| T O P I C R E V I E W |
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Posted - 15/08/2011 : 15:18:27
Yes, I know this is really nothing to be proud of ...
I don't know, it's chaos at Chateau Bats just lately. In addition to other stuff, the bathroom was plunged into darkness on Friday, the washing machine flooded this morning, and I was quite relieved at the soothing prospect of feeding Shahi, whose small rat had defrosted in the fridge overnight and was warming up in its plastic bag in a sunny window.
For months now Shahi's feeding programme has been as follows:
Put rat on to gratin dish with tongs and warm with hairdryer, turning with tongs, never with fingers. When nice and hot, take dish in to bedroom, open Shahi's viv, lift his hide off him, pick him up and point him in the direction of his climbing branch, where he arranges himself, eyes shining, eager for his rat. I HAVE tried presenting ratty at ground level but Shahi says no, he likes to be up on his climbing branch, so that's what we do.
Today everything went smoothly until I picked him up. A hefty boy now. Needs both hands to hold him comfortably. I pointed him at his climbing branch - but he whipped round and grabbed a finger on my right hand, while coiling hard round my left hand. And he meant business!
'Shahi, you little ...' This hurt, just a bit. It was like having my finger crushed in a door, with broken glass. His teeth were embedded, and I could feel him taking my finger down his gullet ...ouch!
Manacled, I grabbed the bathroom light pull with my teeth, and got the light on. Keeping both hands as still as I possibly could, as the slightest movement would stimulate a tighter coil and more enthusiastic bite, I went to the sink and managed to get the cold tap full on with my elbow (thank god for those capstan taps - the smooth sort would have been useless!)
I held him, still tightly coiled and gripping me, so that the cold water rushed into his mouth and over his head. Poor Shahi! At first I thought that it wasn't going to work; then his coils relaxed slightly; he opened his mouth, and I was able to ease free. Splashed with my gore, he subsided into the sink, looking surprised and hurt. What was all that for? Been feeding hadn't he? Good boy for feeding, should be proud of him! What was with the cold shower then? I hastily turned off the tap and, apologising profusely, swaddled him in my bathtowel before returning him to his viv.
Would he still feed? I put him up on his branch and proffered the rat. He looked a bit doubtful. Still oozing gore (the snake comes first) I rushed to rewarm the rat, and this time he took it and all was well. Leaving him constricted about the rat I took these photos -
and cleaned up with Hibiscrub. He had taken the top two joints of my finger full into his mouth and the finger looks a bit puffy and blue now, but no teeth were in it, thank goodness, although python teeth are apparently more expendable than we realise; they may shed them as a matter of course when eating; the teeth regrow.
I returned to watch him placidly taking down his rat. For the first time, as the white belly of the rat eased past his lower jaw, I saw his windpipe sticking out, so as to breathe while his mouth was full of rat. Fascinating!
So, he's a big boy now. He's a man. No longer is he being picked up just before feeding. Ratty will be presented at the mouth of the hide and he can do his worst with it - I've learned my lesson.
Yes, you may laugh! |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
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Posted - 03/05/2012 : 11:36:13
Honestly - no need to be scared. I have four of the beasties and apart from when in full feeding mode, they are totally soppy - in fact Surahi, who's 6 and 4' long, is the quietest and most retiring of my royals. They really are a lovely snake and very docile - have been described as the 'golden labrador' of the snake world.
Chances are, as long as you're careful on feeding day, feed with tongs and don't touch the snake beforehand, you'll never be bitten.
I've posted this vid before but it's amusing though it really is NOT how to feed a snake, and definitely not a python - it's a GTP but the heat pits in the snake's face are the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjZ69by5i2I&feature=related
and omg he went back in and did the same thing ... |
| MarknSarah |
Posted - 03/05/2012 : 11:19:00
Ok now iam scared lol...but atleast i know what to do now when i get bitten |
| n/a |
Posted - 17/08/2011 : 22:25:40
Thanks, Mystra, I'll tell him ...even though he's got a swelled head already lol! Getting very full of himself, bless! |
| mystra |
Posted - 17/08/2011 : 18:46:01
he's a lovely boy - what a stunner! :D |
| n/a |
Posted - 17/08/2011 : 17:11:34
Here he is, very dopey, still full of rat and having a cuddle on my knee. To the left of his neck is the finger he mistook for a rat - scarcely a mark.
Again I noticed how big and strong he's getting. At one point he wrapped himself round both my arms and squeezed, entirely good-naturedly, I might add, and although he's still very easy to steer and does the usual royal python flinch from a sudden movement, he is now very definitely an adult male; his presence is entirely different from Surahi's even though she's bigger and older. Or so it seems to me.
He's a gorgeous beast and I'm so proud of him! |
| n/a |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 19:36:05
Yeah I know - so many of my lot are regularly up at the viv window - 'feeding day Lil!' And they say snakes aren't intelligent??
It's fascinating; I call it a 'walk on the wild side', the way they switch into feeding mode and become Fierce Wild Animals and then, appetite satisfied, revert to pets again ...
He and his full belly will be ready for cuddles tomorrow.
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| mystra |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 19:09:27
quote:
Originally posted by BurnedAtTheStake
LOL - in the absence of a hot rat he'll be my own lad again, bless him.
Will post a pic.
i think this is the Chancho of the future i have to look forward to! he's so snappy and feisty on feeding night (even when i haven't brought the rats upstairs!!! How does he know Monday's feeding night?!) and the rest of the time he's a scaley puppy with no legs... !
it's a good job we love em!!! :D can't wait to see pics! |
| n/a |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 18:12:11
LOL - in the absence of a hot rat he'll be my own lad again, bless him.
