State of Prey
Most commonly kept snakes are constrictors of the colubrid, boa, and python families. This means that the snake, when feeding will seize the prey and then quickly wrap coils of its body around it constricting until the prey item is asphyxiated. Studies have shown that each time a breath is taken is exhaled that the snake squeezes tighter. Typically, after the prey is dead the snake will use its tongue to identify the head and then begin to swallow it whole.
