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Feeding response

How Important is a "Wild" Feeding Response?

  • Important because (give reason in post)

    Votes: 8 21.1%

  • Not that important because (give reason in post)

    Votes: 30 78.9%
  • Total voters
    38
  • Poll closed .
S

suecornish

New member
In my other poll of where and how do you feed your snakes, I noticed that several members mention "Feeding response" which I take as the snake lurching out at the mouse and coiling around it. Some feed as I do, put the f/t in the feeding container and let the snake find it on their own. Gaia noses the f/t a couple of times and then chows down.

This poll is to see how important it is to snake owners/breeders to have their snakes act "wild" when feeding.

Thanks for all your opinions and statements.
 
I voted Not That Important because aslong as he eats it im not to fussed. I have noticed a few times he will creep up to it slowly and strike at it. He shed last night so when I took the tongs and grabbed the mouse to feed him, he more or less charged at it and struck quite hard lol! :)

Heres a short vid of him striking a F/T....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU0z-D6FAMA
 
suecornish said:
I noticed that several members mention "Feeding response" which I take as the snake lurching out at the mouse and coiling around it. Some feed as I do, put the f/t in the feeding container and let the snake find it on their own. Gaia noses the f/t a couple of times and then chows down.
Click to expand...
While it's nice to see a snake go for food right away, I've never noticed any health differences between those that strike immediately and those that wander over to sniff at the mouse before deciding if they're in the mood to eat it.
 
jaxom1957 said:
While it's nice to see a snake go for food right away, I've never noticed any health differences between those that strike immediately and those that wander over to sniff at the mouse before deciding if they're in the mood to eat it.
Click to expand...
I agree, the only thing I've noticed as mine get bigger they may strike but rarely coil. susan
 
I voted "Not that important because" as long as it eats that good enough for me. I don't need a "WILD" responce.
 
I voted important. Based on my experince I've had snakes with low feeding responce go off feed till death (after eating ifne in my care for months). With all efforts taken they just stopped eating. I've never seen this problem in young corns that showed a high feeding reponce. For me it just shows a snake you'll have little to no trouble getting to eat and keep eating.
 
I voted "not that important". I usually introduce my snakes to a prey item that's already in the feeding tub, instead of vice versa. Most of my snakes seem to be conditioned to the fact that they can take their time and the mouse won't be going anywhere. However, I do find it satisfying when a snake strikes and constricts an f/t mouse with vigor. My '05 sunkissed pair, and one of my '05 Okeetees (all produced by Kathy Love) almost always do this. They usually wrap up an f/t mouse before I can get the lid back on the feeding tub. :)
 
I don't think it's majorly important, but I must admit that I enjoy a snake with an aggressive feeding response, for a couple different reasons.

First, they are typically more confident(in my experience), which means they become more active when visible, and you don't ever really need to worry about a refusal.

Second, I only imagine that constriction of prey uses a lot of musculature, strength, and energy. It is my opinion that this extreme sort of exertion on the part of the snake will be beneficial to maintaining a strong muscle structure, and healthy muscle tone.

But I won't refuse a snake that just wanders over and takes it's time, either. That's a smart snake...it knows there is no hurry, so why waste the energy? So long as it eats on it's own...I'm happy.
 
I voted important. I like to see my animals take their food with vigour, and wolf it down, it's easier and quicker.
I also think poor feeders bred back into the gene pool may cause future problems. although at this stage I have no proof of this at all.LOL
And saying that I have a couple with no responce, and they are the ones I'm always worried about (relatively speaking)
MIKE
 
I voted NO like anyone 'really' cares since I'm a newbie..lol
BUT I have to say I was expecting a Crazy wild snake come feeding time & got this sweet, took his time snake....Made me fall in love more..& you guys know what I mean..lol For us he is a pet, no babies here. I would think the older he gets this will change? Not sure, anyone?

Vikki
7wk male candycane
 
I voted yes. I think it's important for them as a form of exercise. Not only do I dangle the prey with tongs, sometimes if they are slow to take it, I make them chase it. It usually results in a strike and coil. I think the exercise (especially if you don't have them out often) is especially important for gravid females. I think good muscle tone leads to easy laying and less chance of egg binding.
 
sargeoif said:
I'm just happy that they eat lol
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Me too, and I have both worlds here.

Does a snake that takes its time nosing the mouse before eating as oppose to striking at it immediately qualifying as a poor feeder though? Their still eating. One of mine you have to watch your fingers with and the other will nudge the mouse from all sides and stare at it for about 30 seconds before she gently picks it up to feed. Thats not the same as a snake who shows disinterest by going away and coming back is it?
 
