Can metal tongs be dangerous?

Hi all! Hope everyone has a great New Years Eve! :carrot: Anyway, back to the question. I was feeding my big girl last night, the one I posted needed some weight, she eats F/T with gusto. I had the weaned rat on the end of the metal tongs, and as she struck, I swear she missed and hit the tongs instead. Well it freaked me out, because she hit them pretty hard. Fearing the metal tongs might injure her, I used my skimpy wooden ones, and she got it ok with those. Just wondering if anyone has had a snake injured with metal tongs when they struck. I hear they make them with a rubber tip, if they do, I think I will invest in those.

have you tryed just dropping the mouse infront of the snakes hide with the tongs? I use metal tongs to and hold the mouse by its tail with them and my snakes always go righ for the mouses head. I've only seen a few strike and misses but none of them ever bit the tongs. Just make sure the tongs are cool so the snake can distinguish between them and their prey.

Well if you are worried about the tongs and have wooden ones i would use the wooden ones. I recommend dangling the rat up high by the tail so it almost only can strike at the head of the mouse. I dont think myself that the tongs could hurt the snake though.

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Originally Posted by snakeLVR

Hi all! Hope everyone has a great New Years Eve! :carrot: Anyway, back to the question. I was feeding my big girl last night, the one I posted needed some weight, she eats F/T with gusto. I had the weaned rat on the end of the metal tongs, and as she struck, I swear she missed and hit the tongs instead. Well it freaked me out, because she hit them pretty hard. Fearing the metal tongs might injure her, I used my skimpy wooden ones, and she got it ok with those. Just wondering if anyone has had a snake injured with metal tongs when they struck. I hear they make them with a rubber tip, if they do, I think I will invest in those.

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Well she could injure her teeth if she did infact grab the tongs instead.Have you ever just layed the rodent in her enclosure and see if she will eat it right off the floor? Sometimes i use a long stick or something like it and move the rodents butt a little and they grab it.

I stopped using them a few months ago with certain snakes since they hit so hard and have really poor aim. I had a pair of plastic ones that one of my larger males hit instead of the rat and actually broke it.

Most of my animals eat off the tub floor where I just drop the food in and they go over and eat so I have been lucky.
I now use a long pair of tweezer with rubber tips and dangle in front of the hide. This way the snake hits the prey and they way I offer it, the tweezers are out of the way over the hide.

I have a pair of hemostats that work really well, I grab the rat by the tail and dangle it infront of the hide/snake and she will eaither grab my fingers or the rat before the hemostats. Some times I drop the food infront of her.

Can metal tongs be dangerous?

Depends on where you stick them.... :cool:

I just hold the mouse bt the tail. No tongs needed. :cool:

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Originally Posted by Sausage

I just hold the mouse bt the tail. No tongs needed. :cool:

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That is not an advisable way to feed, but an excellent way to end up bitten. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

That is not an advisable way to feed, but an excellent way to end up bitten. :rolleyes:

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Not if you wear gloves :chew: :chew: :rofl: :rofl:

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

That is not an advisable way to feed, but an excellent way to end up bitten. :rolleyes:

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doess it hurt to get bitten by a fully grown female ball python lol?

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Originally Posted by PythonFan8

doess it hurt to get bitten by a fully grown female ball python lol?

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Nope they bite and release.Now a bite from a retic is painfull(it was a baby) because of how there teeth curve back some .

I used a metal tongs with rubber caps over the tips (~2.5"). It's the first thing I came across when I was shopping for snake supplies way back when, and they work wonderfully.

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Originally Posted by joepythons

Nope they bite and release.Now a bite from a retic is painfull(it was a baby) because of how there teeth curve back some .

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Not when they're in feed mode they don't just release!

When we fed f/t mice/rats we just grasped the rodent well back from it's shoulders by the loose skin there with our hemostats. Once the snake hit we let go. Sure they might smack the tongs/hemostats occasionally but let's remember they aren't made of spun glass so it's not likely going to do any great damage I would think in the vast majority of cases.