hand feeding?

I'm wondering how you all feel about hand feeding as opposed to using "tongs" or similar. I've been hand feeding mine since he got here. I am using frozen mice, and he seems to take it better if I am holding it than when I try to use tongs/hemostat.

Any opinions?

You are asking to get struck. Why would you want to risk doing damage to yourself or your BP? Get some tongs...And hopefully those mice are thawed :)

I wouldn't recommend it. What are you going to do when he's older, has a larger strike range and targets in on the warmth of your hand?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jglass38

And hopefully those mice are thawed :)

---

Oh yeah, and that too! ;)

You are running the risk of getting struck, there aim isn't always true, if you get struck it will surprise you more than anything, pain wise feels like a paper cut, may bleed some. At this point I would get your snake used to the tongs.

Getting bitten by a snake during feeding is not a fun experience. Unlike when snakes strike defensively, when they strike for food they tend to latch on and attempt to constrict. Feeding 'by hand' is a bad idea not for the pain it will cause you but the feeding problems it can cause with your snake. If it were to bite you, you would probably have to pull it off. This will cause the animal to become very stressed. A bad feeding event like that can also cause a ball python to loose interest in food and become a trouble feeder especially with younger ball pythons.

I use hemostats that I bought from LLL Reptile, one set for each snake (to avoid possible cross contamination). I like'em. :)

The cheaper bamboo tongs I had before were fatiguing for my hands if I had to hold the mouse for too long, waiting for either snake to strike.

Tongs are your friend. Seems to me for shy feeders the tongs are less intimidating than a big hand coming at them. I use 12" tweezers for the smallest snakes up to a 24" hemostat for the big boas. Since using tongs I've never been bitten while feeding the snakes. :)

I'm the same way. I use 12" tweezers for anything less than 3 feet, and the 18" Hemostats for the big ones. Even with the tweezers, I get snakes that will try to move around the warmed rat because apparently my hand looks more inviting. I have to move my hand around and keep the rat in their face. Oh, and some of my girls have THE worst aim. I would never feed by hand. :colbert:

The hemos are a good idea. Your hand will give off too much of a heat signature. I even turn off the nearby incandescent bulbs in case the heat frrom them would confuse the snakes (while feeding.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xdeus

I'm the same way. I use 12" tweezers for anything less than 3 feet, and the 18" Hemostats for the big ones. Even with the tweezers, I get snakes that will try to move around the warmed rat because apparently my hand looks more inviting. I have to move my hand around and keep the rat in their face. Oh, and some of my girls have THE worst aim. I would never feed by hand. :colbert:

---

Ditto on everything he said. I would hate to get hit by a large female, especially if the bite is a feeding response :grabbed: :sick:

So, me holding a mouse in my mouth, while blowing in the snakes face ISNT a good idea?! :O ;) Haha.

Not unless you enjoy picking teeth out of yer eyelids!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ginevive

Not unless you enjoy picking teeth out of yer eyelids!

---

Hey, that could be a new look for me. Plus, chicks dig scars. "Yeah, was feedin' my python, she ate my face before the mouse ... cool huh?!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vomitore

Hey, that could be a new look for me. Plus, chicks dig scars. "Yeah, was feedin' my python, she ate my face before the mouse ... cool huh?!"

---

ROTFLMAO!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vomitore

Hey, that could be a new look for me. Plus, chicks dig scars. "Yeah, was feedin' my python, she ate my face before the mouse ... cool huh?!"

---

LMAO! Well unless you actually end up dating a snake luvin female who will then likely look at you and think "doofus!" and go back to her own collection shaking her head at you! :P

Gurgie, i used to do this with a rosy boa....will never, and i mean NEVER ever will hand feed a snake again. Rosies are one of the most "unbity" (is that a word?) snakes ever......well, when JR was younger, he mistook my pinkie for a mouse pinkie and wouldn't let go...even constricted my finger and evrything! i had to laugh at this, it was completely my fault. i bled all over the place, and had for a week on my finger what looked like a tiny shark bite witha bruise all around it.....from a rosy boa!!!!! Please do your snake and yourself a favor.....use tongs.

