Using a hook to transfer after feeding?

[Callow Methuselah]

My 4.5 month old corn was just promoted from 2 pinkies to 1 fuzzy mouse today -- the bulge in his belly was at least 1.5x the size of his widest normal girth. He took the meal nicely, in about 5 minutes. Then I let him stay in the feeding tub for several more minutes before attempting to transfer him back to his terrarium. Here's another new twist to his feeding routine: I just purchased a hook. The little guy has never tried to bite me, but the only time that he runs away from me and gets jumpy is when I try to transfer him from his feeding tub to terrarium after a meal. So I figured that a hook would be appropriate for this transfer. The problem is that, no matter where I tried to pick him up, he would slither forward and off the hook. So I tried picking him up closer to his head, but either I was moving too slow or he was moving too fast. Either way, I couldn't get under him long enough to lift, and I don't know why he tries to avoid the transfer after a meal. So rather than poking him in the side while failing to lift him, I just tilted the tub over his terrarium and used the hook to guide him onto the terrarium floor. But once again he just slithered over the hook; this time falling a little more than 1 ft onto the aspen floor. :eek:

1. Would a fall from this height be likely to cause harm after a big meal?
2. Any tips on using a hook?
3. How do you transfer the snake back to its terrarium after a meal?
4. Have you ever unintentionally harmed your snake, and did he change his demeanor towards you because of it? (I don't want the little guy to be afraid of me, but I'd probably be upset if a giant let me fall from the top of my house.)

[Fatman608]

1. NO
2. I only used a hook on an aggressive Cali. King
3. I pick my snakes up by hand
4. No, I have never harmed my snakes because I am careful with them.

Love the Fatman

[Chip]

Deja vu all over again!

[Leew]

First of all, Chip, why are you speaking french? That is a little weird you know. Deja vu, what does that mean? Why does it have to do with the topic at hand? Have you ever had your vu dejaed?

Callow, you are fine, don't worry be happy. Regardless of what you have heard from people on the forums, there is no good reason to put your snake in a separate feeding bin in the first place, so all of your questions don't matter. If you don't believe me, ask some of the people here on the forum who actually know what they are talking about. Ask Kathy Love or Rich Z if they use separate feeding bins. It is completely unnecessary and simply adds stress to the snake at feeding time.

[Chip]

Lee, unless I posted somewhere else, this exact same thread had just popped up and I responded. And with pretty much with what you just said... :cheers:
Found it: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106417 but I guess this one was first, so "second" under a new posts search.

[Leew]

Well see Chip I have always thought you were a smart guy. And just between you and I, I think you are almost as good looking as I am. For real!!

[Callow Methuselah]

Yeah, I posted this in another forum as well... (Is that against the TOS? If so, I guess a mod will delete it and I apologize.)

Anyway, I used to have a Cali Kingsnake. His previous owner always fed him in a separate tub, but I decided to feed him in his own enclosure. I put a thawed mouse on a plate at the opposite end of wherever he was hiding and I made sure he didn't see me do it. It took him a while to find the meal, but he always ate it. After a few weeks, he turned into a holy devil who would bite me 100% of the time I came near him. He even started snapping at the screen top when I moved his overhead light. The bites weren't defensive bites, either, as he would gnaw on me and coil tightly. I'm sure this could be attributed to a number of things that I've not considered, but the feeding method was all I could think of.

Docility is important to me, so I thought if there's a chance that feeding in a separate tub would help the little guy to stay calm when I reach in his tank, I'd give it a go. And Don Soderberg suggested this method in his "Cornsnakes in Captivity" book.

[Leew]

Yes he does suggest that but if you asked Don he will tell you that he doesn't do it. Really, call him, he will be happy to talk to you.

[Callow Methuselah]

Yeah, I figured that he wouldn't have time to feed several hundred/thousand snakes in separate containers. And it's funny that you know him, b/c I've recently met two breeders and they've both met Don and had nothing but good things to say about him. He must travel quite a bit.