feeding with tongs

[Texas Dan]

Just one ball python here and I use my hand. Just grab the rat by the tail and drop him in. He's only a few months old right now, and I feed him in a 10 gallon tank. I just drop the rat in the side he's not.

[ShawnT]

I use tongs to feed....I grab the live rat/mouse by the back of the neck.

[stangs13]

Tongs for the ball, and older corns, but for da babies, they get my hand! Easyer for a smaller snake to use hands..imo.

[TanyaL]

f/t wooden tongs - hold by the tail. I still jump when they strike

guess I'm addicted to the little adrenaline rush

I jump too....and I'm not even the one feeding! LOL

[spix14]

Yea, I hold by the tail for everyone now. I just recently stopped using tongs for my carpet though, he's probably the most high strung of all my snakes when it comes to feeding time and it took me a while to get used to how he strikes.

And I totally still jump when they strike too. I even jump when my little 10 inch Spotted python strikes.

[cinderbird]

i use tongs for my girl only because she's starting to get big.. ( not terribly big, 500 grams or so ) but i feel safer feeding her with tongs. she's always been on F/T but she's missed before and when my hand is a similar temp as her rats and probably smells like them because i've been "preparing dinner" i'd rather not have her latched on to me in a feeding strike. poor girl, she missed the memo on her prey being already dead ( she constricts for at least 5 minutes, then decides she's done a good job, and eats her rat).

[starmom]

We use hemostats for all our snakes and will always do so. Using stats allows my grandkids to help out and really minimizes the chances for an accidental hit!

[dsirkle]

I have 4 bps and feed f/t with hemostats. If a snake is already waiting for food it will snatch them from the hemostats. If not I set the rat on the snake's hide and go away for a few minutes and when I come back the rat is either gone or in the snake's grip.

[PythonChick]

I use feeding tongs here for my four balls. I have one girl who tries to tag me almost every week, her rats never even touch the floor, and I wouldn't want to be dropping that rat in with my bare hands! I still jump when they strike too!

[starmom]

I jump too....and I'm not even the one feeding! LOL

I jump when they take their sweet time; flicking their tongues, moving the head around, getting into the strike position then WHAM! Gets me every time!! I'm glad they are so fast cause I jump so that I darn near pull the rat back out of the tub!! Silly snakes!