Feeding in your enclosure

[ballpython19]

Is it a bad thing or not..I've heard both..I feed mine in a seperate container but is it neccesary..

[SatanicIntention]

About to feed around 40 tonight, and they all get fed in their tubs. I like to keep my fingers, for some odd reason..

[Sonya610]

I only have one BP but I always feed her in her enclosure. She eats f/t and it takes her a minute or so of sniffing to realize its food anyway, she doesn't just start lunging at things and I am not at all worried about getting bit by accident.

Last night she got confused and kept trying to swallow the rear end of the rat for about 1/2 an hour, it was so exhausting she needed a break and had to have a long drink of water before resuming and finally starting at the head. I am quite sure she prefers eating in her own tank and heading off to a comfy hide without me picking her up and messing with her after.

[scales owner]

I find that alot of "breeders" or someone who has a good bit of snakes feed in their tubs. I think it is cause it would be a hassle to feed 20-100-600 snakes by taking them all out. I always feed in a different container just always have. Plus gives u a reason(althogh I don't need one I handle mine everyday) to handle your snake! Hope this helps.-Ray

[JayBP]

I feed in a separate container because of all the stories I've heard about aspen getting stuck in the snakes mouth. I'm going to switch to newspaper the next time I clean out its tub and then I will start to feed it in there so I won't stress the snake out even more after eating.

[Sonya610]

I feed in a separate container because of all the stories I've heard about aspen getting stuck in the snakes mouth.

Not to hijack the thread but is a bit of aspen in their mouths reason to worry? She DID get a tiny piece stuck in her mouth, and she was fussing with it after eating, but she freaked out when I tried to remove it so I let her be.

Is her face going to swell up or some horrible infection start because of it? I thought surely it must happen a fair amount with all the aspen people have in their enclosures.

[JayBP]

Not to hijack the thread but is a bit of aspen in their mouths reason to worry? She DID get a tiny piece stuck in her mouth, and she was fussing with it after eating, but she freaked out when I tried to remove it so I let her be.

Is her face going to swell up or some horrible infection start because of it? I thought surely it must happen a fair amount with all the aspen people have in their enclosures.

From what I hear they will be fine, but I just don't want it to happen because I'm sure its very uncomfortable for them.

[blackcrystal22]

I find that alot of "breeders" or someone who has a good bit of snakes feed in their tubs. I think it is cause it would be a hassle to feed 20-100-600 snakes by taking them all out. I always feed in a different container just always have. Plus gives u a reason(althogh I don't need one I handle mine everyday) to handle your snake! Hope this helps.-Ray

Handling your snake on feeding day isn't a very good idea.. it's best to be avoided.
Also feeding inside your enclosure for ball pythons is highly recommended and I have a few reasons why.

• Ball pythons are very shy animals, and because of this they don't want to be picked up and have a mouse or rat shoved in their face in a completely new and unfamiliar enviornment.
• Ball pythons prefer to 'hunt' or 'prowl' their prey. They get the chance to do this when fed in their enclosure.
• Moving the snake after eating could cause regurgiation and stress.
• People think that feeding in a separate enclosure prevents them from associating your hand with food. This couldn't be further from the truth. Unless your hand smells and looks like a rodent, they are biting at you for a different reason then food. Usually when people feed in a separate enclosure, they have a much higher chance of being bitten before or after the meal then if the snake was in the enclosure.
• Consuming a bit of substrate also tends to be a worry. If your snake eats a bit of it's substrate it should not be a problem and probably never would be (unless you were using sand), as the substrate would just pass through their system harmlessly.

Just my 2c.

[blackcrystal22]

From what I hear they will be fine, but I just don't want it to happen because I'm sure its very uncomfortable for them.

If your worried about it being uncomfortable then you should look into softer aspen brands or use paper towels/newspaper for substrate.

No his head isn't going to swell up and get infected. :]

[norcal_707]

I too hear a varied opinion on both ways. I feed my boa in its enclosure, for mine it's what he is most comfortable with. When it's feeding time I would almost for sure get bit if I tried to take him out when he's hungry, as soon as I open the top he knows whats coming and he is eying it and ready to strike So for me it would add more stress to my boa to remove him from his enclosure and feed him elsewhere. If you are feeding live, which is how I feed, it's extremely important to keep and eye on the rat and make sure you never leave a rat unattended in the snakes enclosure. I know that some say that there is a lot of risk to feeding live but if done properly it shouldn't pose any harm to your snake in my opinion. I think it alot depends on the snake and what they are more comfortable with during the feeding process.