A big mouthfull

Hindsight being 20/20 I think the mouse was just a little larger than I'm comfortable feeding him, but he got it down finally. Took almost 30 minutes to swallow it all last night. Not to mention he did it backwards.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...03_800x600.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...02_800x600.jpg

Hi,

Did you weigh the mouse prior to feeding? A general rule of thumb to use (which you may already know, but I’ll mention for those who don’t) is to avoid feeding prey that has more girth than the snake at its fattest part.

You can also view a mouse/rat guide, including weights and relations, by clicking here.

If the size/weight was not an issue, than I’d hazard to guess that the reason it took so long for him to get it down was because it was backwards. As I’m sure you’ve observed, when swallowing prey head-first the arms and legs naturally fold down at its sides, thus making a much easier swallow. When swallowing backwards it can be much easier for limbs to stick out in odd places, thus forcing the snake to reposition the morsel in addition to using more muscles to force it down.

But as long as he got it in, that’s what counts!

When snakes swallow food whole their breathing tube, called a glottis, extends out of their lower mouth and bends slightly down. That way they can still breath while taking all the time they want to swallow.

Nice resolution on the second pict!

Snake looks thrilled!! Even though their head and neck LOOKS too small....they really can handle an adult mouse at a very young age.

You didn't do wrong.....took awhile cuz it's backwards...they get the job done once the limbs are folded back enough to swallow...

Nice snake!

I like that rat/mouse feeding guide NightLad. Thanks for sharing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NightLad

Hi,

Did you weigh the mouse prior to feeding? A general rule of thumb to use (which you may already know, but I’ll mention for those who don’t) is to avoid feeding prey that has more girth than the snake at its fattest part.

You can also view a mouse/rat guide, including weights and relations, by clicking here.

If the size/weight was not an issue, than I’d hazard to guess that the reason it took so long for him to get it down was because it was backwards. As I’m sure you’ve observed, when swallowing prey head-first the arms and legs naturally fold down at its sides, thus making a much easier swallow. When swallowing backwards it can be much easier for limbs to stick out in odd places, thus forcing the snake to reposition the morsel in addition to using more muscles to force it down.

But as long as he got it in, that’s what counts!

When snakes swallow food whole their breathing tube, called a glottis, extends out of their lower mouth and bends slightly down. That way they can still breath while taking all the time they want to swallow.

Nice resolution on the second pict!

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He's noticeably thicker in his midsection than the mouse is. I'm not saying it was actually too big, just larger than what I normally would care to feed him. Didn't realize it until he was chowing down on it. As far as size goes the mouse was fine for him. Just a little disconcerting for me, lol

i fed my hatchling a rat pup last night and she didnt even kill it first then she took it backwards.it took a good long while.ive had her for a week or so and she has never ate so needless to say i was pumped live backwards or watever

honestly i was so surprised to see how big a prey they can actualy eat, after feeding mitch mice all the time i threw in a rat and was amazed. as long as its not bigger than the largest part