The first time we offered Ky-Lin a pinkie, we offered it head first like we do with the corns. She wrapped it all up in her coils and then ate it butt first, which I don't like because I've heard regurgitation is more likely if the prey is eaten backward (is that correct?). This time, I offered it to her butt first thinking she'd end up going for the head when she was ready to swallow....but nooooooooo...she struck the butt and never let go, rolled and wrapped and hung on to that butt with her teeth until she'd swallowed the thing. Do butts just taste better? Is it ok for her to eat her prey backward? Does anyone else have a snake who insists on doing the same thing? Sheesh

See what I mean?

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~Juliane~

All of mine eat them rear-first at times and I have never had a bit of trouble You worry too much

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Official hostage of the GFWD
"The truely dangerous people are the ignorant ones."
Founding Member of Logical People Against Arcane Boa Subspecies Classification (LPAABSC):
B c.c 1758, B. c. i. 1803 B. c. o. 1873!
"A BOA CONSTRICTOR IS A Boa constrictor!"

Well, yes, but maybe the root of the problem is that I READ too much...If I didn't read so much I wouldn't find so many things to worry about.

Well, I guess it's better to worry TOO much than not enough...

But maybe I should cut down on the reading...

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~Juliane~

Nah, just remember not to take everything you read at face value With all my snakes I just toss the rat in thier general direction and after they are finished "killing" it (even though it's f/t) they find the head-end themselves except for the occaisons when they are having a temporary idiocy problem. Most snakes know which end is more streamlined and Ky-Lin just hatched, she still has some learning to do is all

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Official hostage of the GFWD
"The truely dangerous people are the ignorant ones."
Founding Member of Logical People Against Arcane Boa Subspecies Classification (LPAABSC):
B c.c 1758, B. c. i. 1803 B. c. o. 1873!
"A BOA CONSTRICTOR IS A Boa constrictor!"

I'll try not to worry so much...slowly but surely I think I'm headed in the right direction. It just may take me a little longer to get to "laid-back about my snakes" land.

It's funny when they "kill" f/t. None of my corns do that, they just open wide and swallow it down. Ky-Lin is the only one who "strangles" her food and boy, does she "kill" them well! Those python instincts must be pretty strong!

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~Juliane~

Blizzard used to eat his pinkies butt first as well. all his food goes head first now. Bullet has taken a few pinkies recently butt first as well. lol its weird. however last time I guess he figured out that going butt first is a little more of a hassle and found the head and ate it that way.

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~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

Some of mine take butt first lol, and I dangle the mouse by its tail, its not to bad when its a pinky as the head and butt are almost similar size, it the bigger mouse, I find mine chomping on the tail for a while, I offer head first and they take ages then just go with the butt, sometimes I have to take it back off them and offer again, if they are struggling with the tail, like with Red the other night, he would not take it head first, I took it off him 3 times as he was just playing with the tail, he even took it nose first second time then next time I looked he was back chomping the tail, I was like

I have never had one of my snakes regurge taking butt first, Ky-Lin will be ok

Great pics Too

With pinkies, there's no or not much hair to make it difficult to swallow backwards. I think when they graduate to prey with more hair, they'll find it less comfortable to swallow backwards and try another way. Although maybe some of them just don't mind.
I know Talyn started to swallow a rat butt first but after struggling with it for a while she pulled off of it and tried it from the other end, which of course went down much much more smoothly!

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Andrea

Thats a new one on me! My snakes have swallowed butt first on many occasions and never resulted in a regurge. If it is too large to swallow they will back off.
Not at all! Read EVERYTHING you can! But as Heather said put it don't take everything as gospel. There are still books out there that are VERY outdated when it comes to info and some that are just downright ignorant.. If you find something that sounds fishy to you go for a second opinion.
You are pretty close! The snake uses the direction of the lay of the hair to locate the prey's head. That is why a lot of them don't seem to differentiate between ends to start swallowing a pinkie.
I have also seen my snakes swallow fully furred prey backwards. Usually when they were getting prey smaller than they were used to.
Guess they just got impatient.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!