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snakes eating out of our hands - is it okay?

T

tracy0416

Tracy
I saw a picture here of a corn snake eating right from the owner's hand and it seemed really neat so I tried it. First time, and every time since, Josephine eats 2 pinkies out of my hand while sitting on my lap. It's the cutest, coolest thing ever! It's so incredible that she "trusts" me enough to do this.

She doesn't constrict her food yet but I guess she will one day. And, one day she'll mistake my "pinkie" for a real pinkie and try to eat it and I'll have to feed her from a bowl. But for now, while she's a youngster, I can get away with it.

Do any of you do this? Are there pro's and con's? :shrugs:

Thanks!
 
Aside from it seeming neat all I can really come up with are cons.
Your snake might be more likely to spook and spit out the food if you move the wrong way possibly causing them to not want to continue eatting.
Its not exactly sanitary.
Aaaand you're smack dab in the middle of feeding response, and you smell like dead mouse. Can't be blamed if the snake munches on you.
 
Corny Noob said:
Aside from it seeming neat all I can really come up with are cons.
Your snake might be more likely to spook and spit out the food if you move the wrong way possibly causing them to not want to continue eatting.
Its not exactly sanitary.
Aaaand you're smack dab in the middle of feeding response, and you smell like dead mouse. Can't be blamed if the snake munches on you.
Click to expand...


vouch x2!!!!!
 
I've gotten into a bad habit of feeding my big Eastern King with my hand. Now, if I stick my hand in the cage, she comes out to investigate and I've been bitten on several occassions. She usually realizes her mistak, but not before chewing on me for a few seconds.

I don't have the same problem with my smaller King and Corn which I feed with tongs.
 
I only feed hatchlings in my hand if I want Macro shots, anything bigger than that get fed by hemostats...


Darn, I can't seem to find the file with the hand feeding pics for an example... They would show that I wear a surgical glove and my hand is flat for the most part, so no digit would be mistaken for another pinky.
 
Okay, I'll stop feeding her this way. I just saw those photos and got all excited about getting her to "trust" me and being so close to the action.

Ya, if she asscociates my hand with feeding and she tries to eat my finger, it could be bad for her to have to give me back my finger 'cause that would be like a regurge.

My bad. Thanks guys.
 
Well Tracy you've got to remember, your snake is just an animal and you cannot trust them to not make mistakes :grin01:
 
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