Strange behavior when feeding

KyleKennedy · 04-23-15, 08:38 PM

Alright so earlier today my retic finally ate a medium f/t rat for the first time since getting him a month ago. This is the first time that I have ever fed f/t to a snake so I just want to know if this is normal behavior or not - While I was dangling the rat from the tongs in front of him, he bit the rat but did not constrict. He pretty much just started swallowing it right from the tongs. Is this normal behavior when feeding f/t? I thought all snakes' instincts are to bite and then constrict their meal whether it's already dead or not.

**millertime89** · 04-23-15, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyleKennedy

Alright so earlier today my retic finally ate a medium f/t rat for the first time since getting him a month ago. This is the first time that I have ever fed f/t to a snake so I just want to know if this is normal behavior or not - While I was dangling the rat from the tongs in front of him, he bit the rat but did not constrict. He pretty much just started swallowing it right from the tongs. Is this normal behavior when feeding f/t? I thought all snakes' instincts are to bite and then constrict their meal whether it's already dead or not.

Every snake is different. I've seen that, I've seen what you think of as "normal" behavior, I've had them take only after I've set it on the ground and they've coiled it, and I've had them just start swallowing it off the ground. I've stopped trying to predict what each one does and just go with it.

bigsnakegirl785 · 04-23-15, 09:17 PM

I've even had the same snake jump between feeding methods. Sometimes it would constrict, other times it would just put its mouth up to the food and start swallowing, other times it only ate if I left it out. As long as it eats I wouldn't worry.

**millertime89** · 04-23-15, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

I've even had the same snake jump between feeding methods. Sometimes it would constrict, other times it would just put its mouth up to the food and start swallowing, other times it only ate if I left it out. As long as it eats I wouldn't worry.

Bingo. As long as they're eating, I don't really care how they go about it.

KyleKennedy · 04-24-15, 08:07 PM

Thank you all for the input. I just thought it was odd that he didn't constrict first before eating it. Oh well. Aslong as he is eating, I don't care how he eats.

Albert Clark · 04-25-15, 03:48 PM

Well if the snake grabs the prey and there is no fight or resistance encountered, he feels that ,and responds accordingly. Absolutely normal.

Ballchris · 04-25-15, 05:18 PM

His feeding response will only grow mine was like that when he first came home very lazy about it and now he's a eating machine

metalcopper · 04-25-15, 06:59 PM

For big snakes, I prefer to have them eat by me just laying the food in the enclosure. I don't want to have to dangle a 5 pound rabbit, so I start them off at a young age by just laying a rat in the enclosure and let them find it. My Burm just starts swallowing it, while my Boa always nails it and wraps it up.

reptiledude987 · 04-29-15, 04:00 PM

I get the varied responses from my mbk as well. Some days he has no intrest in taking from the tongs and will grab it off the top of his hide at his leisure. His last feeding on satuday I dangled it in front of the opening of the hide he was in and came out so hard and fast my tongs smacked off the glass sliding doors. Either way he does it I dont care as long as he eats.