Feeding Time Means Biting Time (Yes, Pictures).

[West Coast Jungle]

I have a real long set of tongs(24inches) for my boa. Her reflexes are much faster than mine

[Vypyrz]

I have a real long set of tongs(24inches) for my boa. Her reflexes are much faster than mine

I use long tongs as well, but I also use a hook to raise the tub lid, because once they smell food they will go after anything that moves, including the hand I was using to raise the tub lid with...

[Boanerges]

Sorry to see you got bit Tif but it made for a good story and some nice pics

[PyramidPythons]

Yeowch, Tiff! That was a good one. Yah, I'd definitely recommend getting or using some tongs. Boas are so crazy when it comes to feeding. Then again, so is my male Ball. Take your arm right off, tongs and all.

[Vypyrz]

I also almost got tagged by the 6-7 foot Dumeril's girl, but she grabbed the jumbo rat right near where my hand was.

My Dum is the nicest little girl you will meet but once feeding time comes around , that switch turns on and she turns into a demon. I always check to make sure each snake finishes their meal and when I check her she strikes at me and goes nuts so I figure ok she is still hungry but when I try to feed her all she does is get defensive and practically rips apart the rat pup. Lol

I really need feeding tongs for my Dumeril's girl, I definitely don't want to be bitten by her.

Same goes for my Dumeril's! She's like a puppy dog, but when she's in feeding mode you hear the loudest pound on the rat when she grabs a hold of it. She does have a feeding response so I have to take this home-made snake hook I made and touch her with it so she knows she isn't eating.

She has a pretty good striking range..

Last night, while I was reading all these quotes on the Dumerils aggressive feeding response, I was thinking that I must have a special case. He is 2 yrs old and 45 inches long. I've had him for 6 weeks and he has spent most of that curled up in his hide. Very seldom would I catch him out. Feeding consists of me putting the rat in his enclosure and leaving the room. He wouldn't eat if I didn't. The last 2 or 3 nights I have seen him out exploring his enclosure so I figured this was a good sign. Tonight was feeding night so I figured it would be routine. His tub sits on a top shelf at my eye level. I haven't been using the hook to open his tub because normally he will just lay there or shy away from me. Not tonight. I had barely got the lid raised maybe an inch or so when, all of the sudden, the lid and substrate went flying and that snake shot about 2 feet out of the tub and hit the rat so hard that it knocked the tongs out of my hand. Then when he got it back in the tub he wasn't just constricting it, he had that thing completely wrapped up.The thing that stunned me the most was just the speed, power, and distance he had. I guess I'm just used to the other snakes making short, quick strikes, and not exploding out of their tubs like that, and I'm pretty sure he had the rat back in the tub before the lid hit the floor. The thing that I am most thankful for is that he had good aim because, at the angle I was standing at, my face was well within his strike range. I definitely have a new found respect for Dumerils and completely understand the above posts. I will also be moving his tub to a lower level this week and from now on, his tub will also be opened with the hook on feeding day... Lesson learned...

[boafa]

Since ya use tongs and your still gettin tagged, maybe you could get ya a pair of thin leather gloves for your feeding hand.....just a thought.....

[CoolioTiffany]

RTB 2, Tiffy 0!

How did you get tagged if you were using tongues D: ?

While on the subject, RTBs seem to be possessed by the devil while in feeding mode . When I feed mine, I have to step away from the tub or they will follow me with their heads and defensive strike while holding their prey in their coil. After that they become mellow again lol.

He's pretty slick and quick, that's why he's got two points LOL!

RTBs have some crazy feeding responses for sure.

I have a real long set of tongs(24inches) for my boa. Her reflexes are much faster than mine

I think I would definitely need a pair of those sometime soon!

Sorry to see you got bit Tif but it made for a good story and some nice pics

It's all good, he's the top snake in my collection that can get me without me even realizing how quick he is. Normally I'm the fast one to get away but I think he might've beat me in the fast category.

Yeowch, Tiff! That was a good one. Yah, I'd definitely recommend getting or using some tongs. Boas are so crazy when it comes to feeding. Then again, so is my male Ball. Take your arm right off, tongs and all.

I do use tongs, I just was a little dumb to have my whole hand in his tub (lid was on the back of my hand so my hand was pretty much all the way in there). Always the feeding errors.

Last night, while I was reading all these quotes on the Dumerils aggressive feeding response, I was thinking that I must have a special case. He is 2 yrs old and 45 inches long. I've had him for 6 weeks and he has spent most of that curled up in his hide. Very seldom would I catch him out. Feeding consists of me putting the rat in his enclosure and leaving the room. He wouldn't eat if I didn't. The last 2 or 3 nights I have seen him out exploring his enclosure so I figured this was a good sign. Tonight was feeding night so I figured it would be routine. His tub sits on a top shelf at my eye level. I haven't been using the hook to open his tub because normally he will just lay there or shy away from me. Not tonight. I had barely got the lid raised maybe an inch or so when, all of the sudden, the lid and substrate went flying and that snake shot about 2 feet out of the tub and hit the rat so hard that it knocked the tongs out of my hand. Then when he got it back in the tub he wasn't just constricting it, he had that thing completely wrapped up.The thing that stunned me the most was just the speed, power, and distance he had. I guess I'm just used to the other snakes making short, quick strikes, and not exploding out of their tubs like that, and I'm pretty sure he had the rat back in the tub before the lid hit the floor. The thing that I am most thankful for is that he had good aim because, at the angle I was standing at, my face was well within his strike range. I definitely have a new found respect for Dumerils and completely understand the above posts. I will also be moving his tub to a lower level this week and from now on, his tub will also be opened with the hook on feeding day... Lesson learned...

When Dumeril's boas are hungry they really show it.

My first girl was a very shy girl, acted the same way as yours did before it did that crazy powerful jump. But the girl I've got now, you don't even know when she's gonna strike. She'll sit all normal, and being the ambusher she is, and pop up when you don't even realize it. Pretty crazy feeding response that girl has.

Once you get them started with eating, you can just imagine how powerful their feeding responses are. I think they definitely are ambushers, since they just sit there in the leaf litter waiting for prey to pass by in their real home.

Since ya use tongs and your still gettin tagged, maybe you could get ya a pair of thin leather gloves for your feeding hand.....just a thought.....

If I was that worried about getting bit I most likely would have used gloves, but since I've got so many snakes and have been feeding snakes every single week for the past 4-5 years I don't mind the bites, at least when I don't know they are coming.