constriction vs. no constriction??

[Samhain]

Hey everyone,
I have gotten my baby corn to eat successfully everytime.
However... the first time I fed her a live mouse, and she constricted
it first then ate it (what I expected) Everytime after that they've been
dead food, and I didn't expect her to know the diff. since I had heated
them, and moved them around to get her attention. Everytime since
that one though... she simply eats the mouse, no constriction.

Will she constrict more as she gets older? Because I miss that!! :eek1:

 

[ssmith_1187]

I think it really depends upon the mood of the snake. Roxanne sometimes does…and sometimes she doesn’t. As long as she is eating well and healthy…that’s my primary concern.

Regards,
Steve

 

[Rich in KY]

The most important thing is you have her accepting food. I wouldnt mess with success.

And later, when she has grown you can move the food to try to get a strike response. Is a snake strikes the food, they will often then constrict it as well.

 

[Flagg]

I very rarely see my snakes constricting dead prey. They know its no threat so don't waste the resources.

 

[DogStar5988]

Mine didn't constrict until he got to Hoppers plus a little bit of moving the food around as if it were alive. Ever since then hes been constricting every time.

---Kenny

 

[antsterr]

Most times I've fed live pinkies the my snakes never constrict them anyway and eat them kicking and screaming. As for adults I can get most of them to constrict dead prey by shaking them with tongs.

 

[Twizzy]

All of my snakes at the six month point started to constrict their prey ..even tho it was dead but i do feed the mice warm and from my hand..all of my snakes are scared of the conventional tongs.

Two of my adults love to be held in one hand and feed in the other..Never been tagged yet but they are the most docile snakes accept for feeding time..Good luck!!!

 

[Jrgh17]

Honestly, you really can't predict when a snake will constrict. Some of my snakes constrict every time, even if the prey item has cooled off. Some of my snakes never constrict. My BP got live prey for awhile, and she seldom constricts rats with their eyes closed. You could literally hear the rat squeek after it was already swallowed.

 

[attackturtle]

When I give my snake f/t mice, I dangle them with a large tweezer. If you shake the mouse, your snake will probably grab and constrict. . If any of the mouse is showing and I use my tweezers to grab and shake the mouse a little, she constricts longer and harder. Smaller snakes kind of do their own thing. Mine never constricted when little.

 

[DogStar5988]

For a long time mine never even struck at the mouse, I had to start moving it around after he already had it in his mouth. After a while of doing that he started to rap a few coils around it and then he started doing full constrictions.

---Kenny

 

[MerlinsPop]

Remember, too, that no matter how much you make the f/t mouse move, the snake will immediately be able to feel the lack of heartbeat and breathing. If it doesn't feel like constricting, it knows it doesn't need to.

B

 

[Velvet]

Back in the "old days" before I knew any better and before I could get frozens, I only fed live (only up to large fuzzy size, then I pre-killed or stunned prey) and I have noticed a few things:

1. None of my corns that grew up feeding on live pinks and fuzzies ever "butt-munched".
2. All that were fed live constricted their prey.
3. Now that they are on f/t they rarely constrict prey.
4. I have one little one who has only ever been fed f/t but when he was about 5months old, he started constricting and he constricts every time I feed him. He also never butt-munches...lol
5. All the babies that have grown up on f/t butt-munch occasionally.
6. Neither of the bigger ones who grew up on live prey and then switched to f/t ever butt munched.

lol Just some stuff I have noticed! lol

 

[sneakers]

Snakes Constrict Until Till Breathing Stops....................

 

[Velvet]

Snakes Constrict Until Till Breathing Stops....................

Not always the case, I have had lots that just swallow the prey live and kicking without constricting at all.

 

[Demonique]

All four of my adult corns will constrict to some degree at some point. Two always constrict quite violently. Wyrm may constrict, Jool will sometimes constrict, she's most likely to constrict the first few meals she eats after laying eggs.

Little Nipper cali king violent constrictor

The het albino boa pair violent constrictors

Royal python hasn't strike fed since January '06. Now he's a 'leave it under my log and it will probably be gone in the morning' kind of guy. Jasper eats Gerbils and weaner rats.

 

[diamondlil]

I was heating up the mice using a hairdryer, now I pop them in a dish under a desk lamp to keep them hot before feeding, and here's the result of wriggling them from tongs. (Neither of these boys has ever had live or f/k)