll try a live hamster today. As for removing the teeth, well I'm no dentist but I do have a good pair of plyers so I'll give that a shot!
I'll keep you all informed of his progress! (his name is Panzer)
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05-09-03, 10:52 AM
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#13
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Member
Join Date: Oct-2002
Location: Montreal
Age: 50
Posts: 1,455
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I'm curious as to how one cuts the teeth off a rodent before stunning it? I'm trying to imagine opening the mouth of a rat and snipping off the teeth, I don't think the rat would just sit there and let me do it!!! Sounds pretty hard to do for me.
Pixie
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Keeper of 5 snakes, leopard geckos, 1 green iguana, 20+ tarantulas, 2 dogs & a bunch of rats!
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05-09-03, 11:09 AM
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#14
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Member
Join Date: Feb-2003
Location: ottawa
Age: 43
Posts: 161
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I agree Ive never even heard of tryin to pull or cut there teeth off
Syd
__________________
1.1 gtp,1.1 jcp,2.1 timor monitor,0.1 bredls,1.1 pastel boas,3.2 tristis,1.0 ball
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05-09-03, 11:37 AM
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#15
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Member
Join Date: Sep-2002
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada
Age: 46
Posts: 208
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from what i learned from my experience i only feed live prey if i have no choice an if i do have to i hold the prey by the tail and present it vertically always aligning it with the head of the snake so it can always grab the head .
never ever had any problems with that and snakes seems to get used to the prey coming from the top and switch easily to dead one when fed the same way i also never got bit but maybe my luck will run out soon
as for bigger snakes the sooner it stops taking it from your hand the better . im glad that mine now takes dead prey from the ground
well if anyone has any suggestion they are welcome
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