X strikes

[SteveNT]

So I popped in a goldfish and....... X moves into position (on left)



Then the strike!



But he's just got a mouthful of soft goldfish tail and it breaks away



X can still taste goldfish so he goes into a wrapping frenzy but there is nothing there!

Finally he pops his head out only to find the goldfish staring back at him



5 minutes later and he is hunting again and the goldfish (now with shredded tail) HAS FORGOTTEN WHAT JUST HAPPENED and is curious about the grey thing on the bottom of the tank.



But X doesn't strike. I go and refresh my beverage and come back and......no goldfish, just a fat X



I still cant work out why goldfish aren't extinct!

 

[imported_Varanus]

Nice sequence Steve!

"I still cant work out why goldfish aren't extinct!"

I feel the same about some people; both just prolific breeders I guess!

 

[Bananapeel]

Ahaha I was waiting for this thread. lmao at the narration/commentary.
Such an amazing snake. Lol you missed the kill because you were grabbing another drink!? ahaha.

 

[zack13]

That's pretty cool. I'm not trying to stir anything here but how come it's ok to feed fish as live food but not mice? It just seems so much less of an issue. Also crickets and insects as well.

 

[SteveNT]

That's pretty cool. I'm not trying to stir anything here but how come it's ok to feed fish as live food but not mice? It just seems so much less of an issue. Also crickets and insects as well.

X is not your "normal" snake and wont touch dead fish (I tried). I am careful not to feed him spiny fish that could cause him damage (i.e catfish). Live prey items can do considerable damage to your snake which is a big reason not to do it. I'll leave the moral arguments to someone else. I feed my tarantulas and scorp live insects. Again, they wont touch a dead one.

 

[disintegratus]

That's pretty cool. I'm not trying to stir anything here but how come it's ok to feed fish as live food but not mice? It just seems so much less of an issue. Also crickets and insects as well.

Something to do with a nervous system that's not as well developed etc. But I think it really comes down to most of the time, the animals that eat these critters won't touch a dead one, so there's not a great deal of choice.

Very cool photos Steve, and X is pretty awesome. I'd love a file snake one day, but I'm terrified I'd kill it with idiocy somehow. They seem more fragile than some other snakes.

 

[Bananapeel]

I think also, a mouse or rat can do more damage to a snake than a goldfish. Well most goldfish anyway... same with crickets and woodies I suppose.
Pretty funny when you read it out loud in a suspenseful voice and sound like commentator then you notice your mum is at the table staring at you like *** are you doing?

 

[Xeaal]

Omg - you actually have a File snake? Wow.. that is just awesome - such a beautiful creature. Please post more photos because it's just not something you see that often. If I may ask a few questions... How old it he/she? When did you get it? How big do they get? How often do they need to be fed? Is it 100% aquatic? Sorry..lol.. just triggered my curiosity button.

 

[Bananapeel]

Omg - you actually have a File snake? Wow.. that is just awesome - such a beautiful creature. Please post more photos because it's just not something you see that often. If I may ask a few questions... How old it he/she? When did you get it? How big do they get? How often do they need to be fed? Is it 100% aquatic? Sorry..lol.. just triggered my curiosity button.

IKR! Isn't it so damn cool! I'm very jealous! Definitely seem to be something of a rarity in captive collections.

 

[treeofgreen]

hahahaha love the picture book story Steve! had a good laugh

 

[matthew.21]

How long can a snake hold it breath for anyways?

 

[SteveNT]

Omg - you actually have a File snake? Wow.. that is just awesome - such a beautiful creature. Please post more photos because it's just not something you see that often. If I may ask a few questions... How old it he/she? When did you get it? How big do they get? How often do they need to be fed? Is it 100% aquatic? Sorry..lol.. just triggered my curiosity button.

X is less than 12 months old. I bought him from the LPS (a good one with a passionate and interested owner). Cost $400 but worth every cent. His 3 siblings were poisoned by some nutcase teens in the shop the day after I bought him. Females get MUCH bigger than the males but he will grow to about 1.5 m. I currently house him in a 4 foot tank which should last him a while. I feed him a goldfish about every 10 days. There are local fish I catch in his tank and if he is hungry he snaffles one of those but Goldfish are soooooo much easier!

I've always loved aquariums and snakes so he is a dream come true!

If you go to my home page you will find more pics under " latest started threads" Enjoy.

 

[borntobnude]

That's pretty cool. I'm not trying to stir anything here but how come it's ok to feed fish as live food but not mice? It just seems so much less of an issue. Also crickets and insects as well.

Sorry to goldfish but A) they can't really fight back
B ) under water no one can hear you scream

 

[SteveNT]

How long can a snake hold it breath for anyways?

When hunting he comes up for air every 5 minutes or so but when he's lurking you may not see him for an hour or so.

 

[Bananapeel]

I bought him from the LPS (a good one with a passionate and interested owner).

What's the LPS? Sorry, probably a stupid question.
First thing that came to mind was 'Littlest Pet Shop' lol. Didn't think this was right...

 

[SteveNT]

What's the LPS? Sorry, probably a stupid question.
First thing that came to mind was 'Littlest Pet Shop' lol. Didn't think this was right...

Local Pet Shop

 

[jack]

Up the food, it will easily knock over 10 or more fish a fortnight. Frustrating animals to photo feeding, they are surprisingly quick.

 

[pythonmum]

Great series, Steve! I am glad that your computer problems have been solved so that we could all enjoy that one. You must have an excellent camera, because those are very clear. I had wondered if X ever ate the rainbow fish, but that was answered in a later post. I assume that the native fish are not quite as stupid as the goldfish. After all, that is a classic display of terminal stupidity.

 

[SteveNT]

Up the food, it will easily knock over 10 or more fish a fortnight. Frustrating animals to photo feeding, they are surprisingly quick.

He has northern trout gudgeons, glassfish and rainbows to feed on any time he wants so it's a self regulating feed process. He just has to work harder to get the locals.

1/60th is the fastest I can use with the little flash on the camera. I am getting a bigger flash unit that should let me freeze the strike but yea, it is so quick. Interesting to see how the throat inflates to suck the fish into his mouth. Like some predatory fish.

 

[SteveNT]

Omg - you actually have a File snake? Wow.. that is just awesome - such a beautiful creature. Please post more photos because it's just not something you see that often. If I may ask a few questions... How old it he/she? When did you get it? How big do they get? How often do they need to be fed? Is it 100% aquatic? Sorry..lol.. just triggered my curiosity button.

I put up an album on my homepage, I'll add pics as we go along.

Sorry I missed one answer. 99% aquatic but will travel overland if required. Will also escape if you dont have secure lids on the tank.