To me, as long as they eat it...no matter how...they are good eaters. I have a green tree python that makes it a career everytime he eats a mouse. He grabs and constricts but then spends 20 minutes searching around for the head...dropping it on the ground, picking it back up, searching some more...then eating. I think he's just retarded...:)
 
I voted not that important because although mine doesn't constrict or strike, he usually begins eating right away. And if it was important to me, really, what could I do about it?
 
JustineNYC said:
Me too, and I have both worlds here.

Does a snake that takes its time nosing the mouse before eating as oppose to striking at it immediately qualifying as a poor feeder though? Their still eating. One of mine you have to watch your fingers with and the other will nudge the mouse from all sides and stare at it for about 30 seconds before she gently picks it up to feed. Thats not the same as a snake who shows disinterest by going away and coming back is it?
Click to expand...
No, not the same at all. I have a female yearling corn that is a fantastic eater(she is already on weanlings or small adults), having only 2 refusals in the time that I have had her(both while much younger). But she is very slow about eating an f/t mouse. She slithers over, tongues it a few times, pushes it around with her nose to find a good spot, than casually opens her mouth and begins to swallow. Though admittedly, when I feed her live or stunned, she strikes and constricts with vigor. As I said in my earlier post, that's a smart snake. She knows an f/t mouse poses no threat in terms of both injury and evasion, so she doesn't waste energy striking and constricting unnecessarily.

However, I do have a pair of '05s that are great eaters, but sometimes seem disinterested in f/t. When I feed them f/t, I drag the mouse around the tub in quick, twitchy circles to get their attention, and they chase it around a bit, and finally strike. If I just drop it in the tub, they tend to ignore it...but I still consider them decent feeders...no real refusals in the time I have had them.
 
I voted "not that important".

I have one snake that will eat f/t and live interchangeably. When I feed him live, he strikes quickly and constricts. When I feed him f/t, he just grabs it and sucks it down without bothering to constrict. He doesn't waste his constricting energy on something that's already dead. I fed him lots of leftover live pinkies and fuzzies (when a BP rejected them) and he would constrict them, but just barely. He knew there was no need.

But...I also have several that strike and constrict f/t prey with equal enthusiasm as live, and they go through all the motions of "killing" their already-dead prey. :shrugs:

Feeding response seems to vary from snake to snake, and as long as they eat their prey quickly (meaning they don't refuse or ignore their prey), then I'd consider that a good response...regardless of enthusiasm or method of consumption.
 
"Not that important"

Bottom line for me is it doesn't matter to me how they eat, but rather, that they eat. As for muscle tone - enough handling and yep, even the occasional "outside time" takes care of that for me.

Well, I mean the snakes....I could use more exercise. :grin01:

regards,
jazz
 
I haven't voted. Either way, I'm supposed to say something here, and I find the question ambiguous, especially given that the responses can go either way: important to me, or important for the snake. So, my response given the possible meaning of the question:

I like to have Clyde constrict, but he's only done it twice in the 11 months I've had him. He won't constrict something lying in the feeding container, and I wouldn't dangle pinkies for fear their tails would just pop off, so it has only been with fuzzies. It's not really important, but it is significant enough that it is a goal with each feeding. Now he's on two fuzzies, and one time I dangled the second one in front of him, and he just followed it around with his snout. After a couple of minutes of this, I gave up and held it still for him to grab. He grabs them quite firmly though, and I love his feeding-frenzy mode with the second one. He crams it down as fast as he can even if I dropped it and he just has to pick it up. Kathy said her Okeetees were the best feeders of the lot (thanks, Kathy!).

As an indication of quality of snake by any reconning, I don't know, and I would not be inclined to worry about it. You get a lot of opinions here, but not so many statistics on this sort of question. Seems like there are plenty of other concerns with the little guys w/o adding worries about whether he should lunge before eating, I figure.

-Sean
 
"Not important" for my vote.

I haven't seen a difference in health between my strike feeders and my more leisurely ones. My 19 year old has always taken his time over taking prey and he's... er... 19!

It's a bit of extra exercise, but a few seconds of additional muscular activity every couple of weeks is scarcely going to make that much difference.

I don't equate lack of a strike response with being a poor feeder. Refusal to feed at all, or without being enticed in some way (hand feeding, scenting, being left in the tub overnight etc.) - that's being a poor feeder
 
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