Hey all,
At the beggining of my snake keeping adventure. I've been under the impression that I should take out my snakes out of there home's. And, to put them in a seperate container for feeding. To lessen the feeding strikes when I try to handle them.
But, now I don't do that at least not with my larger constrictor's. I do put my two normal bp's in a seperate bin for food. I own a male purple albino reticulated python and two granite yellow anacondas 1.1.
I watched a youtube video and was told by other keeper's. That it is better to keep the tic and the annies in there enclosure for feeding? Because, once they get to the 8' mark and up? That it will be to much work to take them out, and that it is not safe to be handling a large snake when it's in feeding mode? Make's since. And, so I should start this feeding process when there young so they understand better. And, when I want to just handle them normally? That I should open there tub, rub there head and sides with a snook hook. And, rubbing on the head is suppose to snap them out of feeding mode?
So, far so good my retic doesn't mind his head being touched. The annies didn't like it at first but don't seem to care anymore.
What do you guy's think about feeding within the enclosure especially when the snake is for example? 15' 300 lbs
Since, I've been feeding the tic and annies in there tub's? I am concerned about the substrate being stuck to the f/t rat's? And, what to do or how to identify if the substrate get's caught in there mouth's?
I just finished watching my retic eat a small rat. The rat had a few pieces of aspen bedding glued to it's body. But, as the retic was swallowing? I noticed that at each motion the strand of aspen moved forward. Looking like it wouldn't be consumed. When my tic was down to the tip of the tail only? He had a few aspen bedding strand's in his mouth.
When this happen's do snakes spit out the substrate,wipe there mouth's or push out the leftover bedding with there tongue? Or, do they just gulp down the substrate for dessert? I know my snakes consume some of the debri that collect's on the rat's when they constrict it. I want to know if there is any health concern's for consuming it? I know also that in the wild the wild snakes have to deal with dirt also.
What do you guy's think about your bp's and other constrictor's consuming substrate as they swallow there rodent's? TY Gerrad