Has your snake (any kind) ever fished a f/t rodent out of a bowl of water?

[dakski]

It is funny this thread started recently. Last feed, Shayna, my BP, dropper F/T rat in her water bowl after striking and coiling it. I feed 7 snakes, so I did not see her drop it, but checked on her about 20 minutes later and she was frustrated and looking at the area, but not getting the rat out. 20 minutes later, the same. I took it out and she had no interest.

I offered another F/T rat and she took it at ate it immediately. That rat was warmed.

Maybe it depends on the snake? Both individual and species.

Shayna was pretty frustrated but did not seem equipped for problem solving. I also cut her some slack because the her het pits weren't exactly going crazy with the rat in a water dish on the cool side of her tank.

I imagine my boas would not care. Having said that, they will not strike the F/T prey if I leave it in the tank. I've tried as an experiment. They need it moving. I have to feed on the tongs. It doesn't take much for them to strike. However, I have had Behira (female BI) stare at a F/T rat for hours. I move it an inch and she's on it. If they had struck and coiled and then dropped it I imagine they would go after it. I would hope so! I wouldn't want to fish that rat out with them in food mode!

BTW - Also nice to see some friendly faces on here. Gio - I appreciate the call out. I have been absent for a while. I'm glad to be back. No promises, but I'll do my best. Life can get in the way though!

[Bogertophis]

dakski- That's what I was getting at, that it mostly depends on the species. I'm not surprised your BP lost interest, since BPs depend mostly on their heat sensing pits, & motion. This just illustrates how differently the various species react- & how much (or how little) they use their vision. It's also why you can drop-feed some snakes & not others...some really go by scent, others not as much. Water covers a lot of the scent, so if you ever have to fish out dropped prey, it's best to dry it off on a paper towel before re-offering. You can also pinch-damage the nose to release a bit more scent that the water rinsed away, & depending on the species, you might need to re-warm it too.

I've had other snakes drop prey in the water bowl & lose interest, as if they thought it had scampered away? And most of the time, I haven't waited to see if they finally find it- I just fish it out & re-offer, but I got such a kick out of watching my Trans Pecos, because he never stopped staring intently at the mouse in the water bowl, & after a minute or so, he successfully pursued it- and like I said, he's a desert species, so I gave him a "gold star" for that. These (TPs) have large eyes & excellent vision- they don't much care if prey is warm or cool- & mine generally eat from tongs- with a little wiggle of the prey. Fishing was a whole new "skill" for him- And just for kicks, I'll try it again (deliberately) in about a week.

[Zincubus]

But again, that's not what I was asking. You said he "took it straight underwater..." meaning he struck & did not let go of it. I am asking about snakes that totally drop their prey into the water, losing contact completely, but still manage to find it (visually) & eat it.

Ok


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[Zincubus]

But again, that's not what I was asking. You said he "took it straight underwater..." meaning he struck & did not let go of it. I am asking about snakes that totally drop their prey into the water, losing contact completely, but still manage to find it (visually) & eat it.

That won’t happen to many Royal pythons that’s for sure


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[Bogertophis]

That won’t happen to many Royal pythons that’s for sure


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I agree, I would not expect a BP to do this. Which is why I asked about "any kind" of snakes...many kinds other than BPs are kept by members here. And by discussing this, it also helps illustrate the differences among snakes for those who have only known BPs so far. I think that's why I've enjoyed so many years of keeping snakes- because they're NOT all the same.