bmwdirtracer
Member
Hi Scott!
Thanks for sharing! I really need to get some new pictures up!
I'd like to share a story.....
Yesterday, my youngest male (~5+ feet) shed....but didn't shed either eyecap, or the skin under the chin.
I saw the fresh shed when I got home from work, and, as always, checked the snake and the skin. I immediately removed him from the cage, turned on bright lights, grabbed flat=bladed tweezers and wet paper towels. It took maybe twenty minutes of restraining, wetting and rubbing with the wet towels, and grabbing the edges of the unshed eyecaps with tweezers, before the shed was complete.
I never tried to prevent him biting me...never even considered it. Sure, I held his head steady, at times, for use of the tweezers....but HE UNDERSTOOD that I was helping him - I am absolutely positive of this. When I used the wet paper towels, he actually pressed harder against them, because he could feel their gentle wet friction.
When I was using the tweezers, my finger was often directly against the side of his mouth, fully vulnerable. My hold was NOT anti-bite, in any way. His body was very loosely restrained....I was doing this alone.
And as that last eyecap came off, and I released my very gentle restraint, he turned in my lap, and actually came up towards my face, and looked at me, from a foot away. Yeah, I know that part is very weird....I was there. And okay, I'll refrain from saying that he was thanking me, because we all know snakes can't do that.
Two minutes later he was back in his cage, and ate 2 chicks from long tweezers.
As for eating habits, Scott, all my snakes have slightly different preferences as to how they want their food offered. I use foot long tweezers.
A couple snakes prefer to have food waved in front of the hole of their hidebox. One attacks vigorously from there; one likes the prey to "run away" slowly by my backing the tweezers away.
Another responds to having the prey animal thrown eight inches in front of her. Yet another backs away from the prey animal....until I hold it still, half an inch in front of her.
And the behavior varies,sometimes a lot. I've had the shyest youngest girl launch herself out of the cage a few times, thinking my hand was the food...hell, she bit me once, accidentally, because my finger entered the hidebox while removing the lid. But she's really so shy, and, like all of my babies, exceedingly gentle. But I'm always very careful at feeding time, to prevent confusion.
For over a year, one girl would only eat quail and frogs. After last winter, she won't touch quail, but loves chicks. (Can't seem to get frogs now)
I hope you're doing well, my friend! I'll try to get some pictures up soon....maybe this weekend?
Chris
Thanks for sharing! I really need to get some new pictures up!
I'd like to share a story.....
Yesterday, my youngest male (~5+ feet) shed....but didn't shed either eyecap, or the skin under the chin.
I saw the fresh shed when I got home from work, and, as always, checked the snake and the skin. I immediately removed him from the cage, turned on bright lights, grabbed flat=bladed tweezers and wet paper towels. It took maybe twenty minutes of restraining, wetting and rubbing with the wet towels, and grabbing the edges of the unshed eyecaps with tweezers, before the shed was complete.
I never tried to prevent him biting me...never even considered it. Sure, I held his head steady, at times, for use of the tweezers....but HE UNDERSTOOD that I was helping him - I am absolutely positive of this. When I used the wet paper towels, he actually pressed harder against them, because he could feel their gentle wet friction.
When I was using the tweezers, my finger was often directly against the side of his mouth, fully vulnerable. My hold was NOT anti-bite, in any way. His body was very loosely restrained....I was doing this alone.
And as that last eyecap came off, and I released my very gentle restraint, he turned in my lap, and actually came up towards my face, and looked at me, from a foot away. Yeah, I know that part is very weird....I was there. And okay, I'll refrain from saying that he was thanking me, because we all know snakes can't do that.
Two minutes later he was back in his cage, and ate 2 chicks from long tweezers.
As for eating habits, Scott, all my snakes have slightly different preferences as to how they want their food offered. I use foot long tweezers.
A couple snakes prefer to have food waved in front of the hole of their hidebox. One attacks vigorously from there; one likes the prey to "run away" slowly by my backing the tweezers away.
Another responds to having the prey animal thrown eight inches in front of her. Yet another backs away from the prey animal....until I hold it still, half an inch in front of her.
And the behavior varies,sometimes a lot. I've had the shyest youngest girl launch herself out of the cage a few times, thinking my hand was the food...hell, she bit me once, accidentally, because my finger entered the hidebox while removing the lid. But she's really so shy, and, like all of my babies, exceedingly gentle. But I'm always very careful at feeding time, to prevent confusion.
For over a year, one girl would only eat quail and frogs. After last winter, she won't touch quail, but loves chicks. (Can't seem to get frogs now)
I hope you're doing well, my friend! I'll try to get some pictures up soon....maybe this weekend?
Chris
