Overkill?

[Luvyna]

And when I kept rattlesnakes, they pretty much all bit their prey first...even when all they ever saw was dead prey.

Wow, so they envenomated their prey even though it was dead? I've read that producing venom takes quite a lot of resources but also is used to start the digestion process so I wonder if it's a conscious decision they make or just an instinct.

I find this thread really interesting because it seems that while some snakes take a long time to ensure their prey is dead (also something I have noticed is common for bigger constrictors from watching Youtube videos) there are also snakes who don't bother constricting at all and go straight to eating. I wonder if those ones have it more figured out realizing their food is already dead, or are they just more careless?