• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Does feeding live make a mean snake?

TxMomto4

TxMomto4

New member
Ok, I am completely new to the snake world. Had our baby for about 6 weeks. I only know what I have researched, and what I have been told by people we know who have snakes (corns, king, boas, etc).

*CAN* feeding live mice to a snake make them more aggressive? I assume that it depends on the snake and its individual personality, but I have been known to be wrong - a lot - in my assumptions. :) Is there a big difference in feeding frozen and live besides the obvious fact that a live rodent could harm your snake?

Our corn is only a baby so we are feeding frozen pinkies, but I am curious for in the future.
 
if you handle the snake, then no it will not be aggressive. feeding them live does not make them aggressive. Some snakes only respond to live food whereas others don't. the main reason that a person would feed frozen would be they don't want the chance of the mouse hurting or killing the snake

I feed mostly frozen because i still consider mice cute and adorable and hate seeing their distress when they get nabbed, but I do have 2 snakes i just got (ball pythons) that have always fed live and we are for the moment, continuing with that. These two boys are the sweetest snakes ever and they have not struck at us at all. We also feed our boa live from time to time and she is no more aggressive then any of our other snakes that feed on frozen.

so over all, I don't believe that feeding live CAN make the snake more aggressive. but thats only from seeing my snakes-

just my 2cents :D
 
most snakes will grab/constrict frozen stuff like its still alive...most of the time I don't think they know the difference...

Handle your snake gently and you should be fine.
 
Thank you. That was what I was wanting to know. I don't think that we will feed live as my two year old daughter, Cheyenne, likes Jackie (our corn), and I don't want her to think that Jackie is mean by eating a mouse that may resemble our hamster who Chey is also fond of! :)

I was mainly curious as I am looking at getting a grown corn (very tame) who only eats live.
 
Thank you. We had problems with our girl the first couple weeks with her wanting to be "rude", but the breeder we got her from came out, and showed me what I was doing wrong. :) I can now pick her up no problem as can my kids (only with supervision).
 
feeding live is not highly suggested in the herp community. especially not for a novice or beginner owner. but some do feed live and you just have to be careful when doing it and always be ready to intervene, and always be ready to pay for a vet bill if it goes wrong. not gonna tell you how to feed.

i have had to feed live to a boa that i traded off and it wasnt all that bad. she was a great snake once she realized you didnt have a rat for her. but her feeding responses were violent. a live feeder will not necessarily be a mean snake at all. ive really never met a mean snake. snakes bite in defense to something huges as us picking them up, possibly as a meal they would think or to hurt them. they either flee or fight and some are crazy enough to fight. with regular handling and exposure to you. your snake will usually be a very tame one and enjoy the handling and like getting out of the "house" every once in a while to hang out with you.
 
Good point on not doing it with being a novice. Lots to learn on my end. Quick question that I can't seem to find the answer to...

Do snakes get shots? What illnesses are there to look for - signs and symptoms? Thanks!
 
Good on the no shots. How would they gets mites? If from other animals, what other animals? How do you know if the have a respiratory infection?
 
The mites will look like little flecks of pepper under the snakes scales...flip the snakes head over and check the scales under the chin...they would get them from other infested snakes or possibly from rodents living near infested snakes.

respiratory problems will manifest as bubbles and excess spit...in its mild form the snake will "yawn" alot. Put the snake up to your ear, if the breathing sounds "wet" he might be sick.
 
they can get mites anywhere. like if you go to a reptile show and hold a snake with mites. then go home and have a shirt with a mite on it. it can get on your snake. or if you get a new log or bedding for your snake. it can have mites. or if you dont feed f/t mites can come in on mice. theres a lot of ways to get mites. and its not that your a bad owner if you get them. its a common thing to happen and you just gotta take care of it. its like head lice, it doesnt make someone a bad parent if their kid gets it. they probably got it from some kid at school. you just gotta take care of the problem as it is. not a biggie. but there are ways to try and prevent mites. like treating bedding before using it. and other cage furnishings. washing hands and maybe changing clothes if you were just messing around with animals that you dont own so your not sure if theyre healthy.
 
Thanks! What are ways to treat for mites? We have a local vet that does treat snakes, but all of this is good to know!
 
You also need to look out for Crypt (an internal parasite, Cryptosporidiosis) and mouth rot(infectious stomatitis). Crypt is VERY deadly and mouth rot is also, if it is left untreated for long periods of time.

