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OctopusInc OctopusInc Snakebuz Greatballzofire Peter54 OctopusInc Jamberry |
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OctopusInc View Profile |
Food size
I have read that a cali king can eat mice twice the size of their girthiest part. Is this true? Samantha’s head is barely half the girth of her widest part, which is around an inch in diameter. What size mice should I feed her do you think? |
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| 10/08/09 11:26pm |
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OctopusInc View Profile |
Message To: OctopusInc In reference to Message Id: 2082036 Food size
I fed Samantha a live full grown mouse today. It measured about 1.5x the girth of her thickest part, and between 3-4x the girth of her head. Also, she has eaten frozen food her whole life and has never even encountered a live rodent. She was curious and careful of the mouse at first. She stayed in her case and watched it explore the tank. When it got close she drew back into the cave and watched from inside. Then the mouse decided to venture into her cave. To my surprise, since she had never eaten a live rodent before, she struck with elegance and precision. She bit it right on the throat where she dug her fangs into the spinal cord and snapped its neck in one swift move. She stayed coiled around it still for a good five minutes while it finished dying. She then released it and circled it pondering how she would eat such a large morsel. Eventually she decided to go head first--the same way she has eaten frozen pinkies I have fed her until now--and this was when I became certain the neck was perfectly broken. The rodent’s head moved about freely only held on by the connecting skin. As she worked the head down and got to the shoulders, I set alloud to myself "there is no way she can take the abdomen." I was wrong. She dislocated her jaws and sucked the whole body down like she had been a seasoned expert. Incredible. I’ll be feeding her only frozen food, still. The only reason I got a live mouse this time is because no frozen rodents in that size were available as singles at my local pet store. I wanted to be sure she could handle its size before I ordered a bulk amount of them frozen. |
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| 10/09/09 08:05pm |
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Snakebuz View Profile |
Message To: OctopusInc In reference to Message Id: 2082303 Food size
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| 10/20/09 03:57pm |
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Greatballzofire View Profile |
Message To: Snakebuz In reference to Message Id: 2086435 Food size
Quote: FANGS? LOL!
Wow, I am going to watch out next time I handle my little Cali king! I used to have a baby rattlesnake, and he for sure DID have fangs! |
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| 10/21/09 10:21am |
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Peter54 View Profile |
Message To: OctopusInc In reference to Message Id: 2082303 Food size
Much of what you’re writing sounds very strange. No kingsnake have fangs, all Lampropeltis have rather small teeth. Also, kingsnakes are constricting colubrids, wich means they kill their prey by suffocating them, not breaking their neck. Even if you can’t get frozen fully grown mice and have to buy live mice, it’a a good idea to prekill the mouse. There are several bad things connected to feeding live mice, such as biting and unnecessary stress on both parts. |
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| 10/25/09 03:33pm |
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OctopusInc View Profile |
Message To: Peter54 In reference to Message Id: 2088515 Food size
She’s bitten me before: and definitely has at least two teeth. |
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| 11/02/09 04:07pm |
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Jamberry View Profile |
Message To: OctopusInc In reference to Message Id: 2091139 Food size
All teeth are not considered fangs. And king snakes do not have the specialized teeth that are known as fangs, just smaller teeth used to hold onto the prey while the snake constricts it. |
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| 11/03/09 11:20pm |
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