I'm curious to know how you feed your snakes; handfeeding (with this I mean using a snake-tweezers) or do you put the feeder just inside the tank/feeding box and wait until the snake gets it? At the pet store,all my snakes where used to the second method but to my big surprise took the feeders from 'my hand',so to speak, from the day of their first feeding time at home!Would a very shy snake do the same do you think,or is this a sign of being used to people?

I use tongs (got bit once while holding the mouses tail,,,,,learned the hard way)

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

I use tongs.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

OK; snake-tweezers = tongs,lol!

All my snakes (and lizards) get f/t prey items.

Some of my snakes are hand fed with tongs, most of my snakes will pick up the f/t off the floor of the feeding tub and swallow it without even constricting. I have two theories on this, the first is that my snakes are conditioned to know that the prey is already dead and ready to eat, so they do not have to expend unneccessary energy constricting.

My second theory is that because they have such short memories, they think they have already killed it and just forgot. lol

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Answers are great. But I prefer questions!

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LOL;Jay! Well my snakes take the prey directly from the tong,then wrap around it for a very short moment,which is very strange,lol,and then swallow it. When they are very hungry (my corns,f.ex.) they just take it from the tong and swallow it,just like that!
But they seem to be able to know the diffrence between the tong with a pinky on it and my hand who gets them out of the feeding box into their tank again.Somehow I do believe snakes are not as dumb as some believe. They really do learn.

I agree completely with the fact that they can learn, Carmela hasn't constricted a meal in over a year. And she won't take it off the tongs, I have to put it down, then she leisurely comes and gets it.

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Jay, must be a Boa thing!
Maggie won't take it off the tongs either but lay it outside her hide and BAM!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I have no large snakes, so I just feed my garters in their enclosures. I dangle the fuzzy for them with my fingers cause they're pretty good aims. I feed my vine snake in her enclosure as well, but since she's venomous, I let the anole loose in there and close the door. I've tried to get her to eat F/T anoles and also tried live fuzzies, but she won't have any of it. If I were home more often I could probably train her eventually, but that's just the problem. I'm never around to do it. Fortunately, an anole is pretty harmless compared to a mouse, and the venom takes effect quickly.

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Heck ... I like holding the mouse/rat from it's tail bare handed, and jumping the same time the snake strikes! I've even mastered grabbing the rodent off the tank bottom when I accidently drop the rodent before the snake strikes. Been bitten a couple of times ... but "it only hurts for the moment...and then the moment is gone"!

Steven