I know it's dead

[Banjo]

My bredli hits pretty hard then coils and rolls around then takes about 5-10 mins before feeding. Great to watch.

 

[ClareB]

My littlest diamond intergrade just coils no strike whatsoever. I just push it into him and he constricts then swallows.

 

[LauraM]

When i first got my stimmie and fed him on a plate he would slowly masticate it, these days when i hold with tongs he striked and wraps around it but doesnt really squeeze... he was wild caught i guess he knows how when his "victim" is alive

 

[Lozza]

A fair few of mine just eat it - both my BHPs, waters, some antaresia and 6 of my womas. I just put the rat in the enclosure though instead of dangling it around.
The carpets always constrict though.

 

[amy5189]

Sorry if this is a silly question but does this depend on the type of snake also?
For example, I hear that BHPs are more carrion eaters, so i would understand if they dont do as much (if any) constricting?

hehe, you should see my bhp eating. he doesn't strike. he just casually strolls up to the mousey and then starts eating it. i'm pretty sure he'd die if he was in the wild.... silly theo

 

[Jewly]

All of mine strike pretty hard, but the last time I fed my Woma he just opened his mouth slowly and took the rat into his mouth and then started swallowing it. Also, the first time I fed my Bredli a day old chick, he grabbed it hard but then let go and started circling it, sniffing it and poking it and then he finally ate it.

 

[Chris1]

depends on if im jigglling the mouse or not, if i jiggle it gets constricted, if i just drop it it generally just gets swallowed.

thats with my oldest bredli anyway, i've only jiggled with the rest and they always constrict.

 

[Strangla]

My Spotted starts snapping at stuff when i put him in his feed container, i guess he cant wait, however my diamond likes to constrict as hard as he can, but i shake the fuzzies as soon as they get a grip to imitate struggle anyway!

 

[sarah_m]

In 12 months my BHP has only ever constricted his food once and even that was a half hearted attempt. I'm sure he knows it is dead and doesnt see the point in waisting energy by killing it again.

And so far my 3month old diamond has constricted her food about 50% of the time.
Sometimes she will, other times not.

 

[sarah86]

I have a 5 month old spotted who thinks he is G.I.JOE. he constricts for about 15 mins, sniffs it out for about 5 mins and then constrict again with a death rolls, then sniffs it out again, then constricts and eats it.. Our feed time is averaging around 50mins, his longest feed was 1hr 5mins. (he does this every feed without fail)

I started to film the first time he ate and after 15mins my arms was hurting from holding the video camera i gave up.

 

[Lovemydragons]

I have a 5 month old spotted who thinks he is G.I.JOE. he constricts for about 15 mins, sniffs it out for about 5 mins and then constrict again with a death rolls, then sniffs it out again, then constricts and eats it.. Our feed time is averaging around 50mins, his longest feed was 1hr 5mins. (he does this every feed without fail)

I started to film the first time he ate and after 15mins my arms was hurting from holding the video camera i gave up.

I think my girl is shy. She takes longer and longer to eat now. I have up her food size recently so I like to check in on her (without opening the click clack) to see how she's going. If she sees me come into the room and she's still coiled around the rat (still hanging from her branch) but turns her head to look at me. She hasn't even started eating it. I go in the room in 30 minute intervals and she hasn't done anything. Most of the time I give up and go to bed (cos it's late) and the rat is gone by morning.
I haven't actually seen her eat since her first feed with me. Just skinny snake hugging a rat, then fat snake!

 

[daniel1234]

LMHO Sarah, gotta love the Spotteds.
My female MD was very laid back with her meals--gently bite it, maybe drag to another part of the enclosure, then think about eating it, although as of late she has done the "smash and make sure it is dead by taking forever to constrict it thing. My male Bredli constricts his forever and eight times out of 10 will eat it backwards so it takes longer. My coastals have been to lazy to kill it at times as well. I wonder what makes them choose to do it one time and not another?

 

[blackthorn]

My adult roughie strikes so enthusiatically at food time that she almost falls off her branch, then coils her entire body around the rat, constricts it for at least 10mins, then releases a bit and stares at it for another 10-15mins before eating it. A lot of my snakes don't constrict, or only constrict sometimes.

 

[MattB]

Thanks for all your responses. I guess I definatly have nothing to worry about.

 

[borntobnude]

sorry to be a regugeataor but having finaly fed our new stimmy it was quite a shock when it didnt strike at the pinky . after having read this thread with amazment , so i put it at the opening of the hide expecting to see it there in the morning . but was woken by shrills of delight from my wife to be told that the silly thing was trying to drag the pinky rat into the hide ,but it wasnt having any succes so she finaly came out to eat . HA HA this happend again last night . maybe we should let sid watch nancy eat ? he might learn not to shove his food down like its his last meal , but heh at least there eating and growing CHEERS!

 

[derekm]

I have just watched my new Stimmie (6 months old) have its second feed. On the first feed, when I offered the thawed pinkie mouse by the tail on a pair of forceps, he just moved his head all over it constantly flicking the tongue, then lost interest. So I left the mouse on a trail in the enclosure where he looked like he was going. He appeared to lose interest in heading that way, so I went away for almost 10 minutes. When I came back, the mouse was gone and the snake's had a mouse-sized bulge. Great outcome for his first feed from me, but I didn't see it and don't know whether he constricted or not. I guessed that he didn't because it was all over and the snake was about 60 cm away in less than 10 minutes. I was hoping to check that out because I had read this thread before I got him.

Pretty much the same story on the second feed tonight, except that I stayed to watch. He crawled to the pinkie laying in the same spot as last time, moved his head all over it constantly flicking the tongue,crawled past it with the first third of his body, then doubled back, turned his head around and calmly ate it head first.

Having read this thread, I am now wondering whether the fact that my Stimmie had to be force-fed by the breeder until about a month ago has anything to do with the fact that he doesn't constrict.

Has anyone noticed a consistent correlation btween force feeding as a hatchie and absence of constricting behaviour as a juvenile?

 

[beeman]

We have force feed a few hatchie stimmies and Carpets some become strike feeders and some dont its an individual thing from animal to animal!

Why the hell people are reading so much into so little is beyond me! if the snake is eating and growing why are you thinking that there is a problem when clearly there isnt!

 

[derekm]

We have force feed a few hatchie stimmies and Carpets some become strike feeders and some dont its an individual thing from animal to animal!

Why the hell people are reading so much into so little is beyond me! if the snake is eating and growing why are you thinking that there is a problem when clearly there isnt!

I was hoping that one or more breeders who work with statistically significant numbers of hatchies would be able to shed some light on this, so thanks for your observation.

BTW I don't see a problem. I kinda like the idea that some snakes are able to not apply their instinctive behaviour in situations where it is unnecessary. But I was curious about the possibility of a correlation.