You're funny Miss SnakeLady. My Rosy will eat my flippin' lunch if I try to go handle him!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

i bled all over the place, and had for a week on my finger what looked like a tiny shark bite witha bruise all around it.....from a rosy boa!!!!!

---

We're gonna need a bigger boat...

I've done it a couple times and learned my lesson REAL quick. Tooth scrapped across my knuckle from a ball and my eyes bulged. Sometimes we forget that we're not invincible. I'd suggest either using tongues or dropping the live mice in and staying there with your snake the entire feeding.

Ophelia prefers 'em live so I drop one in and she hunts 'em.

does anyone ever just thaw the mouse until its warm and throw it in with the snake and walk away? i usually do that and she always eats it like that; i think shes knows its dead too because she doesn't strike it or choke it, she just crawls up and opens her mouth and starts swallowing.... last week my boyfriend didn't have time to wait so he dangled the mouse by its foot with a pair of children's scissors and hissler struck and choked it but if you have plenty of time it works the other way as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HisslersMommy

does anyone ever just thaw the mouse until its warm and throw it in with the snake and walk away? i usually do that and she always eats it like that; i think shes knows its dead too because she doesn't strike it or choke it, she just crawls up and opens her mouth and starts swallowing.... last week my boyfriend didn't have time to wait so he dangled the mouse by its foot with a pair of children's scissors and hissler struck and choked it but if you have plenty of time it works the other way as well.

---

I have a couple girls that will ONLY feed that way, I have to leave a F/T rat at the entrance of the hide, and it's gone the next morning. BPs are individuals though, and many (if not most) will not eat a F/T rodent left on the cage floor. Most of my collection gets live rats weekly, but I have a few that insist I cater to their individual needs specifically (i.e. live weanling black mice overnight 3 times a week, 4-5 live rat crawlers/wk, and those are both adult females :tricho:) I just need a sign that says "BP hotel room service, here for your fastidious desires" :rolleyes:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HisslersMommy

does anyone ever just thaw the mouse until its warm and throw it in with the snake and walk away? i usually do that and she always eats it like that; i think shes knows its dead too because she doesn't strike it or choke it, she just crawls up and opens her mouth and starts swallowing.... last week my boyfriend didn't have time to wait so he dangled the mouse by its foot with a pair of children's scissors and hissler struck and choked it but if you have plenty of time it works the other way as well.

---

what is your thawing method? I'm always looking for more thawing methods since my BP seems to enjoy a variety of heat signatures.

I think I *really* like this web site. For about 2 months now, since I got Nag, I've been looking around for a GOOD, knowledgable source for my snake questions, and it seems i have finally found it.

So anyway, Thank you all for the answers. I guess I never really thought about getting bit. It's just so....je ne sais criox....I really enjoied hand feeding him. However, since I said I never really though about that part of it before, I believe I will buy a pair of hemostats and start using those instead.

Another question though if you dont mind. Just for the hell of it, I put a mousie in the microwave and thawed it out. it was wicked nasty and I threw it away cause I wasnt sure if it have been partially cooked would effect Nag.

My question is, I know all snakes are different as night and day, however, do any of you actually warm the food up for them or do they feed for you at room temp mice? Nag has been eating room temp mousies and seems to be content as far as that goes, but I want to know if trying this with another frozen mouse might bother the snake if it was indeed partially cooked.

And one last time...Thank you ALL for your replies...even the funny posts. Will certainly give me something to do on nights like tonight when I have bad insomnia yet again.

Some of mine will take room temp f/t rodents and others will only take warm f/t rodents.

What do you mean partically cooked? How are you defrosting the mouse?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamminJonah

what is your thawing method? I'm always looking for more thawing methods since my BP seems to enjoy a variety of heat signatures.

