Un-freaking-believable...

I don't think anyone is going to even believe me when I tell them this, but...

I am keeping this adult female Brazilian Rainbow Boa. She's accustomed to eating medium rats. Well, I went to buy one for her today but the pet store only had smalls and larges. I decided to get her two smalls. I feed live, and dropped the first one in, then continued to surf the net right beside her tub. I never really heard the strike or any struggle noises from the rat, so I checked on her some minutes later to see if she ate. There was no small rat there, so she obviously did. I put the second rat in with her and watched this time to make sure she wanted a second meal. Well, she stalked it a bit but didn't strike at it, so I was thinking maybe she didn't want it... then the rat walked on her mid body a bit, and she pinned it to the side of the tub. I thought that this was just a reaction to being touched, but she kept it pinned there. I watched the rat and it seemed like it was actually suffocating. Then she came over to investigate it, just as a snake investigates a rat it had just constricted. With the rat still pinned suspended to the side of the tub, she then found its head and proceded to swallow it. Turns out she had killed the rat just by pressing it up against the side of the tub? No strike, coil, constriction... it was just a strange thing to behold! :eek: :confused:

lol. thats diff. wouldnt mind watching that. well at least shes safe.

Hi,


I'd like to have seen that.

Saw something similar with an australian python ( woma possibly?) on one ofthe nature shows and they said it was how it killed in burrows where there is no room to constrict - never heard of them doing it under normal circumstances though.


dr del

yea i saw the same thing the doc saw. this snake was chasing a mouse or rat in a burrow and caught up next to it and pinned it against the side of the burrow. it was so cool.

craziness! so, does it take longer that way?

Actually it all happened very quickly.

I've seen my gopher snake kill without constricting a couple of times now. Once with just its mouth hanging on and not letting the mouse go until it died (surprisingly fast)....and once by pressing the mouse against the glass sort of like you described. I guess whatever gets the job done, huh? Snakes are infinitely fascinating creatures!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,


I'd like to have seen that.

Saw something similar with an australian python ( woma possibly?) on one ofthe nature shows and they said it was how it killed in burrows where there is no room to constrict - never heard of them doing it under normal circumstances though.


dr del

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Womas and black heads will both kill in this manner.

I have also noticed sand boas and milksnakes do this behavior.

I've only seen our milksnake do that type of thing (as well as slamming the prey against the floor/sides of her feeding tank).