Very Tactile

[guidofatherof5]

I love to watch my garters eating. 99.9% of the time there's nothing subtle about it. Strike/grab, and swallow as fast as you can., right?
Well, I've also notice something else. These snake are very tactile when eating. Tonight for example, I was feeding a group of adult(large) females(radixes). It was like World War III in there. Fights and bites. I was grabbed and she attempted to drag my hand into the hide, but there was something else.
When I pulled the thawed fuzzies out of the water I also got a number of feet and tails that had broken off. I offered these to my girls. Did they grab my fingers along with the very small mouse part? No. They focused on the item and like a surgeon took it from me. Making sure not to bite me. When they knew it wasn't a large food item they were so delicate with their eating. I've even seen this kind of intricate eating when they were stealing from little ones. Taking very small bites causing the worm to break, making sure not to grab the little one.
These are such interesting creatures and I'm glad to be working with them.

[jitami]

That is so interesting, Steve. I'd love to see this on video!

[guidofatherof5]

I saw another incident tonight. I was feeding a group of awesome radix/parietalis young. I was using a small pair of hemostats to give out some pieces. Many of these young stopped eating at the dish and waited to be fed(spoiled little punks)
I had picked up a very small piece of worm and offered it to a T.s.parietalis(Red Sided Garter snake) She tried to take if but came in contact with the hemostats(it was a very small piece of food) I kept offering and she kept trying to take it but she stopped each time she felt the metal. I finally had to re-adjust the worm piece so she could take it. She was having none of that metal in her mouth.(Won't have to get braces for this one)
I love feeding and spending time with these groups. Never a dull moment.

[mb90078]

Both of my garters, but one more than the other tend to like to attack the "prey" from above when I'm using tweezers to feed. The problem is, I grab the food item from the top, so that it will dangle down to grab their attention. The end result is the mouth-on-metal situation you described.

[Kevinh583]

That is so interesting, Steve. I'd love to see this on video!

I second the request for some interesting feeding videos. Not all of us have groups of snakes so we don't have the same feeding excitement going on.

Both of my garters, but one more than the other tend to like to attack the "prey" from above when I'm using tweezers to feed. The problem is, I grab the food item from the top, so that it will dangle down to grab their attention. The end result is the mouth-on-metal situation you described.

My snake always tends move up past the dangling food too. I always thought she just wanted to attack my hand. Maybe, she's also more comfortable attacking from above, I'll have to adjust my feeding angle.

[ConcinusMan]

I've noticed that too. Even my biggest concinnus girls will sometimes carefully assess the extent of the food, rubbing their noses against it, and my fingers. Once they are sure they want to eat it, and are sure of the dimensions of the food item, they carefully and skillfully begin to eat it.

Other times, especially if it's a night crawler feeding, better watch the fingers, and better break up tug-o-wars!

[guidofatherof5]

This morning I notice my girl Shade doing something interesting.
She was dragging the tip of he tale on the bottom if her enclosure. She was applying so much pressure to the tip that the rest of her tail and part of her lower body was elevated off the floor.
I got into the enclosure to investigate. I found that the very tip of her tail had retained the last she.
It was amazing to me that she was so aware of her body that she knew that one scale had not been shed.
I helped her out and removed it.
How can people sit and watch fish when garter snakes are so much more interesting.

[EasternGirl]

Selena likes to circle around her dish several times and come at her worms from different angles before eating them. She stalks them. She waits to make sure they aren't going to fight back...and then quickly grabs and eats them. I wouldn't call it a strike, though. I love watching her. She is so amazing.

Steve...do you have any videos of babies being born? That is something I would really like to see!

[ConcinusMan]

Here's Steve's youtube channel: YouTube - thamnophis14's Channel

And here's one of his birthing videos:



And here's a couple of mine:

[EasternGirl]

Thanks! That is so incredible to watch. My son watched it with me...we were both amazed. I am so into snakes now! It's official!