my snake's peculiar eating habit.

Deft-Tech · 09-24-13, 10:43 PM

As you all know i got my first snake, A Brazilian Rainbow Boa a couple weeks ago and i'm pretty sure this isn't normal.

The past few times I've gone to feed him he won't let go of my hand, he holds on tight whenever i try to place him in his feeding tank and won't let go, and when i am able to get him to release he doesn't eat

So the past two occurances of feeding time he won't eat unless he's holding on to me, i have to give him my hand to hold on to in order for him to eat, i find this very cute and somewhat of a bonding thing. Has anyone else heard of this or had this happen to them? i'm not complaining...I just think i have an amazing snake on my hands(pun is intended)

marvelfreak · 09-25-13, 01:25 AM

He feel safe wrap around your warm hand but one of these time it will be your hand he bites. I would just feed him in is regular cage. Never got why people feed in different cages?

KORBIN5895 · 09-25-13, 01:41 AM

Feeding in a separate tank probably is stressing him out. As for the griping your hand that is another sign it doesn't like the feeding tank. And finally snakes are incapable of bonding with anything ..... at least in the sense you mean.

Starbuck · 09-25-13, 03:59 AM

he is probably squeezing onto you in part due to the sensation of being lowered into the feeding tank (falling) and then you trying to get him off of his perceived safe perch. It may be cute now but it will not be so fun when he is an adult/when he has bitten you in a feeding response and you cant get him off.

as mentioned, feeding him in his enclosure will be fine.

Mikoh4792 · 09-25-13, 04:24 AM

I agree with what Starbuck said. Have you ever tried taking a snake off of a branch? It only coils harder because it feels like it might fall. It has nothing to do with bonding with the branch it's wrapped around.

Terranaut · 09-25-13, 09:08 AM

I would love to know who ever came up with the feeding tub idea?
Yet another solid reason why this is a ludicrous thing to do. Can you imagine trying to put a 15' burm in a feeding tub with the scent of prey in the house...feeding tubs are just asking for trouble.

sharthun · 09-25-13, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terranaut

i would love to know who ever came up with the feeding tub idea?
Yet another solid reason why this is a ludicrous thing to do. Can you imagine trying to put a 15' burm in a feeding tub with the scent of prey in the house...feeding tubs are just asking for trouble.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ +1

Doug 351 · 09-25-13, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvelfreak

He feel safe wrap around your warm hand but one of these time it will be your hand he bites. I would just feed him in is regular cage. Never got why people feed in different cages?

This is just my opinion but I think feeding in a cage different from the ordinary housing trains the snake to disassociate the feeding response from the normal chill state.....or maybe more correctly -ASSOCIATE the feeding ritual with the feeding cage. I have always done this and it not only reduces the chances of the snake misinterpreting any clues or sensations as relating to feeding, but also seems to make the feeding ritual much more reliable and quicker to accomplish.

Again- JMHO- but it has always worked very well for me- the only time I feed in the normal viv is when I'm lazy.

Terranaut · 09-25-13, 11:30 AM

Well I thaw my rats inside my house down in the basement sink in a bucket of water. My snakes are in my garage snake room. After the rats soften up a bit even that far away my snakes go in to feed mode. I could not possibly try to handle most of them. My gopher rattles her tail from the scent even that far away. 7 of 10 will bite at anything that moves once they have the scent. Absolutely no way would I attempt moving them in this state. I have to ask.... what about post feeding? My king needs a solid day to shake his feed response. Taking him from a feed tub to his viv would result in a bite for sure.

**Aaron_S** · 09-25-13, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug 351

This is just my opinion but I think feeding in a cage different from the ordinary housing trains the snake to disassociate the feeding response from the normal chill state.....or maybe more correctly -ASSOCIATE the feeding ritual with the feeding cage. I have always done this and it not only reduces the chances of the snake misinterpreting any clues or sensations as relating to feeding, but also seems to make the feeding ritual much more reliable and quicker to accomplish.

Again- JMHO- but it has always worked very well for me- the only time I feed in the normal viv is when I'm lazy.

Nope. Wrong.

**EL Ziggy** · 09-25-13, 11:41 AM

I used to feed my Cal King and MBK in separate feeding bins but it got too complicated. Especially when it came time to put them back in their vivs. They get pretty riled up expecting more food. I knew it would only get worse as they got bigger so I just started feeding them in their enclosures. I'm a little concerned they might get more cage aggressive but I figure a little hook training should take care of that.

KORBIN5895 · 09-25-13, 12:30 PM

I have fed my collection solely in their enclosure (except for breeding pairs) for about two years now. The only time I ever notice any form of aggression or heightened feeding response is when I have rats thawing. This does not included my female woma and a male dh snow bci that is totally unpredictable and for sale.

sharthun · 09-25-13, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

I used to feed my Cal King and MBK in separate feeding bins but it got too complicated. Especially when it came time to put them back in their vivs. They get pretty riled up expecting more food. I knew it would only get worse as they got bigger so I just started feeding them in their enclosures. I'm a little concerned they might get more cage aggressive but I figure a little hook training should take care of that.

Yeah a little hook training is amazing! Great decision!

Snakesitter · 09-25-13, 02:13 PM

I see we have a lot of reptile romantics on here. ;-)

Joking aside, I agree with feeding animals in their regular viv (except for, as one person noted, breeding pairs). It saves time and reduces risk. I used to move my first snake long ago -- because I was "told" it was best -- but there is no good reason to do so.

Deft-Tech · 09-25-13, 02:55 PM

thanks for the advice, i know my snake liking/bonding with me is completely wrong, i just like to imagine different.