Feeding in Enclosure vs. Separate Tank/Tub

I've seen conflicting opinions on this, and there are fair arguments for both sides. When you feed in the enclosure, they might associate your hand with food, but when you feed them in a separate tank, they might associate being handled with food. What are your guys' opinions?

Thanks.

I feed in my enclosures, I have yet to have any of my BP's mistake me for food. I've only been bitten once or twice and both times it was clearly my fault. The issue with feeding in a separate bin is that it can stress out the snake, reducing the chances that it will eat. I have done both, and they both work. if the snake is going to eat, it will eat either place. but if you have a snake that is not eating, I would suggest that you feed it inside its enclosure to bolster the odds.

There is a poll, thread on here that has been here for about a month. It keeps getting brought up again. If you search it, it has hundred of responses. This is a largely debatable topic.

Doesn't hurt to ask over and over again. More newcomers will ask the same questions no matter what :P

I think this is personal preference.. People on this forum have too many snakes to take them each out, into a separate bin, then wait for them to finish eating, THEN return the snake to its home.. I don't have 100 snakes, but I have 9 snakes. They all do fine in their own tubs. None of them have ever attacked me unless I had a rodent in tongs lol. As long as you don't smell like food, you have nothing to worry about.

When I only had 1 ball python, I started feeding in a different tub... I didn't want to touch him to put him back because I was afraid of getting bit.. I didn't want to just dump him back into his fish tank because I didn't want him to get hurt with the rodent in his belly... I was afraid of him getting substrate in his mouth so I just put a large flat piece of cardboard on the half of the tank where I would feed him.. This worked for a while. Then I upped my babies and decided feeding in the tub was best for me :D.

Since there is really no NEED to do this, why do it? There are just too many benefits to feeding in the same enclosure than feeding in a different one :gj:

Everything we have gets fed in its enclosure/tub. It causes stress that isn't needed, plus with over 100 snakes ( and a few of them over 10 feet or venomous ) no reason to mess with them while hungry :gj:

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Originally Posted by Saxguy101

I've seen conflicting opinions on this, and there are fair arguments for both sides. When you feed in the enclosure, they might associate your hand with food, but when you feed them in a separate tank, they might associate being handled with food.

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How are these arguments not the same statement, just worded differently? Either way, your hand is touching their food. In fact, using the same logic, wouldn't picking them up with your hand to move to a separate enclosure and then feed be more likely to create a food-hand association than just feeding without handling? As stated by others, work based off of what you and your BP need, not some "I heard from a guy who heard from a guy..." that one or two people out of hundreds say they have experienced.

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Originally Posted by Saxguy101

When you feed in the enclosure, they might associate your hand with food, but when you feed them in a separate tank, they might associate being handled with food.

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Honestly, if this is your quandry, you should look into a different hobby because it sounds like you are very adverse to getting bitten. If you keep a snake or snakes long enough, you are going to get bitten, or at least struck at.

And to be further honest, this issue gets debated, polled, and pondered around here on a regular basis. The long and the short of it is this. Newer owners tend to feed in a seperate tub because that seems logical to them. More experienced owners tend to feed in the enclosure. In addition, more experienced owners learn their animals, and learn that getting bit isn't the end of the world.

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Originally Posted by Slim

In addition, more experienced owners learn their animals, and learn that getting bit isn't the end of the world.

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Exactly! Heck, once we get tagged we take pictures pictures of the bloody mess and post 'em here to laugh at how scared we were until it finally happened :D

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Originally Posted by h00blah

we take pictures pictures of the bloody mess

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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Lions and Tigers and Bloody Stumps...Oh My!


I forget who posted it recently, but they asked if a dog had a mouth the size of a BP would anyone be afraid to mess with it? Some of the best comparative logic I've ever seen on this Fourm ;)

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Originally Posted by Slim

I forget who posted it recently, but they asked if a dog had a mouth the size of a BP would anyone be afraid to mess with it? Some of the best comparative logic I've ever seen on this Fourm ;)

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i ALWAYS use this logic when talking to ignorant people, (usually at petsmart). People tell me im crazy to keep snakes because i must get bit all the time which has to hurt really bad. Im like id rather stick my hand in a snakes tub than bend over and pet your dog. Then they usually try and tell me oh my dog has never ever bit anyone though. And im like well neither have my snakes... They usually have a puzzled look, but then get all flustered because i destroyed their argument with logic.