Really Exciting Snakes!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Beautiful snakes!

Do you cut the dorsal spines off the bluegill? Just curious, I know they eat fish in the wild spines and all.

Nope, I just thaw them out, cut them down the middle if they're too big, or hand them to the snake whole, making sure that they grab it the right way so that the spines will lay flat.

[ConcinusMan]

Or you could just cut the spiny fins off? I dunno, I just wouldn't be confortable with feeding them blue gill like that. I guess it's the protective father in me. I've seen snakes dang near choke to death on less dangerous stuff. I mean, what if the snake decides it needs to regurgitate

[Snaky]

Some very beautiful snakes and great pictures, Shannon!

[Nir]

Very nice snakes!! I especially love the flames and the black neck!

We need more pics!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Or you could just cut the spiny fins off? I dunno, I just wouldn't be confortable with feeding them blue gill like that. I guess it's the protective father in me. I've seen snakes dang near choke to death on less dangerous stuff. I mean, what if the snake decides it needs to regurgitate

I've never had a snake dang near choke on anything, lol! I don't find it at all necessary. If a snake wants to spit it up he won't have any problems, because everything is covered in so much slime that it comes right out as smooth as it went in. Sometimed my big female water snake will swallow something, start pushing it down, and then decide she didn't like how she swallowed it the first time, spits it back up and eats it again the exact same way she just swallowed it. She does this with both mice and fish.... she's a weird one! The Spines are fixated downward anyways from the fish being frozen. I have had wild snakes throw up whole bluegills on me before... they don't have any problems. I am much more concerned about substrate ingestion than I am the naturally occurring spines on fish!

[ConcinusMan]

"Sometimed my big female water snake will swallow something, start pushing it down, and then decide she didn't like how she swallowed it the first time, spits it back up..."

And that's right about when that spiny fin pokes out right through the neck, right? I mean, it goes one way just fine, but not the other way.

I'm sorry, but I'll pass on the whole bluegill. Way too many other good sources of food to be dealing with that mess. The times I was talking about snakes dang near choking to death was when they decided they wanted to reverse gears. fins tend to not go both ways and that's where the choking commences.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

And that's right about when that spiny fin pokes out right through the neck, right? I mean, it goes one way just fine, but not the other way.

No, it doesn't happen like that. There is too much slime involved. The fins stay flat, they are covered in lubricant and they are stiffened in the down position from being frozen. It DOES go the other way just fine... I am not saying that I think it will I am saying I know it does. I've fed my snakes a LOT of bluegill.

[Nir]

I found a northern watersnake with a spine probably from a catfish poking through its side... The snake looked fine and the injury looked old, like the snake had healed.... I am guessing the spine will eventually just drop... It was fascinating!! hehe

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Catfish spines are brutal... they actually sting with them and they are very large and sharp! They also tend to stick to whatever they've been stuck through, I always have to remind other workers at my store not to use nets with catfish... they stick out their spines in fear and become stuck in the net... permanently! It kills them

[Nir]

Catfish spines are brutal... they actually sting with them and they are very large and sharp! They also tend to stick to whatever they've been stuck through, I always have to remind other workers at my store not to use nets with catfish... they stick out their spines in fear and become stuck in the net... permanently! It kills them

Oh yes!!! Anyone who has had to empty a Pimelodus sp quarantine tank knows what your takin about!! hehe I used to work in a petstore too!