---

i always just throw it warm water for a really long time, and then when i'm ready to feed the snake i run it under very hot water for about a minute so it's really warm (it will never get TOO hot it cools quickly so it wont burn them or anything) and thats it... but if the snake takes forever of course i gotta do it again. how many other ways are there to thaw it? im scared to do anything else i dont wanna partially cook it or anything!

I know somewhere on here is a thread about a handy little gadget MedusasOwl has for defrosting her f/t mice.


I wouldn't suggest ever using a microwave. You are going to likely make your microwave totally gross for you to use (exploding mice bellies are NOT nice) as well as providing a partially cooked prey item - microwaves cook from the inside out so you won't even know it's cooked from just looking at it. Snakes are designed by nature to eat whole live prey so even when using f/t we need to stick as close to what their digestion was designed for....so no partially cooked prey. Just let the prey item thaw at room temps for a few hours, pop it into a good thick ziploc baggie and put it in a bowl of very hot water for 15-20 minutes or so (depending on size of prey - pinky mice heat FAST, big rats heat slow). Feel it's head and it's belly for warmth. A lot of people give the prey item a blast of hot air from a hair dryer on the belly and head to help raise those temps and it seems to help the snakes focus in well on their f/t prey.

If the snake doesn't eat it right away, give it another warming up as thawed prey loses heat incredibly quickly.

If you can't find hemostats, big tweezers or a small pair of simple kitchen tongs work just great too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gurgie

but I want to know if trying this with another frozen mouse might bother the snake if it was indeed partially cooked.

---

Snakes lack the ability to digest cooked meat. A partially cooked rodent will sit in a snakes stomach and rot, which could/probably would cause an infection that would then prossibly/probably kill the snake if not caught in time and treated.

Hope this helps.

-adam

Just a heads up I started a thread called:

Thawing Methods Round Infinity!

to discuss thawing and feeding methods, I figured we'd gotten off topic enough to merit a new thread. Please feel free to travel over there and post your thawing methods i'm always looking to try new ones!

- Jonah

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daniel1983

Some of mine will take room temp f/t rodents and others will only take warm f/t rodents.

What do you mean partically cooked? How are you defrosting the mouse?

---

Well, I wanted to try thawing a mousie in the microwave to see how it would work, and put it on for 60 seconds and it partially cooked. Usually I put it out in a separate container and set it on the fridge so my cats dont find it and let it thaw by itself.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gurgie

Well, I wanted to try thawing a mousie in the microwave to see how it would work, and put it on for 60 seconds and it partially cooked. Usually I put it out in a separate container and set it on the fridge so my cats dont find it and let it thaw by itself.

---

You do warm it up after it has thawed in the fridge, right? Warm water, blow dryers, or heat lamps are all good for that. You definitely want to make sure its warmed all the way through.

I hadn't uptill now, no. Is it important that I do so? He had been eating about every 5 days or so till last week. He missed his last feed because I had him at my kids school on the day he was due to eat. now its about 10-11 days or so since he ate last.
All I did was put the mousie in an airtight container on top of the fridge to thaw, then fed him usually the next evening. I'm doing something wrong, right?

They do need to be heated up after thawing; BPs and other pythons use their heat pits to sense warm objects, not sight, to find their prey.

Ooohh, you put it ON the fridge...I read it "IN" the fridge. And I figured a thawed mousie right out of the fridge would still be really cold and might make a snake sick even if he happened to choose to eat it.


I don't think a room temperature mouse would be a problem, but warming it up is still a good idea because it does help a lot with the feeding response. And it also helps insure that there isn't a chilled spot in the middle of the mouse or rat.

wonderful. thanks everyone for the info. I guess I never thought about warming it up because it was already dead. I'll have to try the warming theng and see if he like it better than room temp. BTW, I did NOT feed Nag the partially cooked mousie. I figured it might make him sick, and my little guy has been through enough in the past 2 months or so, he doesnt need to go and get sick because of my ignorence.