Will post a pic. |
| mystra |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 17:23:36
quote:
Originally posted by BurnedAtTheStake
LOL - I did go ouch at first, but then had to concentrate on getting him to release me, poor guy.
Certainly can't fault his feeding response these days ...
Tomorrow he's coming out for a cuddle - and not a word about biting lol.
oooooooooh and ouch!! just read the first post, sounds bloody painful! ... but like you said can't fault the feeding response!! i love the fact that he gets a big towel cuddle afterwards !
hope he's on best behaviour tomorrow! |
| n/a |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 14:53:58
LOL - I did go ouch at first, but then had to concentrate on getting him to release me, poor guy.
Certainly can't fault his feeding response these days ...
Tomorrow he's coming out for a cuddle - and not a word about biting lol. |
| Evolution Morphs |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 14:30:29
Ouch bet it was more of a shock then painful
Oh the joys of royals hey lol ;) |
| n/a |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 11:40:33
LOL - the finger's fine! A bit of a bruise and a couple of scratches, that's all.
I'm just kicking myself for letting the whole thing happen, luckily he's a great placid lump these days - and as you know, he loves water, so it didn't put him off his grub.
I'd read before about sticking the snake's head under cold water if it had hold of you - and as you'll know yourself when there's an animal emergency, you just do cope. The chief thing was to keep as still as possible because any movement would have aroused Shahi's instinct to grip tighter so as to make sure my left hand was 'dead.'
I'm cross with myself though, for understanding the cause of a feeding response bite (smell of rat, coupled with warm object such as human hand) and then letting Shahi in for that experience. The poor chap is curled up in his hide now, sleeping off the rat ...and next time if he wants to feed from his branch, he'll have to climb up there by himself. |
| BlueDragon |
Posted - 16/08/2011 : 11:17:32
Hmm, rather you than me I'm afraid!
Good idea about the cold shower though, I don't know if I would have thought of that. Dunno what I would have thought!
How's your finger now then? Feeling sorry for its-self no doubt? |
| n/a |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 22:25:22
quote:
Originally posted by boomslang
quote:
No - that's just it - I make it a rule to only touch the rat with tongs, which are 1' long approx. But scent probably wafted into the viv, and of course my hands are warm ...as I say, we've had the same routine for months but it never does to assume everything will go to plan. He's a big lad now, not a baby.
But at least he ate his rat in the end, despite having had a taste of Bats!
thats odd then,seems very un-royal like to strike you like that.
I think it was just a case of, ah, she's picking me up to put me on my branch as it's feeding day ...ah, I can smell ratty, well, what's this then? A warm finger or a warm rat? Don't care - nom!
Any scent of food, coupled with the heat pits on their faces directing them towards the nearest warmth, turn hungry royals into eating machines, and in a lot of cases that's the one time you may get a feeding response bite if you're not careful.
And I just wasn't careful enough ... |
| boomslang |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 22:18:02
quote:
No - that's just it - I make it a rule to only touch the rat with tongs, which are 1' long approx. But scent probably wafted into the viv, and of course my hands are warm ...as I say, we've had the same routine for months but it never does to assume everything will go to plan. He's a big lad now, not a baby.
But at least he ate his rat in the end, despite having had a taste of Bats!
thats odd then,seems very un-royal like to strike you like that. |
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Posted - 15/08/2011 : 21:22:28
True - I'm just so thankful that the cold water didn't cool his ardour - he was so clearly puzzled as to why he'd been stuck under it for a nice strong feeding response ...poor guy!
Still, who wouldn't exchange a bony finger for a hot fat rat? I gave him loads of praise and it probably went down all the better with a lingering flavour of Bats' ketchup lol! |
| sandi |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 20:56:46
Flip! you were lucky, that could have been worse for both of you!
I use tongs with Boris but not always with Florence so i think i will from now on! She is in a voracious feeding phase right now so i will bear your words in mind!!! |
| n/a |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 18:49:32
quote:
Originally posted by boomslang
quote:
Today everything went smoothly until I picked him up. A hefty boy now. Needs both hands to hold him comfortably. I pointed him at his climbing branch - but he whipped round and grabbed a finger on my right hand, while coiling hard round my left hand. And he meant business!
perhaps you had scent on your hand.
No - that's just it - I make it a rule to only touch the rat with tongs, which are 1' long approx. But scent probably wafted into the viv, and of course my hands are warm ...as I say, we've had the same routine for months but it never does to assume everything will go to plan. He's a big lad now, not a baby.
But at least he ate his rat in the end, despite having had a taste of Bats! |
| boomslang |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 18:31:59
quote:
Today everything went smoothly until I picked him up. A hefty boy now. Needs both hands to hold him comfortably. I pointed him at his climbing branch - but he whipped round and grabbed a finger on my right hand, while coiling hard round my left hand. And he meant business!
perhaps you had scent on your hand. |
| n/a |
Posted - 15/08/2011 : 18:00:21
Well, it wasn't the feeding exactly - it was me thinking it was okay to pick the lad up beforehand - many people put their royal into a separate rub to feed and it's fine, but I reckon they must keep the whiff of ratty away from the snake until it's safely in the rub. I'd taken care not to touch the rat at all, but of course a snake has an incredible sense of smell - he knew it was about somewhere and when he felt my warm hand he just got his wires crossed, poor chap. Or rather followed his instincts.
For months now I've helped him up on to his climbing branch and then offered the rat on tongs (Wilkinsons kitchen tongs with plastic grips, £2 approx) but looks like he's grown out of that. Since he obviously gets fired up and in hunting mode the minute his viv's opened (Which is great!) he'll get ratty offered on tongs at ground level in future ...
Love him, he just took me by surprise though! |
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