should I let her explorer.

Like most people said it's about preference when comes to feeding. It's also good to start a routine before taking your snake out of the cage to feed if u feed in different enclosure or just want to take her out to hold. Find your own method that works for you. And like said above learn your snakes personality.I personally like the tap method while others hook train or poke with hook before holdingtaking them out. I tap on cage and on hide three times before holding. Works so far and haven't been tagged from doing it. As far as holding a bp after feeding it's not a good idea for around 24 hours to 48 hours due to chance of them getting stressed out and throwing up their food. Baby bps are most likely to do it then adults. But if your feeding in a diffrent enclosure u have to move it back to its home lol. U will find something that works for u and your bp. It's trial and error. Lol.

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

It's an on going debate which is better. Some people swear by feeding in the same enclosure. Others feed in a separate one. If your going with a feeding enclosure, skip the aspen and paper towels. Paper towels can be a real hazard. I personally use a feeding cage. One of the reasons for using a separate feeding cage is to avoid the ingestion of bedding materials. If you worried about feeding mode aggression, just use a snake hook or place a towel over the snakes head. That should calm it down no problem.

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How can paper towels be a real hazard? I'm just seriously curious since I use paper towels and have never had an issue with them.


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Originally Posted by AlexisFitzy

How can paper towels be a real hazard? I'm just seriously curious since I use paper towels and have never had an issue with them.


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There has been stories on of snakes ingesting them, while attempting to swallow their prey. I've almost had it happen while feeding boas.


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I like using tongs or plastic containers - that is, putting a plastic container in the snake's vive (not taking them out to feed). I used to take my corn out to feed but found I got lazy :P so I put her food in a plastic container and she eats it right in there. She has dragged it out to her hide before, but now that they are adult mice that seems challenging for her so she doesn't.

I have seen my BP ingest aspen a couple of times. I don't think one piece every now and again is all that harmful. If they eat a mouse or rat sized amount in one sitting, yes, I'd be worrisome.

If the rat or mouse is dry though, much less chance of it getting substrate stuck to it.

Ask the people with larger boas, retics, burmese pythons, etc. if they feed in a separate enclosure. The answer will most likely be NO ARE YOU NUTS? Moving/handling a big snake with a strong food drive is a sure-fire way to end up bleeding. Heck even my female king snake will grab and wrap your hand if she thinks your finger is a mouse pinky, and she does not like to let go. At least when my boa made that mistake she cut me loose pretty quickly.

I've been going with feeding in the enclosure, no probs, I know some snakes really really come out with a vengeance at feeding time, or when they think it's feeding time!
All the bps I've fed over the years, examine their prey a bit first, I've never seen one vs one boiling out of tgeir hide and tag anything, prey or handler, but I hear it's happened plenty...
I think as long as you don't have rodent scent on you(yuck) and your not moving fast, you'll generally be fine.
It's always seemed stressful to me to feed Herps out of their cage, and it is in fact a great way to get tagged a big bad snake, I've seen that more than a few times, I find it quite humorous as long as the animals ok...I rarely have pity on the handlers :)

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Originally Posted by Swayback

All the bps I've fed over the years, examine their prey a bit first, I've never seen one vs one boiling out of tgeir hide and tag anything, prey or handler, but I hear it's happened plenty...

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I'll have to video the hatchlings feeding sometime.

My BP is the calmest, most relaxed snake I think I've ever seen, and enjoys just perching at the front of the vive all evening... but as soon as he sees the feeding tongs (and he knows them. I clicked them together a few times to let him know they are there) he instantly gets into hunting mode and moves to the door. I get nervous sometimes when he's already perched at the front and I open the door, then he sees the tongs.

He doesn't get into his hunting mode anytime I open the door, just when the tongs are out (or maybe he smells the rat in the air instead, or a bit of both) but I hope I don't get tagged accidentally one day!

I also had to use the tongs trick my my bp. It was fun to watch like u said. And I wasn't handling her it's just my daughter wanted to touch her but I told her no until i get more opinions on it.

I just fed my little guy tonight in his enclosure. I fed a live rat pup. I first just put the paper bag with the pup in it on top of the enclosure so Snakey Shakes could smell it. When he came out of his hide, I put the pup in, and he struck and ate. Later when I checked his temps and humidity and water, I tapped the enclosure and spoke to him. He didn't even move (my temp and humidity are good and he's basking after his meal), he just barely acknowledged that I gave him fresh water.

I rubbed him lightly and now he's super chilling. This is my first bp, and he's just been amazing awesome. I may have lucked out with the coolest snake ever. I do tend to tap on his hide when I'm putting my hands in to change water or make sure his paper towels are clean (he peed the day after I got him and he had a nice dump after shedding) and when I want to handle him. I didn't put my hands in at all with the pup. I dumped the little thing out of the bag and closed up the enclosure and just watched Snakey Shakes get his meal. I didn't talk to Snakey or anything like I'd normally do and it all worked out fine.

I'm going to keep feeding him in his own enclosure and tapping to let him know it's not food time. I also make sure to sanitize my hands so that they don't smell like food or my other animals. Seems to be working, I have a satisfied and happy snake on my hands right now.