In or Out?

Your decision will also depend a lot on the number of snakes you have and where they live. If you have a few snakes and they are set up in cages that have lots of stuff in them to make them look nice (climbing branches, vines, greenery, etc), you may want to feed outside the cage. On the other hand, if you have many snakes and they are in tubs in racks, feeding outside the cage can become a real hassel and time consumer.


We have our snakes in tubs in racks and feed in the tub. Never have had a problem with one eating substrate or becoming "cage aggressive".

Good luck with your decision!

I agree with Jason and Alice. The only days my snakes are aggressive is when they smell the food thawing...any other day, i can reach my hand in and pet them like a pup :gj:

Bear, I'm a tad confused why you wouldn't want your snakes snapping up their prey before it hits the bottom of the tub? How do you come to the conclusion that #1 this is a good thing to have a less than aggressive feeding response and #2 that this behaviour is universal and related specifically to one feeding method over another?

Look all I can do is go by our experience feeding 21 snakes per week from three different species, that are anywhere from 07 recent hatchlings to fully mature adults, so it's a reasonably broad group. We feed all of them in their home enclosures and always have. The only exception is the milksnake due to the more "busy" nature of her display type enclosure. I think it's about owner preference really but I just cannot see how it's going to cut down on my chances of getting bit to move a hungry snake into a feeding tub, then move it back afterwards when it's still very likely in a hyper feeding mode (many snakes stay this way for hours after eating and it's quite normal).

Personally I'm not about to put my hands on a 3,200 gram hungry female ball python LOL. We feed week after week, multiple snakes in their homes, and have never been bit due to a feeding response directed at us. In fact I've been bit only once while handling a highly stressed adult rescue and that's to be expected really.

Yeh Joanna, I think it's the best feeling in the world when you crack that enclosure to see a snake in the "S" position ready and waiting for food...it's such a great feeling to see them snatch it right up.

Personally, I feel that no one can give you a real answer to this. This would be dependent upon your individual snake with a little of your preference factored in as well. The answer would really be whatever makes your snake the most comfortable and enables it to be a good eater. This is one of those issues where you may have to experiment a little bit, although if you just brought home you should try feeding it how it has been feeding so that you can have it be well established eating for you and then you can try changing it a little. I have heard people talk about both feeding in and out of the snakes cage, and diferent people have different results (which is dependent upon the personality of the snake), some snakes prefer one way over the other, and there are some snakes that don't really care...as long as there is food they will eat. Different people will tell you different things depending on how their snakes prefer it done, there is no right or wrong, the answer is only what your snake prefers.

Well I thought that there was nothing better than the feeling when my girl snatches her rat before it 'hits' the bottom of the tub. The only time she's gone into a "strike" position on me is when I check on her about half an hour after her meal just to make sure it's all gone and she's settled. And I might add that I don't even open the tub, I just lift the towel a bit and she's got her head out ready for another rat... I attribute that only to the fact that the enclosure still smells of rat, so when you lift the towel she thinks another rat is coming.

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Originally Posted by bearhart

I dont' know how universally true or untrue it is. However, I have found that it is most definately true for my BP.

My *opinion* on this is that the decision most definately affects the snake's behavior. In fact, I think that is easy to determine from reading posts by in-cage feeders here. Do I think it makes some bloodthirsty monster out of your BP? No, definately not. I think that a few precautions are sufficient to make it safe.

My personal experience has been that, when feeding out of cage, my BP *absolutely never* displayed any feeding related behavior while in cage. This, of course, changed when I switched to in-cage feeding. Also, many members here describe eager behavior during feeding time - which includes the snapping up of rodents practically before they hit the substrate. I'm seriously skeptical that you'll find an out-of-cage feeder that does anything like this. However, all of these out-of-cage feeding members seem very happy so that makes it totally OK.

So you see, ultimately its what fits you best. All I can say is be aware of the affects.

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Thanks for all of your opinions. i will test both ways and then go with what the snake likes.

why not go half and half....

have the snake half in the enclosure and half hanging out. try feeding that way, it's the best of both worlds.

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Originally Posted by Kagez28

why not go half and half....

have the snake half in the enclosure and half hanging out. try feeding that way, it's the best of both worlds.

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Yeah he'll surely be dining in heaven if you try feeding him Sushi as well :rolleyes:

:rofl:

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

Yeh Joanna, I think it's the best feeling in the world when you crack that enclosure to see a snake in the "S" position ready and waiting for food...it's such a great feeling to see them snatch it right up.

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Here, here!!! As for swallowing substrate...you think in the wild someone is going to put down newspaper as a placemat for dinner???? If snake stomach acid can eat fur and bone, then wood probably isn't an issue.

I've had a time or two when a little twig was stuck, but they just scrapped against the side of the tank, or their hide until it was out. If it didn't come out, I'd gently remove it.

I've had a couple balls who refused to eat after being picked up and moved (and then moved again...increasing the chances and dangers of triggering a regurge) but if I leave 'em, they strike just fine.

For the aggression...the only time I was tagged on feeding day was when I reached in for the water bowl 1/2 hr after feeding him ....a SFE if ever there was one.