For those who feed outside of there BP's cage/tank?

Just my two cents here:

I feed my little girl in a nice 'cafe' tub for two reasons: one, I also clean her tank while she's eating, and two, her tank has a lot of decor in it that the mice try to grab and it scared her a lot the one time I tried feeding inside the tank. She eats great in the tub, and since I'm cleaning it gives her ample time to get the mouse down and for her to settle. Putting her back, I just remove the hide, scoop her up gently around the belly, and set her in front of her tank hide. Works great and she's never even tried a bite yet.

As a breeder with quite a few snakes, I feed them inside their enclosures. If I were to pull every one of them out to feed then by the time I was finished it would be time to start feeding again. lol One of the reasons you want to wait for a little while before handling them is that it lessens the chance of a regurgitation. This gives them a chance to calm down a little and get out of "feed" mode before being picked up and moved around.

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Originally Posted by Seneschal

Dr Del,

I say to wait a little longer because I don't know the temperament of the snake, and it's a safe time limit; with my bigger girl I tend to wait longer because she's snappy when the scent of rat's in the air, and I'm at risk of being bitten if I put my hand in any earlier than 30 minutes or so, so she gets calmed down and off of her "FOOD! I wanna bite!" feeding response. With the babies I want to give them plenty of time to get their food settled to keep from scaring them into regurging (that and they're both strong feeders too, and I've had both of them go at me when I stick my hand in) and I guess it depends on the temperament of the snakes involved. With one that's not so snappy with food then I guess there's no problem, but I like to make sure they have plenty time to get the food down and be comfortable again. XD Maybe just me being paranoid but like I said, I've never had any problems with it.

However, I feed live so that may be part of it--Matika refuses F/T and I haven't convinced my mom to let me buy F/T mice in bulk and put them in the freezer.

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Ditto - My spotteds, stimson's and dwarf boa (tarahumara) can be placed back as soon as they are done swallowing.

My womas and blackheads have a strong feeding response and tend to take while to get down out of that mode - it usually takes about a half hour or so.

Both of my Ball Pythons eat in a seperate container. They usually eat pretty quick and then I give them a few minutes to settle down and I just reach in and pick them up (avoiding their "food") and put them back near the hides they like. They have never had a problem with that and I have never been bitten. Also, I do second that keeping the main cage clean of mouse poop and such by feeding the snake outside the tank.

like was said depends on the snake, some just have nervous stomachs, ha. But most waiting times are just precautions, like has been said, whether for the keeper or the kept. Some may feel threatened and regurge, while others may stay super aggressive with their heightened feeding response. About handling after feeding, just don't be silly about it, it usually shouldn't be a problem, just don't toss 'em around and you'll be fine. I've had to change cages immediately post feeding for some reasons and had a very irritated, striking worried snake that would still keep down their food and eat fine. They are wild animals after all, they're lives out of captivity would not be stress free, and after all they are still surviving... clearly. So wait as long as you feel comfortable with, or feed in the cage, personally I don't see a need to take them out for feeding, but to each his own.

I just

Just FYI I fed my BP out of cage for several months when I first got him. I did so at the recommendation of a keeper with about 16 years experience.

Several times I have been urged to switch by members here with all sorts of reassurances about how feeding in-cage is the best thing since bread came sliced. A number of the threads turned into pile-ons with all sorts of remarks intended to ridicule. Eventually I decided to start feeding him in-cage and have done so for the last several feedings.

Let me tell you now that anybody who tries to act like it does not have an effect on a snake's behavior is either fibbing, inexperienced, or not "in-tune" with their snake. It most definately DOES have an effect. Most people say "I've fed in-cage over 4 bajillion times with no problem". I'm not saying these people are liers. I'm sure I could continue indefinately without getting struck by my BP - as long as I'm more careful from now on.

For those that like to evangelize in-cage feeding, please don't attack me. I've tried it both ways and observed my snake carefully. Please don't waste your time telling me I'm stupid or not doing it right. Also spare me the "I have 500 snakes so your opinion is worthless" bit as well. I have only one BP, that's true (just like alot of people here) and he's the only one that matters to me. If I have an experience with him its 100% valid.

My findings:

1) When I never fed my snake out of tub he never "tracked" me or assumed the 'S' position when I went into his cage. Now he does it often and would surely strike me if I wasn't paying attention. This speaks to the fundemental argument against in-cage feeding. Maybe people will say "Yea but since you open the cage more often than you feed him he won't associate the two". That doesn't matter. The correct thing is "If you never feed your snake in-cage he will never expect food to be in there". Just because you open the cage more often than you feed doesn't confuse them.

