My how the rats squealed....

Obitus, kinda strikes at the mouse ... to pull it from my forceps.
Lets it fall to the floor, and then starts looking for its head.
Didn't constrict it at all, but its still beautiful watching her take it down.

My bp eats f/t but still constricts. Might just be a result of "the rat dance" though, haha

If I make the rat dance with my forceps, it will constrict it.

EyeLashViper. Please don't take the responses to this thread as ridicule. Ultimately we are all responsible for our own herps but it would not be right for us to let this go knowing it could potentialy harm your herp. So in other words we are just trying to look out for you pets.

Now that you are feeding rats they are going to grow weeds. Its not usually neccesary to scent a rat ball pythons love rats.

And not to sound monotonous but please feed Fresh Killed.

our snakes seem to constrict no matter what type so far. roswell has constricted even harder and longer with the last 2 which were his first f/t mice. i think he wants to make sure it is good and dead, or the rat dance is a bit stronger then the gentle rat feet walking aorund., and he feels he has to work harder to take it down. maybe he thinks my thumpung the rat around is the rat, but bigger and stronger. i love f/t it is a bit more work at the time of feeding, but well worth it. besides i cut down on weekly trips to the pet store. i was feeding live before coming here, and the petstore was doing the same. roswell has the scars (sort of) to prove it. they are fading with each shed, but he had some nice sized gashes from mice fighting back. before i got him of course. when i did feed him live mice i kept a close eye, and tongs at the ready. i think if you saw the damage even a tiny mouse could do, you would change right away.

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Have any of you ever had to basically strangle a biting rat because your snake only wrapped around its legs and left the whole upper body to do as it pleases? Its isn't ANY fun at all.

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I didnt have to strangle it, but one time Monty Joe only had the back portion of the rat in its coils and I had to put the stick, that I allways have handy just in case, into the rats mouth to keep it from biting him and that rat bit onto that stick for a long time before he finally succomed to the constriction.
I only fed live this time because he refused to eat f/k after eating f/k 2 feeding's prior. I tried for a couple of weeks to get him to eat another f/k but he refused so I decided to try live....and that's all it took. But the next feeding he went back to f/k so he is just a picky one I guess. Luckily if Monty Joe refuses a f/k meal I just toss it to Cheetah. He has never refused a f/k meal, dont even have to do the rat dance, just toss it in and he will eat it.
I definatly believe in feeding f/k or f/t, but some times you just have to do what is needed, just allways be prepared to intervene...just in case.

Ironhead did you just put the rat in there or did you use tongs?

Ironhead, I agree with you...getting a snake to eat is a whole different story. I was just talking in the context of consistant live feedings.

Ah...okay, okay...I get the message. I will be honest though in that I DO like watching mice and rats get taken down. Whether that makes me a monster or not I am not sure. I used to feed live fuzzy mice to my centipedes and I always thought it was cool to see these ferocious invertebrates eat a live mouse. I am kind of twisted in that way I guess. I do hear you all though about feeding pre-killed but sheesh..it is so hard to get them to take pre-killed...I have tried numerous times in the past and was always unsuccessful.Maybe I am doing something wrong...
EyeLashViper

Feeding live as a last resort is one thing, feeding live for the thrill of it is another. :?