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Feet First?

Skazzle
10-26-2006, 08:14 PM
I read the other day that snakes always eat head first. I read that they immobilize their prey, then reorient themselves and swallow the head first. I dropped my snake into the paper bag to feed on his first pinky in my possession. He almost immediately latched onto the snake, then without constricting or anything he just started swallowing the still moving live mouse starting with it's feet. Is this normal? I intent to start feeding my mice frozen soon, so I suppose it won't even be an issue, but has anybody else experienced a snake feeding feet first. Or does anybody have any idea why my snake did that?
Thanks!

Fenderplayer108
10-26-2006, 08:18 PM
I have hatchlings that will eat butt-first.

It won't hurt them.

Rayn

CornCrazy
10-26-2006, 08:18 PM
I think that is a very common thing when feeding a pinky to a snake. It's as if they know that the mouse cannot hurt them so they just swallow it down without constricting and without worrying about which end they swallow first.

I wouldn't worry about it unless you were feeding a larger mouse to your snake (after the mouse has its eyes open).

Skazzle
10-26-2006, 09:16 PM
Ah alright, thanks guys for the replys.
Much appreciated!

chibitamalove
10-26-2006, 09:51 PM
Rose always used to eat tail first, but as soon as I switched her to hoppers (they have fur), she started eating head first. I always thought that her eating tail first was hilarious.

RLS1966
10-27-2006, 12:08 PM
The last two live pinkies (before I switched to f/t and could manipulate the position Annie would take them) went down tail first...quite a sight!!!

Weebonilass
10-27-2006, 12:41 PM
Lady G ate them butt first for months and months. But she would constrict the heck out of them, while throwing herself about her critter keeper. I remember telling her "Alright already, the thing is dead."

Weebonilass
10-27-2006, 12:42 PM
Of course, a couple of times she tried to eat it from the side..... figured out pretty quick that her mouth wouldn't open that wide :rolleyes: :D

RLS1966
10-27-2006, 01:11 PM
Of course, a couple of times she tried to eat it from the side..... figured out pretty quick that her mouth wouldn't open that wide :rolleyes: :D
That is HILARIOUS!!!! :crazy02:

Tyger9791
10-27-2006, 04:53 PM
Ruby tries to eat from the side at first too. she just grabs on and then slowly moves around the pinky with her mouth until she gets an end.
i've only had one corn regurge after eating a fuzzy tail first.
i have read that it's not good for them to eat tail first if the mouse is larger than a hopper. the legs must get all tangled instead of just laying flat against the body or the mouse's coat gets pushed in the wrong direction and the snake cant digest the mouse well if it's backwards i guess. with pinkies there isnt much to worry about, everything is all smushy rubbery still.
Blaze almost ate all his pinkies butt first. when i switched him to fuzzies he ate his first one tail first and regurged it soon after. after that, he ate them head first.

chibitamalove
10-27-2006, 07:14 PM
Rose has problems eating sometimes. The other day when I fed my snakes, I put the mice in at the same time. They both constricted them and the whole works. Lily, my BP, was halfway down her mouse before Rose figured out where her mouse's head was. :grin01: Her body was wrapped around the mouse's middle, and her head was on the butt side of the mouse. She was nosing around the mouse's butt and then she finally figured out to go OVER herself. :rolleyes: