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Always butt first

Spirit
12-06-2004, 02:41 PM
What is wrong with my snake? Why does he INSIST on taking the mouse ass first? My damn snake is a pervert... if it's my bra, it's the mouses ass. :laugh:

Blah. Any tricks to making him take it head first? :shrugs:

PS. He shed this morning (of course while I was sleeping) and now he's pretty! The saddles are MUCH more red, and the background is a very pale greyish brown. But the black around the saddles... They are black (and I do mean BLACK) and THICK! They were never that dark and thick before.

I will compare this shed to the length of the last shed soon. Maybe it's just my eye, but it seems at LEAST 6 inches longer. Easily.

norbert03
12-06-2004, 02:45 PM
aelfric likes it in the back end, too...i mean he likes to take it back end first, ooops! i'm gonna get kicked off here if i don't shut up! anyway...i don't think there's anything wrong with it, spirit. i started offering fric mice using tongs so that i can assure that he will go for the head instead of the buttocks! try that!

:crazy02:

Spirit
12-06-2004, 02:52 PM
Okay, I was WAY off on the shed (remembered wrong). I went to get the first one, and this second one is maybe an inch longer. Literally almost exactly the same length. Should it not be at least a couple inches??

Norbert, he'll take the head if I hold the mouse.

cornman1979
12-06-2004, 03:34 PM
Depends on the size of the snake and how much it's eating, spirit.
As to backside first, i wouldn't worry to much as long as the snake eats.

DAND
12-06-2004, 04:01 PM
:grin01:Try putting the mouse in the other way.:grin01:

Spirit
12-06-2004, 04:04 PM
He eats, but legs get stuck and he freaks out. lol I'm not overly concerned... just something I wish I could teach him how NOT to do.

As for size, he's 2 feet long (just shy of) and up until about 20 days ago, he was eating 2 pinkies every 5 days. Now he's on one fuzzy every 5 days (has eaten 3x). He's 4 months old, and although he's very long, he's still very thin.

pcar
12-06-2004, 04:05 PM
either that or you could always show the snake what to do...that might help...

I have several snakes that take it from the rear...

Spirit
12-06-2004, 04:14 PM
Yeah, he always takes it head first from my hand, but I'm not going to hand feed him his whole life. As I went to put the mouse down, he went to take it from my hand. I put it down anyway and he looked at it, looked at me, looked at it, looked at me, etc. Then he slithered to my side of the feeding box, and came up to my face... stared right at me, then went back to the mouse.

Went to take it butt first, so before he could grab it, I put my hand in and turned the mouse around. Nope. He didn't like that. Looked at me, looked at the mouse, looked at me, back at the mouse... Finally I picked it up by the tail and he went straight for it.

*sigh* I put it back down and he ended up taking it by the neck then head this time, but man... what a little brat, always wanting to be hand fed. :laugh:

Quigs
12-06-2004, 04:38 PM
As I have said before, some snakes just prefer eating that way. I have several that always eat starting at the hind end of the mouse.

There is nothing to worry about, honestly. You say HE is freaking out but I have a sneaky suspicion, it's YOU that is doing all the freaking out! lol

There's nothing in the wild that is gonna help these creatures along in life...it's quite literally "DO OR DIE".

On another note...

Measuring shed snake skins is not a very accurate representation of the actual length of the snake. When a skin is freshly shed, it's moist and has lots of elasticity. In actuality when you are holding it up and comparing, you are probably stretching it as well. Besides the fact that the snakes tend to stretch them as they are coming out of them more often than not.

