Stitching rats to chicken

[marc-anthony]

hi
I’ve heard some people stitch rats to chicken legs, necks etc
How is this done?
Like what do they use to sew them toghether that’s safe for the snake to digest?


Have recently got a water python and wanting to feed her on chicken

However not sure how to start.
At the moment I have chicken legs in a bag with rats to get the scent on them.

She is going through a shed at the moment so is not eating.

 

[Sdaji]

Back in the 90s I experimented with things like this, I just used cotton.

I was never a big fan of using a needle and thread though, and neither was I any good at it, so I was glad when I learned an alternative technique for these situations. It works well on some snakes and not so easily on others. Boids take to it particularly well. First, feed the snake the thing it likes (chicken in this case). As your Water Python is finishing the chicken, place the thing you want her to eat (in this case rat) in her mouth. It shouldn't take too much practise to master the technique, and it's also a good way to convert a snake on to a new type of feed. I first heard about this technique in the 90s, from Americans who for some reason called it 'shotgunning'. I've heard Australians call it other things in the last 5-10 years. I haven't stitched two animals together since learning it.

You'll also often find that a hungry snake which was just finished eating a small item will be enthusiastic about taking another item, even if it's not something it would usually take as a first item. Water Pythons are usually pretty enthusiastic feeders and a Water Python large enough to take chicken legs should probably be pretty easy to get on to rats. In the mean time, I'd be happy to just feed her chicken until she wants to convert

Happy feeding

 

[cris]

I find most snakes will eat chicken if you heat it up in the same water as rats. That even that is not needed usually. The method Sdaji mentions works well, but I don't remember needing to do this to feed a snake chicken.

 

[Sdaji]

Oh, sorry, I misread your post. I thought you were feeding her chicken and trying to convert to rats. I see it's the other way around. She'll probably just happily eat chicken, if not I'd just keep feeding her rats. If you really must feed her chicken, I'd first offer her the chicken and if she doesn't want it you can do what I suggested with the items swapped.

 

[marc-anthony]

Thanks for the help
Trying to get her on chicken for the cost mainly.
But she’s still in her shed atm hopefully when she’s done she’s hungry enough and just eats the chicken