Signs of Crypt: Vomitting (regurge), Severe Swelling, and Bloating.
Cure of Crypt: Currently, there is no cure. Your snake would have to be put to sleep.

Signs of Mouth rot: Formation of "cheesy" gunk in the mouth, blackening/falling out of teeth, red or inflamed gums
Cure: Raising temperature or a vet visist will cure mouth rot.

I check my snakes for mouth rot every month so that I never have to worry about advanced stages of the fungus.
 
To your first question... I believe feeding live can affect a rarely handled snake's temperament. I have two snakes who fed live prior to me getting them... One of them isn't often handled, as she's extremely moody and large (for a rat snake). Funny thing is, she was even more moody (aka prone to biting/striking) before she switched to f/t. I have no explanation other than the switch to f/t, as she's handled even less here than she was in her previous home. Lucy is of a species that is known for being nippy, though, and very likely affected by limited handling... Which changes my answer, for your scenario (regularly handled corn snake), to "no"--the live feeding likely wouldn't affect the snake's behavior. Well, gee, that just makes my entire explanation seem useless... Lol! =)

Anyway, I'd like to add, a corn snake isn't often difficult to switch to frozen/thaw. Unlike Ball pythons, corns aren't too picky... "Superheating" the prey and doing the "Zombie Mouse Dance" is often enough to convince a live-feeding corn to take f/t.
 
"Zombie Mouse Dance" - you mean I don't HAVE to do that?? LOL My kids think it funny when mom makes the mouse walk and then fly for Jackie to eat it. I just figured with her being a baby, she'd want to think she is a mighty huntress. :)

Thank you for the explanation, and I got what you were saying. What is your snake, Lucy?
 
Floof said:
Lucy is of a species that is known for being nippy, though, and very likely affected by limited handling... Which changes my answer, for your scenario (regularly handled corn snake), to "no"--the live feeding likely wouldn't affect the snake's behavior. Well, gee, that just makes my entire explanation seem useless... Lol! =).
Click to expand...

LOL, never mind I just saw... Taiwan Beauty Snake.. I looked them up as I had never heard of them, and wow, gorgeous snakes!
 
COerriccaRN said:
You also need to look out for Crypt (an internal parasite, Cryptosporidiosis) and mouth rot(infectious stomatitis). Crypt is VERY deadly and mouth rot is also, if it is left untreated for long periods of time.

Signs of Crypt: Vomitting (regurge), Severe Swelling, and Bloating.
Cure of Crypt: Currently, there is no cure. Your snake would have to be put to sleep.

Signs of Mouth rot: Formation of "cheesy" gunk in the mouth, blackening/falling out of teeth, red or inflamed gums
Cure: Raising temperature or a vet visist will cure mouth rot.

I check my snakes for mouth rot every month so that I never have to worry about advanced stages of the fungus.
Click to expand...

Wow, thank you!!!! I am writing all of this down in my "snake" journal of things I need to know! What can be done for mites? Mine doesn't have them, but I just want to be ready regardless of what happens.
 
Wow, thank you!!!! I am writing all of this down in my "snake" journal of things I need to know! What can be done for mites? Mine doesn't have them, but I just want to be ready regardless of what happens.
Click to expand...

For mites all you need to do is move your snake to a small critter cage with only paper towels, a hide, and water...somewhere far away from her original viv. Then clean EVERYTHING out of the viv. "Bake" all your hides and clean the tank out with a bleach/water solution.

For the snake itself, you can bathe it in lukewarm water, then spray any kind of mite spray into its "new" viv(you choice of spray, follow directions on bottle.)
 
COerriccaRN said:
For mites all you need to do is move your snake to a small critter cage with only paper towels, a hide, and water...somewhere far away from her original viv. Then clean EVERYTHING out of the viv. "Bake" all your hides and clean the tank out with a bleach/water solution.

For the snake itself, you can bathe it in lukewarm water, then spray any kind of mite spray into its "new" viv(you choice of spray, follow directions on bottle.)
Click to expand...

Thanks again. This is all need to know stuff! I guess the other question I had is I have the opportunity to buy a HUGE (over 6 ft) reptile/snake cage that originally housed two burmese pythons. It has a divider that can be inserted. Would this be good to house two grown corns in (after cleaning)? Would it be too big?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top