What is "Force-Feeding"?

[VooDooDoc]

Force feeding is taking a f/t rat, a smaller rat than the snake would usually eat and forcing it down the snakes throat.

I'm no expert but that just seems like a totally bad idea to me. I get the assist feeding small/babies, but this just sounds wrong. If a breeder is doing this with rats to older snakes I would say they are not responsible and care more about making the animal get bigger quicker so they can pump out babies than they care about the animals health. Like I said no expert here so I could be wrong, I'm just basing this on common sense and no real knowledge on the subject.

[mackynz]

I've seen it done many times by many breeders. We'll need to agree to dissagree on this point then.

Could you name them so I make sure to avoid them?

That's like overzealous assist feeding. Plus any breeder that is having to do it so many times that you're often there to see it probably has some other husbandry issues. BHB has mentioned that it's rare that they have to do it and I'm going to hazard a guess that they alone keep more snakes than every breeder you know combined.

[Rickys_Reptiles]

Could you name them so I make sure to avoid them?

That's like overzealous assist feeding. Plus any breeder that is having to do it so many times that you're often there to see it probably has some other husbandry issues. BHB has mentioned that it's rare that they have to do it and I'm going to hazard a guess that they alone keep more snakes than every breeder you know combined.

Nah - I had asked a bunch of breeders to let me know when they need to do it so I can see. This was for hatchlings that were not eating, not taking assist feeding and were basically gonna die. They were force fed a pinkie rat this way.

I may be typing it, and I'll take the flack, it's fine. But there are many people who do it, maybe they just are keeping quiet because they like to pretend it never gets done.

I've done it once, with a hatchling I had last year. It was roughly 9 weeks after hatchling, wouldn't take live or f/t, so I tried assist feeding a couple times. Didn't take. So I tried this method. I got the rat down mostly so just it's feet were sticking out the snakes mouth, put the snake back in its tub. About 5 minutes later the snake pushed the rat down the rest of the way on it's own. It didn't feed on it's own the next week, but did take to assist feeding the week after. Then it started eating on it's own.

The OP asked what is force feeding. So, I answered. There are many methods of keeping, and feeding Ball Pythons. This is one of them. If you don't like it, or don't agree with it, then don't do it. It's that simple. I don't know really if pushing a tiny rat into a Ball Pythons mouth is any more or less humane than shoving a tube down it's throat and forcing egg into its stomach.

[MarkS]

this is not correct at all!

Force feeding is by tube inserted into a snakes stomach by a vet.

Assist feeding is gently pushing a snakes mouth open with a pinky rat or small mouse and getting the teeth hooked into the prey. Then allowing the instinct to kick in and the snake start feeding by its self.

Forcing rats down a snakes throat is dangerous and irresponsible.

I've heard it called both ways and either one is correct. The Tube down the throat I have most often heard called 'tube feeding' And no, forcing a rat down a snakes throat is not irresponsible though it can be dangerous. It's a very serious undertaking that should only be taken as a last resort to save the snake from starving to death. I personally have a pinkie pump which I have had to use several times in the past, the use of which is also a form of force feeding. Sometimes you just need to keep the snake alive long enough for it's natural feeding instinct to kick in.

[valhalha30]

Well, I see that there are different methods and different situations to apply them to.
I never knew that much about assist/tube/force feeding before this thread, so I appreciate everyone's response to allow me to gain a bit more knowledge and shed my ignorance of the subject.

I was recently talking to a friend of a friend (let's call him Bert) about keeping snakes as pets. He told me that he was given a WC BP female that was in the same tank as a CB BP male (before he was given the female), and they co-habitated really well and they both ate really well... but when seperated (after he took her) they both became stressed and the female stopped eating all together.

Long story short, he went to a vet and the vet told him to enduce force-feeding. Bert went into detail about how it was done.
He held the snakes nose to block it's breathing, (this is what the Vet told him to do, I was sworn that this was the Vet's advice) and once the snake opened it's mouth to breathe that's when you took a halfway thawed mouse or rat covered with egg white and started to push it gently down it's throat. Once it was mostly down, you take a pencil and shove the mouse/rat down further using the eraser end till the snake's throat started to close on the prey item, which then meant it couldn't be regurgateded easily. He said it worked, yet I feel like vet had no idea what he was talking about.


Now. I'm NO expert, but, I'd say that sounds a bit too forceful?

[PitOnTheProwl]

this is not correct at all!

Force feeding is by tube inserted into a snakes stomach by a vet.

Assist feeding is gently pushing a snakes mouth open with a pinky rat or small mouse and getting the teeth hooked into the prey. Then allowing the instinct to kick in and the snake start feeding by its self.

Forcing rats down a snakes throat is dangerous and irresponsible.

No sir................
Assist assumes they start the feeding process on their own after you have the head in the mouth.
Force is the person making the mouse go all the way down to the stomach.

Been there and done it several times

Just noticed your final line......................... I guess I am irresponsible BUT I have yet to lose a snake.

[MarkS]

Long story short, he went to a vet and the vet told him to enduce force-feeding. Bert went into detail about how it was done.
He held the snakes nose to block it's breathing, (this is what the Vet told him to do, I was sworn that this was the Vet's advice) and once the snake opened it's mouth to breathe that's when you took a halfway thawed mouse or rat covered with egg white and started to push it gently down it's throat. Once it was mostly down, you take a pencil and shove the mouse/rat down further using the eraser end till the snake's throat started to close on the prey item, which then meant it couldn't be regurgateded easily. He said it worked, yet I feel like vet had no idea what he was talking about.

There are several things that I would consider wrong about this and I would stay away from a vet who gave this advice. First of all, force feeding should not be the first advise given there are several techniques that should be tried first, you don't hold a snakes nose shut to get it to open it's mouth. The way I was told was that you gently push on the sides of the mouth with a speculum or some soft blunt object (ie a plastic pen cap for instance) Another option is to pull on the soft skin under the chin. Using a 'half thawed' mouse means that it's also half frozen. Forcing a snake to swallow frozen food can be dangerous to the snake and should never be done. Egg white is often used because it's slippery but quite frankly lubricating the prey with water works just as well.

[kitedemon]

I have only once seen a person literlly force a whole prey down a throght it resulted in torn esophagus (I work for a rescue) the snake was euthinized by the vet that say it there was too much damage. Assist feeding can be done easily and safely 'tube' or force feeding as well not something anyone should attempt with out lots of experience forcing a tube into a stomach is tricky and into a lung lethal. But shoving a rat down a throat? Really? IMO There are far too many things to go horriably wrong.

[kitedemon]

Got a video of this forcing a rodent down a snakes throat?

[hypersomniacjoo]

so with a pinky pump, you have to some how chop up the pinky so it can be "pumped" correct? a pinky pump wouldve really helped me last year when i had two babies never start eating despite numerous attempts to assist feed.