Frozen food warming, in the tank?

I thaw mine in a container of hot water... I have roommates that would freak if a rat was thawing in the fridge. :)

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Originally Posted by Quinnster

Well you shouldn't feed the snake in the tank anyways. You always should feed it seperate from the tank it lives in, because you don't want the snake to associate you opening the tank as feeding time, and become agressive and ready to eat. It's just like the theory of when Ivan Pavlov rung the bell and his dog started drooling because the dog associated that ringing of the bell as feeding time. If that makes sense.

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I just read on this site's FAQs that that's a myth if you regularly open the tank for maintenance and water changing. Which makes sense to me. Also, I plan on handling the snake frequently once she's regularly eating, so the door will open for that, too.

I may end up getting a separate feeding container anyway though cause I'm considering housing 2 together, and that seems like the easiest way to ensure proper feeding in that situation. That's all hypothetical at this point, though. Step 1, get the first snake to eat.

Okay :~) I wish you luck when you feed your snake! Let us all know how it goes.

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I'm considering housing 2 together

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Bad idea. BPs are not social animals and do not care if they have a "friend". When someone sees two snakes "cuddling" they are actually competing for resources and are likely stressed. It doesn't save you space either, as you need to have a cage way bigger than if you even had two separate cages in order to provide enough space for each snake, plus at least 2 hides on the cool and 2 on the warm so they aren't competing for hides.

When housing snakes together, you are risking their lives, as one might kill the other one, even if they are the exact same size. They also can give each other diseases (which means taking TWO snakes to the vet and paying twice as much for meds), and if one of them is not pooping or regurges their food, you won't know which one it is.

The only reason 2 BPs should be in the same cage is if they are mating.

Two can be housed together, but it will save you neither time nor money. It's not recommended for beginner keepers simply because things can (and sometimes do) go wrong. If you have to ask how to thaw and offer your rodents, you shouldn't be keeping multiple snakes in one enclosure.

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Originally Posted by Quinnster

Well you shouldn't feed the snake in the tank anyways. You always should feed it seperate from the tank it lives in, because you don't want the snake to associate you opening the tank as feeding time, and become agressive and ready to eat. It's just like the theory of when Ivan Pavlov rung the bell and his dog started drooling because the dog associated that ringing of the bell as feeding time. If that makes sense.

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That's not true. Putting the snake in a separate container works the same exact way only when you move it to a different container, it knows that every single time you put it in a separate container you are going to feed it. When you feed in the tank and open the cage at other times (not during feeding) it will create less of that Pavlov effect.

Yeah the topic of moving your snake into a feeding box VS feeding it in the tank has been beaten to death over and over again.

But I will say that a vast majority of experienced reptile keepers as well as the professionals feed snakes in the enclosure with no problem. I do it as well and it hasn't made my snakes anymore "cage aggresive". They're still puppy dogs when being handled :)

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Originally Posted by dkspftw

Should I move it around a bit where the snake can see and then leave it there, or actually wiggle it about in front of the snake until it strikes and takes it directly from the tongs?

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Looks like this is your only question that hasn't been addressed. I think it depends on the snake. Mine will eat f/t or live. I usually feed live, but occasionally I buy more than she wants and the leftovers end up in the freezer until next week. When I do f/t, I just lay them in there and she eats them at her leisure, which is usually right away. I'm not sure if not feeding either/or all the time has anything to do with this or if I've just lucked out and she hasn't been picky yet.

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Originally Posted by BrandiR

I think it depends on the snake.

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This :gj:

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Originally Posted by MrLang

You don't want to cook it. I'm not sure how much truth there is to this, but I think if the meat is cooked at all the snake can get very sick. I think a lot of people use hot water from the tap, but I wouldn't put it in actual boiling water.

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I dont know if they would get sick right away, but if you do it often then probably, but feeding an animal a cooked meal is pretty silly when you think about it, they didnt evolve to eat cooked meals, when you cook it you pretty much cook all the good stuff out. Similar to why people feed their dogs raw vs processed kibble. You cook it, you "ruin" it nutritionally.