Mountain Garters

[ssssnakeluvr]

They look like t elegans elegans to me....I will be working with t elegans terrestris...as soon as I can get a male!!!!! I have a large female...just waiting for a male!

[cornsnakesalive]

So far, this seems to be the preferred technique for a Garter to eat a mouse. The only ones that have taken them head first were off of tongs.

This male is very yellow especially when compared to the females. They yellow stripe next to his belly is much brighter and saturated with color than on the females. The females lower stripe is mostly black/gray with only a thin faded yellow strip of color above the black.

[Snaky]

A beauty. I can say from my experience that they do not have a preferred technique. Most of mine just 'attack' in the middle and start eating at the side they are the closest to. Sometimes it's the front, sometimes the back... they are not really picky

[Stefan-A]

2 out of 3 times, my snakes will swallow mice butt first. It's like they look for the "wrong" end before they grab the mouse.

[KITKAT]

Originally Posted by Stefan-A

2 out of 3 times, my snakes will swallow mice butt first. It's like they look for the "wrong" end before they grab the mouse.

Actually, perhaps butt first is intelligent. What happens when a snake grabs a live mouse and does not get a good grip? It gets bitten!

[Stefan-A]

I'm pretty sure grabbing the mouse by the butt is a guaranteed way to get bitten. The mouse is probably going to be able to reach it. I think it has more to do with the legs of the f/t mouse and how (poorly) they bend out of the way.

[drache]

my big king who once upon a time hunted in the wild, hardly ever eats a mouse head first
he's got some scars on his face and he's actually quite wary of mice
my garters will go to whatever end is closest
my other kings and the hognose prefer head first
my female xenochrophis will always start with one of the front legs and somehow work the head into her mouth while hanging onto the leg - thankfully she's got a big head

[Stefan-A]

I think somebody suggested once that it could have something to do with the smell and the snake mistaking one.. orifice for the other one.

Reminds me of a Duke Nukem quote.

[KITKAT]

Originally Posted by Stefan-A

I'm pretty sure grabbing the mouse by the butt is a guaranteed way to get bitten. The mouse is probably going to be able to reach it. I think it has more to do with the legs of the f/t mouse and how (poorly) they bend out of the way.

Uh oh! My dry Brit humor (inherited from my dad) has failed to be detected again!