2) Feeding in-cage (live at least) leaves alot of residual scents in the cage which tend to keep your snake primed for feeding much longer after the initial feed.

3) Unless you have a fairly barren cage, in-cage clutter can encourage your snake to take bad strikes, thus increasing his chances of getting injured during live feeds. if you feed live in-cage make sure there is no way for the rodent to come up on your snake w/o being seen.

Ultimately, I'm not sure if I'll go back. I'm not really saying one is better than the other. I'm only saying that I think that alot of people go too far when trying to convince out-of-cage feeders to switch. It does matter.

When I did feed mine out-of-cage I always put him back in his cage right away after eating. I think regurg is one of those things that you shouldn't worry about until it actually happens. I can handle my BP after feeding no problem. To get him out of the tub I was always careful to approach from behind the head when picking him up. I also found that tilting the tub slightly before hand to make him slide a little bit tended to "snap him out of it".

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Originally Posted by bearhart

I just

Just FYI I fed my BP out of cage for several months when I first got him. I did so at the recommendation of a keeper with about 16 years experience.

Several times I have been urged to switch by members here with all sorts of reassurances about how feeding in-cage is the best thing since bread came sliced. A number of the threads turned into pile-ons with all sorts of remarks intended to ridicule. Eventually I decided to start feeding him in-cage and have done so for the last several feedings.

Let me tell you now that anybody who tries to act like it does not have an effect on a snake's behavior is either fibbing, inexperienced, or not "in-tune" with their snake. It most definately DOES have an effect. Most people say "I've fed in-cage over 4 bajillion times with no problem". I'm not saying these people are liers. I'm sure I could continue indefinately without getting struck by my BP - as long as I'm more careful from now on.

For those that like to evangelize in-cage feeding, please don't attack me. I've tried it both ways and observed my snake carefully. Please don't waste your time telling me I'm stupid or not doing it right. Also spare me the "I have 500 snakes so your opinion is worthless" bit as well. I have only one BP, that's true (just like alot of people here) and he's the only one that matters to me. If I have an experience with him its 100% valid.

My findings:

1) When I never fed my snake out of tub he never "tracked" me or assumed the 'S' position when I went into his cage. Now he does it often and would surely strike me if I wasn't paying attention. This speaks to the fundemental argument against in-cage feeding. Maybe people will say "Yea but since you open the cage more often than you feed him he won't associate the two". That doesn't matter. The correct thing is "If you never feed your snake in-cage he will never expect food to be in there". Just because you open the cage more often than you feed doesn't confuse them.

2) Feeding in-cage (live at least) leaves alot of residual scents in the cage which tend to keep your snake primed for feeding much longer after the initial feed.

3) Unless you have a fairly barren cage, in-cage clutter can encourage your snake to take bad strikes, thus increasing his chances of getting injured during live feeds. if you feed live in-cage make sure there is no way for the rodent to come up on your snake w/o being seen.

Ultimately, I'm not sure if I'll go back. I'm not really saying one is better than the other. I'm only saying that I think that alot of people go too far when trying to convince out-of-cage feeders to switch. It does matter.

When I did feed mine out-of-cage I always put him back in his cage right away after eating. I think regurg is one of those things that you shouldn't worry about until it actually happens. I can handle my BP after feeding no problem. To get him out of the tub I was always careful to approach from behind the head when picking him up. I also found that tilting the tub slightly before hand to make him slide a little bit tended to "snap him out of it".

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Thanks for posting your observations - interesting points.

I feed out of cage because (1) that's the time that I do cage maintenance and (2) I use aspen substrate. Each snake goes into his/her separate container - they get fed, the cages get cleaned, etc.

I've talked to plenty of people with many years in the hobby that espouse both methods. For example, our herp vet (who has 11 snakes) feeds in outside containers for a variety of reasons. My opinion is that whatever is successful for both the keeper and the snake is what's important. I agree with you that sometimes people get a little condescending when voicing their opinions on the matter.

Alright, I've got another question now. After my BP ate, there was piss and crap all in the box which I believe his tail passed through slightly. I know one member said to soak them after, but does anyone have any other opinions on how to clean him if that does happen? For his sake I would prefer to just place him back in his tank asap, but I want the best for him and if I need to saok him I will (I just don't see him voluntarily staying in the water).

I wouldn't want to soak right after they ate. Is it really going to hurt anything to wait a day or so to clean him up?

Wouldn't just running a damp, warm paper towel over the dirty area be quicker and less annoying for the snake, and just as effective? Unless of course the aim of soaking is to completely remove the smell of the rat/mouse from the snake.