Just my two bits worth,
Quigs

Spirit
12-06-2004, 04:59 PM
Well if flailing around banging the mouse against the ground or walls or the feeding tank for 20 minutes is not freaking out, then I'm good! lol And since he's not "in the wild", I like to think if I can help to prevent death, I will. Silly Quigsy. :laugh:

As for the shed, I just expected it to be a few inches longer than the last one from 4 weeks ago, is all. No worries there... Just something I thought to ask about. :)

neferandrobin
12-06-2004, 08:56 PM
Maizie likes to grab at the critter from the side...then she'll turn it butt-first and eat it...the little nut! :grin01:

michaele
12-07-2004, 01:19 PM
When my Okeetee went to eat this morning he grabbed the mouse by the butt, and after reading Spirit's post I was scared :-) However, he was only holding on to it while he was constricting it; after a bit he let it go and ate it the "right" way -- head first. :-)

Itsnowingcorns
12-07-2004, 02:45 PM
My snow is a bit of both. He usually grabs the middle of the mouse then shifts along one way or the other, sometimes to the head, and sometimes to the rear. It doesn't make any difference either way though.

Spirit
12-08-2004, 03:30 PM
haha! It doesn't worry me, but the odd time it is hard watching him try (desperately) to dislodge that leg that's stuck on the corner of his mouth. I've been told that a snake will "unswallow" if he can't get it down, so I'm not worried. The only thing that does concern me is if this stresses out the snake much. I'd hate for my excellent eater to become a non eater because he's afraid of his food. LOL

Still though, if there's a way to teach them "head first is better"... you know? ;)

pcar
12-08-2004, 03:33 PM
only way that I know of teaching him that is to feed him by hand all the time...or with a pair of tongs...But, then you are stuck feeding a snake by hand everytime. So, I guess that it is up to you and how much time you have to spend with the snake.

Spirit
12-08-2004, 04:01 PM
He ALWAYS takes it out of my hand. It's not that big of a deal. I just thought I'd ask.

Big baby, my Max is. *heart*

marg
12-10-2004, 02:49 PM
hiya :wavey:

my corn took the his food hind first last time, it seemed to go down better hihi

at least he didn't have to try so hard to swallow the tail .

thank you

Quigs
12-12-2004, 01:13 AM
Doesn't seem to bother him a bit...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v421/Quigs/corn%20snakes/100_0123.jpg

TheCornSnakeKid
12-12-2004, 01:23 AM
LOL It looks likes he's smiling (the snake)! My snow is the same way as Itsnowingcorns, he just goes for whatever is closer...

Alias47
12-14-2004, 02:23 PM
I wanted to add to Quigs post on the size of the snake...


Judging by sheds is not very reliable...I agree...

I have sheds that seem much LARGER than the actual snake after the shed...

Best method I have found is the Snake Measurer that Serpwidgets created...
Just need a digital camera (or a scanner and a regular camera)
Take the picture from as close to directly above the snake as possible with an object that you know the exact size of (a ruler is best)
Works kind of like a digital version of the "string method"...but much more accurate.

go to http://www.serpwidgets.com/Apps/apps.html to download it.

Spirit
12-14-2004, 03:27 PM
I know the shed is much longer than the snake (Quigs misunderstood). What I was saying was that this shed seemed to be much longer than the last shed from 4 weeks earlier.

I tried that app a couple months ago. Thanks for posting though. It's a good one. :)

cornman1979
12-14-2004, 07:04 PM
I usually take 20% off a shed lengh for a good approxamate size of the snake.
Anyway back on topic my little snow corn has just had her first mouse tail first, it went down a lot easier for her this way around then it does snout first.

Alias47
12-15-2004, 01:25 PM
Whenever mine eat backwards...they get stuck on the front legs...but eventually get them down.

Takes a TON of work for the smaller ones to get it...but they always do.

Lizart777
12-22-2004, 01:57 PM
I fed my cornsnake Cor1 a pinky that was alive once. And indeed he started to eat from the back so the pinky kept making noises. Even when the pinky was in the mouth of Cor1 I could hear a little noise. Well I said to myself not to be sentimental becaise when I watch a documentary about lions eating, the prey is still struggling too before it is properly killed. But I have decided that dead mice are better now. (Okay a little sentimental!)

Kel
12-23-2004, 09:22 AM
I'm with you Lizart. I occasionally try feeding live if I get problem hatchlings and I still can't bear it when they do that, even after all this time. I know it's just nature, but...

sawsehel
01-20-2005, 06:05 AM
*resurrecting*

I just thought this might fit best here:

My little Kaa (about 45 cm) has always been a very calm snake. I've had her for about 4 months now and she's been a good eater.

