Water Snake Feeding Pics

[pitbulllady]

The local Bi-Lo supermarket had a good deal on fresh wild-caught Salmon fillets today if you have a Bi-Lo discount card, so I picked one up for the Water Snakes. Some of these guys are recently wild-caught, and I had not tried them on anything other than live large Shiners, so I was eager to see how they'd handle a piece of fish instead of the whole thing. Of course, my long-term captives tore right into them, even my hypo Banded who is gravid and in deep shed. The two normal Banded girls and the male Red-Belly were a bit hesitant at first, sorta like, "but where's its HEAD?" They'd grab a piece of fish and then spit it out, then try again, until they figured it out. Once they got a piece going down, though, there was no turning back! The only snakes that would not take a piece of fish were the gravid female Red-Belly, the Brown and my "crack-baby" Eastern Garter, though I wasn't surprised that the Brown refused. I've only been able to get him to eat live fish, and I'm fortunate to get him to eat at all, since I've found that species to be problematic feeders in general.

First up, the little female Banded(x Red-Belly?)-the Midland has already eaten as you can see by her bulging belly, lol.


The next shows the male Red-Belly in sequence, eating a Salmon strip. What's so neat is that if you look closely, especially in the second and third pics, you can see the enlarged "fang" at the rear of his mouth.





pitbulllady

[guidofatherof5]

Great photos and drop-dead beautiful snakes.

Do they always read when they eat?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Awesome photos... you make me want my red bellies RIGHT NOW! I can't wait all the way till saturday...

I am really surprised you are having trouble with your taxispilota. Mine both ate some tilapia off my tongs today... all I had to do was flop it around in front of them! The female took a bit of convincing but the male is a sucker for anything that smells even remotely like fish!!! He is a little piggy!

[pitbulllady]

Awesome photos... you make me want my red bellies RIGHT NOW! I can't wait all the way till saturday...

I am really surprised you are having trouble with your taxispilota. Mine both ate some tilapia off my tongs today... all I had to do was flop it around in front of them! The female took a bit of convincing but the male is a sucker for anything that smells even remotely like fish!!! He is a little piggy!

I've always had trouble with Browns. This is actually the only one I've ever had that would reliably eat, period. I had to release a big female recently because she wouldn't touch anything I offered her. The big female Red-Belly ate six jumbo Shiners last Saturday, but after mouthing at the Salmon, she turned her nose up at it. That might have something to do with her being gravid, though, since some female snakes do quit eating altogether as they get closer to either birthing or egg-laying. The female Banded ate, though, in spite of being completely "opaque" right now. This is one of the things I really live about these guys, though; they're one of the few snakes that I can share MY meals with...the other Salmon fillet tasted great after a little broiling and some drawn butter and garlic! Shopping for food for these snakes is almost as convenient as buying cat or dog food at the supermarket. I wish all my other snakes were this easy to feed. At least I'm not allergic to fish, like I am to rodents.

pitbulllady

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

you are so right! The people at my local supermarket actually know why I am always browsing the seafood section. The one kid even knows what kinds of fish I will and won't buy!!!