I was bit while feeding, its not what your thinking

[jwill226]

I read here a lot but I'm not one for posting because I don't feel I can add much to what the very knowledgeable people here are saying but I thought I would share this little story with you.

I have been having trouble lately finding the right sized food for my 2012 female normal (my only snake). I have been wanting to move her to rats for a while but the only rats I can find are small adults. The all look a little on the big side. the local breeders wont part with the youngsters for some reason. More money I'm guessing. So I have been feeding her 2 adult mice a week for the last month or two and now I can't find mice. Someone is buying them all up it sounds like. She takes them just fine and is looking great. Not sure of her weight as I don't have a scale. I know I need one.

On with the story. A local pet store set out to find me some small rats. I got as call and went to see what she found. The rats she showed me where boarder line too big. She said if my BP wouldn't take it I could bring it back for a refund dead or alive. So I brought it home and set out to see what happened.

I feed live. I know its not the best but my plan was to wait until she was on rats before I switch to PK. When I got her she was live fed so I just went with it. She is so good at head strikes no mouse has ever bitten her. So I wasn't thinking about that when I dropped in the rat. The rat got a look at Medusa and it stayed backed in a corner while Medusa came over to check out this giant mouse. It took about 2 tense minutes before she struck and wrapped. She bit the rat on the side of the shoulder and left the rats head by her neck.

The rat tried to bit her neck and with out thinking about it i shoved my finger into the rats mouth to save my beloved Medusa. I held my finger their until it was dead. My finger will be fine. The rat never drew blood and I hit up the first aid kit when it was over. That rat on the other hand will be in a nice neat pile on some aspen in a couple weeks.

I will be moving straight to PK after this. The things I go threw for my pets......

All you people that feed live keep this story in mind next time you just toss a rat in and walk away.

[I-KandyReptiles]

Most RESPONSIBLE live feeders will keep a chopstick, pencil or other object close to do just what you did with your finger

Always make sure your feeders are well fed and watered as they may even want to eat your snake if you leave them alone together.

[dr del]

Glad to hear she wasn't hurt.

Live feeding is fine if you take a few simple precautions and have some basic equipment ready beforehand as mentioned above.

Planning is always a good idea to prevent problems - and that is far easier on your fingers than fixing them when they occur.


dr del

[TheSnakeGuy]

Well you learned the hard way. Whenever I'm feeding live I have my 12" tongs in one hand just in case.

[BulkMice]

quick thinking! Glad you were there watching as it went down.

[satomi325]

That is such a Coleslaw move! She's a member here and did the same thing as you. She used her finger instead of a stick or tongs to deflect the prey.


You two are hard core. Lol
Glad your BP is safe.
Nice story.

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[LooptyLoo]

That is most definitely hard core, lol. All for the love of our snakes!

[Gessler]

Hey there! I'm pretty new to the hobby but I did just buy everything I needed recently. I'm not quite sure where you live but if there is a Wal-Mart close by, I totally recommend going there! In the Kitchen isle they have a food prep and nutritionist digital scale with one small and one large bowl for only twenty bucks. I know the bowls wont be big enough eventually but for a twenty spot its still going to get many years of use! Hope that helps! (Oh, its from this off-brand company called Oyster.)

[Louie]

What a skill! Glad you or your snake wasnt hurt but that some stuff!

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[Coleslaw007]

Yep, I too have battled fearsome rodents with only a finger! In my case someone had moved the tongs I normally use and I hadn't checked first, they're always right there!
Good job, you! Now next time make sure you have an implement available beforehand, I do lol.

Thanks for the mention, Nikki!

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