Substrate attached to feeder while snake is eating

Usually when I feed Roxanne she strikes, wraps and I leave her alone. Last feed I left the top of her enclosure open and brought my tools to the sink. When I came back she had dropped the rat but she started to inspect and feed. Now even though the rat was nice and dry I noticed a long slim piece of Aspen attached to it. Although with the research and information I’ve gathered a little ‘safe’ substate wont hurt her considering they’re breaking down all that hair and bone anyway what’s a lil aspen?

My first reaction was to interfere and remove it from her throat (couldn’t tell how far down it was )/the feeder while it was third way in her mouth. I didn’t because I didn’t want to traumatize or hurt her. Did I do well? If it was an intimidatingly large piece would most of you guys step in and remove it no matter the age? She’s a baby but I think I would of attempted to donthis When she is more mature and if was large enough for me to be concerned.

Personally, I would have (and do) left it alone and thought about how to prevent it in the future. Either clearing the substrate away from the drop zone, or placing a clean deli cup lid or equivalent under the prey, can help a lot. The latter is better since it is clean.

Yeah I got to figure out a little system. Maybe removing some of her furniture earlier in the day and see if she will take it if I place it on a plastic lid. Nine out of 10 times she’s in a humid head so the holes on top and she strikes almost immediately and wraps. I’ve seen other people move their snake when they’re in the wrapped position but I’d prefer not to for now. Since she’s still anchored in the hide her constriction never completes a full ball so she’ll most likely drop it and hide if stepped in.

Most of my snakes take food from tongs, but if they drop it & catch a bit of substrate, nothing I'm using will be a problem. Still, if I can catch the substrate (using my long tweezer-type tongs) before it's swallowed, that's what I do. (FYI- I'm using paper type substrates- Carefresh & shredded paper.) Aspen is a type of wood, & while snakes in the wild no doubt swallow some debris now & then too, bear in mind that while snakes can digest whole rodents quite well, they do not possess enzymes that digest plant material (including wood) so in the future, this is best avoided. Using a flat plastic container top, or something else as a "plate" is a very good habit to get into.

I know the 90-120 second opportunity I had seemed immensely stressful and long. I was so tempted to use the tongs to grab it but I’m thinking-“ Am I going to mess up her eating habits? Destroy her relationship with me or learn to fear of the tongs? Am I going to break a fang or scratch up her throat?”

I raced to the board and the overwhelming opinion, even though they were posts from over a decade ago is don’t worry about a little aspen at all.

My initial thought was geez I haven’t been watching her and she’s probably been eating so much aspen and she’s impacted but thankfully I had to clean up some python crap today. Don’t usually say that often but it was a relief.

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Originally Posted by D-.No

I know the 90-120 second opportunity I had seemed immensely stressful and long. I was so tempted to use the tongs to grab it but I’m thinking-“ Am I going to mess up her eating habits? Destroy her relationship with me or learn to fear of the tongs? Am I going to break a fang or scratch up her throat?”

I raced to the board and the overwhelming opinion, even though they were posts from over a decade ago is don’t worry about a little aspen at all.

My initial thought was geez I haven’t been watching her and she’s probably been eating so much aspen and she’s impacted but thankfully I had to clean up some python crap today. Don’t usually say that often but it was a relief.

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Minor bits of aspen should pass on thru with the meal, but more could also cause an impaction, especially if the snake also becomes dehydrated. (With any pieces that are "sticks" & not soft or pliable -the snake has a risk of internal punctures.)

One situation where snakes can become dehydrated is feeding them when they're in shed, since both digestion & shedding pulls (uses) water in the snake's body to get the job done. (The reason a freshly shed snake skin feels moist is that their body excretes moisture between the old & new layers to facilitate the removal.) Some snakes have trouble doing both at the same time- they can even barf up their meal, but much more likely is that digestion will get done, & their shed will be "stuck" & only come off in a million pieces & with difficulty. No fun for us or our snakes.

I know many use aspen pretty safely- I've just never been a fan of aspen. It's also not helping the humidity that a BP needs- just saying. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by D-.No

Usually when I feed Roxanne she strikes, wraps and I leave her alone. Last feed I left the top of her enclosure open and brought my tools to the sink. When I came back she had dropped the rat but she started to inspect and feed. Now even though the rat was nice and dry I noticed a long slim piece of Aspen attached to it. Although with the research and information I’ve gathered a little ‘safe’ substate wont hurt her considering they’re breaking down all that hair and bone anyway what’s a lil aspen?

My first reaction was to interfere and remove it from her throat (couldn’t tell how far down it was )/the feeder while it was third way in her mouth. I didn’t because I didn’t want to traumatize or hurt her. Did I do well? If it was an intimidatingly large piece would most of you guys step in and remove it no matter the age? She’s a baby but I think I would of attempted to donthis When she is more mature and if was large enough for me to be concerned.

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I always feed over a piece of card or something just to try and prevent any debris sticking onto the rat …


If I do spot a bit of bark or something near the snake’s mouth I just pull it off with tweezers .. the snake won’t even realise what you are doing


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Bogertophis that’s a really good way to add some information to the shedding process. The humidity cravings and her strange behavior of recent that’s kind of between hunting and skittishness over the past couple weeks I was assuming it was a shed. But then she would start being more active and extremely hungry. I know everything snake is different I’m just trying to understand Roxy especially her shed cycle. I feel that she’s way overdue and keeping her on that steady food schedule might’ve been deterring the process. Well live and learn. I know right now she needs extra care and TLC at her age and our living space temp fluctuates a lot so I make sure to check her enclosure/temperatures/humidity probably more often then she would like me too lol

I’m going to try placing her next warmed up feeder on a flat surface like a plastic container top or piece of cardboard but she seriously has a tendency of moving the pray around after the pseudo kill constriction. I have debated about removing her big branch and some fake foliage along with some furniture so I could put a large protective something over the Aspen. I have not because I really do try to make feed time a much less intrusive experience. I love to watch her eat but hovering over her tub with additional lighting is unfair. I have decades to enjoy watching her when I move and get a dope acrylic enclosure.

Not a bp but I used to feed my hognose on a lid, and it actually was useful for another reason. She wouldn’t eat when burrowed unless I dug her up but every feeding day since I started using the lid she was waiting at the lid. Even before I thawed it she knew what day it was.

Obligatory "Not a BP but" I usually feed my sand boa in an upturned hide, but on one occasion when he was lurking with his face just at the surface of the aspen, he snatched the mouse as it swung by on the tongs, and backed so fast into the hole that he took several pieces of substrate with him. If he ingested any of it with the mouse, it didn't do him any harm. I thought it was really cool to see him eating the way he would have done in the wild. Usually he's so clueless that I have to redirect him, sometimes several times, to the task at hand. I thought for a while that I was overfeeding him but since he acts the same way whether it's a couple of weeks or a month since the last mouse, I finally decided it was just his personality. Sweet, but dim, lol.