Last two feedings though, she's gone completely berserk when she notices the pinkie. (I feed her two.) Immediately when she gets close she'll strike and roll around whipping her tail around the pinkie and crushing it to the point of fluids coming out! :eek1:

If I come closer than 50 cm from the feeding-box, she'll whip her head around and stare. If I stay put, she'll whip her head around in different directions like she's imagining that there's someone behind her. :eek1:

After she's eaten the first pinkie it's really hard to feed her the other one since it only takes a second or two before she goes for your hand! I've never seen her move that fast! She'll literally try to bite my hand, and when I drop the pinkie she squirms around like crazy again.

I feed her in a separate smaller container like I've always done.
Does my snake need anti-psychotics?

OR... the only thing I can think of...has her eye-sight worsened for some reason...? :( And if so, then why?

-Sawsehel

sawsehel
01-21-2005, 10:00 AM
Oh, and to actually make that post on topic, :laugh:
she's now (with all of this happening) changed to eating the pinkies
ASS FIRST. Which was why I posted it here.
*slaps himself*

All in all, Kaa seems to be going through quite a personality change.
Adolescense???? :eek:

Mangrove
01-21-2005, 04:53 PM
wow, this is a very common thing, i dont think the snake can tell the difference as long as it gets a meal down.... sometimes it eats it head first and other times there is the alternitave... it started out when i was feeding mine pinkies and subsides when i went to fuzzies but now it has started again, and last time i fed her i dont know if it was because she was really hungry but she didnt even try to constrict the Fuzzy like times in the past she jsut started to choke it down head first... this made me feel really bad. plus i was playing with the mouse earlier that day, it is just so "cute" food shouldnt be that cute, it is sjut so sad... :bomb:

thelyonsking
01-22-2005, 12:06 PM
plus i was playing with the mouse earlier that day, it is just so "cute" food shouldnt be that cute, it is sjut so sad...

How many times has your mom told you not to play with food? He He...

I have the same problem with cows and pigs... play with them one day... barbeque them the next! :eatsmiley

Mangrove
01-22-2005, 01:06 PM
hahah thats great, the icon makes it so much better. but there might not be anything cuter than a baby mouse, really sad when they squeak :(

Alias47
01-24-2005, 12:04 PM
i dont think the snake can tell the difference as long as it gets a meal down....

They can definitely tell the difference between the head and the tail...
Most of my snakes will "sniff" out the head before beginning to swallow their prey. They will even reposition the prey item so that they can easily take it head first. Some of them just don't seem to care if they eat it ass first, but it is usually the smaller hatchlings...I rarely see my bigger snakes eat their prey backwards.

Alias47
01-24-2005, 12:11 PM
Sawsehel...

I would have to believe that your Kaa has just begun to have a very aggressive feeding response...
I don't believe it would eyesight, since most of the feeding response appears to be initially triggered by scent. Your snake is still hungry and you are a moving object...sometimes that is all it takes.

I have an Anery that was the shyest snake I owned. She got "lost" for a couple of weeks...and since I got her back...she is HANDS DOWN the most aggressive feeding cornsnake I have. I actually feed her off tongs (most of the others are fed in tubs...or left overnight) and she will hit the mouse and completely wrap the tongs and the mouse, sometimes coming all the way off the ground and using her entire body...
She is still a GREAT snake...just a very aggressive feeder.

I would recommend that, if you are feeding two prey items, you just put them both in the feeding container and then introduce the snake...Kaa will take care of the rest...

Besides this will help fight your snake associating your hand movements with food.

sawsehel
01-29-2005, 02:54 PM
Thanx Alias47! :)

I still hope she will settle down to her own ways again though...

oreo1700
02-02-2005, 10:31 PM
the snake will not die. if you keep handing it the mouse with the head end, and he keeps taking it, soon he'll learn. a shed being more than an inch longer than the previouse one just would make sence; how much could it possibly stretch before it rips or the snake sheds it off.