And.....Im a whimp

So Monday was feeding day. I could not be happier with my girl I have had her for about 3 months and she hasn't refused by any means. I still enjoy watching her strike and coil so I general feed her with tongs so I can see the whole thing. The part that makes me a whimp is no matter how prepared I am for her to strike it makes me jump, and not a little bit but alot. I swear feeding is like watching a thriller movie for me lol. Do or did any of you have this kind of reaction to feeding. If so were able to get over it and how. If you don't have this problem please don't laugh. Just to be clear this is not fear thing its more of sunrise thing. Like some one jumping out and saying "BOO".

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Lmfao! That's great! Not laughing at you, just your words!

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Nope, not a wimp at all. You don't want to get bit for two reasons.
1.) it doesn't feel good!
2.) you will naturally jerk away and possibly rip your snakes teeth out!
However, you will become more comfortable with experience, until your snake misses the prey and bites your hand, then it starts all over again!
But your no wimp! Perfectly normal. Just use appropriate tongs. The bigger they get, the harder they strike!!!

Don't feel bad, I do it too!! They're so fast, it's like a knee-jerk reaction to get outta the way! :P

I had started getting used to my Beeper, who was fast but pretty predicable (she would come up and tongue-lash a bit before grabbing) when I got my BCI and she hits like a missle from out of nowhere. Put a rat near her and it's 0 to 60 in no time. I ALWAYS jump when I feed her, even after 3 years! :rofl:

Get a good pair of hemostat tongs. :D I felt a lot more secure using those than the tweezer-type I first had.

I don't think you're a wimp! It's a completely natural reaction. I'm getting better, but I still jump sometimes, especially if they take longer than normal to decide to strike :)

I instinctually jump when they strike lol. Especially a really strong bite, when I'm anticipating it, or just an unpredicted, powerful strike. But I don't see it as a problem. Especially these days; my BPs have been rather skittish eaters lately.
I would still rather be bitten than pooped or peed on.

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Originally Posted by xFenrir

Don't feel bad, I do it too!! They're so fast, it's like a knee-jerk reaction to get outta the way!

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After 7+ years I still do it. It's not fear, it's just a reaction to how fast and hard they hit. I've had big females knock the feeding tongs out of my hand on several occassions...

I jump from my baby boa eating lol. It's just a natural reaction


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I used to jump, then I got a boa. Now the BP's don't make me jump any more but my big female boa sure can!

I jump. That is why my husband does the feeding. :)

Like a jack in the box on silent

Still jump now and then :rolleyes::oops:

Totally normal, lol. I don't jump as often as I used to, but a five foot boa hits the prey hard and occasionally she still catches me off guard and I jump. It does get better, but I can't say if it ever goes away lol.

Well needless to say I feel much better now....lmao, Thanks all! I guess the answer to my problem is to get a boa. that way the bp wont scare me any more lol ;)

That's great I thought I was alone!I used to feed a monster Burmese and that didn't make me jump like this mean four foot male I have right now!

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One female BP I have has an insane feeding response. Honestly, several times after she has coiled I have had to try to lift her back into her enclosure as she is almost half out and hanging down.
Thankfully, unlike my boa after coiling she does not immediately look for another target, she constricts while holding with her jaws the entire time until she is convinced the F/T rat is dead again(might be because I let her watch Walking Dead).

So yes, when I get hit by a rat from 24" feeding hemostats I do tend to still jump. Maybe that make me a wimp too but, hey, that doesn't mean I love these animals any less and won't still do what ever it takes to look after them even if they do occasionally make me jump.

And, for the record since I just have Carpets, a BCL and BP's until my ETB's get here, my snakes are all generally speaking very chill. Other than when the one female BP or the juvie Carpet decides to really strap on the feedbag that is.

It's not being a wimp. I feed live. And I still jump when a ball hits their rat hard, and they are in a tub with a lid and the lid is CLOSED. And I jump. Even a baby hitting their mouse especially hard can make me jump.
My big female, who is nearly 6' long, has come close to dislocating my shoulder a few times hitting her rat. And even if I'm fast enough to get it in the tub and the tub shut, she still hits hard enough to make me jump. I swear one of these days she's going to bust her tub wide apart.

So if you are a wimp for jumping, there are a lot of us out her wimping out right along with you. :D

Gale

OMG!! I feel so much better about myself and I mean that in saying I felt like a wimp too when I fed my "kids". I have 3 full grown BPs measuring 4.5 to 5 feet long. Every time I feed them, I jerk back a bit every time they strike. As you said, its not out of fear of the snake, its just my body's instinct to pull back. I will admit that it was much worse before. Back then, I'd almost anticipate the strike and pull back while the poor snake is staring at me motionless. LOL.. So, yes, it does get better but I cant say it will completely go away. Have fun..

Mine will almost never let me watch her eat. But the other day she struck at the thawed mouse right when I put it in her feeding box and I about jumped out of my skin. I got a good laugh out of it afterwards :D

closest thing i can compare feeding sessions is to thrill rides. from the feeling of anticipation for the oncoming "scare", the actual but fleeting "scare" moment, and the tingling feeling that lingers afterwards. i can't get enough of that feeling and would feed my snakes a lot more often if it wasn't bad for their health.

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closest thing i can compare feeding sessions is to thrill rides. from the feeling of anticipation for the oncoming "scare", the actual but fleeting "scare" moment, and the tingling feeling that lingers afterwards. i can't get enough of that feeling and would feed my snakes a lot more often if it wasn't bad for their health.

After keeping reptile for 20 odd years, some of mine can still occasionally get a reaction out of me. Especially my blood python, Alucard. He hits like a runaway Mack truck coming down a mountain road.

I have a new little yellow belly girl that LOVES to eat and she hits as hard as my adult male does when he strikes and she's only about 286g. I can only imagine how hard she's going to hit when she's 1500g+ 😳

And you haven't had a real striking scare until one day you got your hand in a snakes tub while you think he's sleeping and he shoots out of his hide like hidden lion waiting to pounce on his prey. I had a heart attack that day. But I laughed a ton after that. Bubo always keeps me on my toes!


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Im lucky, my bigger 2000+g girls strike slowly now as if they know Hey free food!, but my babies still get me to jerk sometimes with there ridiculously fast strike!

I will sometimes hold the rat by the tail and the snake in the other hand and he just nails it coils and ten I just set it in the tub and it eats. I can do that with a couple of my bp`s

Sooooo......... last night was feeding night again:tears:! This time I was ready for it! I watched her close, waiting. Telling myself to be ready. She had to strike 3 times before she got it. needless to say she missed the first 2 times. But I had a different reaction, not the usual knee jerk reaction. I guess seeing a strike and feeling a strike can really make a difference. the second strike she actually grazed the rat but agian not the same reaction on my part. By the thrid strike she nailed it but this time I was ready. I had seen the postrue, the tounge flicks, and the move into a better strike postion. All in all, I think I needed to focus on this little bit interaction between her and I. I feel like not only have begun to over come the whimp in me. But also I feel that I have a better understanding of my girl. Thanks all for advice and stories!

Just a thought... how long are the tongs you use? Sometimes just getting longer ones helps.

I used to jump - I was convinced it would never go away but then it did.

A good pair of hemostats is definitely the way to go, at least 12"-16" long. Then dangle the rat above her head while not focusing directly on the snake.