Cage Aggression Due to Feeding Practices

Prefacing this that I haven't been a snake owner for very long at all, but I did vote in the poll.
Hobbyist or breeder:: Hobbyist
How often do you handle your snakes: Daily usually, he seems to love to explore so I let him! (supervised, of course!)
# snakes in Collection: 1
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: In
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: Live
Tank/Tub: Tank

I love cage aggression !!!! They eat good when they are mean !!! Lol

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 1
How often do you handle your snakes: Most days except after feeding
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: In cage
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: F/T
Tank/Tub: Tank

Hobbyist

I handle the 2 bps every seconds day and the 2 corns twice a week maybe.

I currently have 2 bps and 2 corns

I feed in the cage.

My pastel is a bit aggressive but its not due to feeding in the cage. She is like that all the time. But is settling down. She has always been aggrassive for me.

Bps = f/t rats
Corns = f/t mice.

Currently all in tanks but am switching over the bps to a rack hopefully next week.

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist, novice breeder
# Snakes in Collection: 21
How often do you handle your snakes: At least weekly per snake
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: In
# of snakes with cage aggression: One or two, but they're also aggressive out of the cage. :cool:
F/T P/K or Live?: Mostly live
Tank/Tub: Tub

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 2
How often do you handle your snakes: 2-4 times per week each
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: Feed in tank
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: One gets F/T mice, one mouse every week to week and half (she's ~2 years old) and one gets live two mice every two weeks (he's full grown, 10 years old and refuses rats)
Tank/Tub: Tanks

I always feed in the cage. Neither of my snakes are cage aggressive.

Edited to add that I voted on the wrong on. I voted on "yes, I feed in the cage". I got confused...I should have voted "No, I feed in the cage" sorry!

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 2
How often do you handle your snakes: several times per week including on feeding day before the feeding.
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: Feed in cage
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: Both of my snakes get f/t RATS. The smaller one is still on pups and the bigger one is on small rats. I have never fed either of my snakes mice. My older one has never had a mouse in his entire life! I wonder if he'd know what to do with it...
Tank/Tub: Tubs now but they used to be in tanks.

Hobbyist or Breeder: hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: one
How often do you handle your snakes: every few days
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: in cage (hides and water dish removed- she can differentiate between the empty cage and full one)
# of snakes with cage aggression: none
F/T P/K or Live?: live
Tank/Tub: tank (AP cage)

Like I said before, I don't have a cage aggressive snake because her environment changes when she eats, as opposed to when she is getting taken out. I don't even use a hook. I've only been tagged once in the 4 years I've owned her. That was because she had just come off of a 7 month fast and had eaten a small rat the week before (she normally has bigger mediums).

Hobbyist or Breeder: hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 5
How often do you handle your snakes: weekly to twice weekly depending on how much free time I have
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: my ball is fed inside her tank, but all my corns and my king are fed outside in a sterilite container (only because I'm afraid of them accidentally ingesting aspen - my ball is on coconut husk)
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: all of my colubrids get F/T but my ball unfortunately refuses anything but live. My largest corn gets one jumbo mouse per week, my little king gets one fuzzy, and then my other 2 corns get one rat pup each. My ball gets 2 large live mice per week.
Tank/Tub: 4 of my snakes, including my ball, are currently in tanks. One of my corns is in a tub. However, as soon as my king and my youngest corn outgrow their tanks, they're going in tubs too! :D

Hobbyist or Breeder: Breeder
# Snakes in Collection: 9
How often do you handle your snakes: Once a week/while cleaning
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: In cage
# of snakes with cage aggression: 1-but he's been aggressive since he came out of the egg 2 years ago, nothing to do with feeding.
F/T P/K or Live?: Live
Tank/Tub: Tub

And I would like to add that my snake room doubles as my rat room. My colony is around 50 rats at any given time.

IMO
Ball pythons don't get aggressive from feeding because they are not aggressive snakes to start with. If you feed one snake they all know it's feeding time, and will seem "aggressive" if you try to put your hand in there. If your bp has feeding aggression it's your own dumb fault. Don't handle your snake if you smell like rats, when other bps are eating, or when you just fed him-which you shouldn't be handling him anyway. Simple as that.

Hobbyist or Breeder: hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 17
How often do you handle your snakes: 1 or 2 times a week
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: feed inside their cage
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: All feed live rats
Tank/Tub: tub

Meant to hit No, I feed In the cage

I hit the yes one instead >.<

Lol

I think 'cage aggression' is a VERY misunderstood term when it comes to snakes.

What people are generally talking about is a snake that learns that when the cage opens, food is coming--thus, it strikes to feed. A snake that strikes defensively when you reach into the cage is NOT displaying 'cage aggression'.

In other species, the term refers to an animal that has learned that the cage is its own territory, and becomes aggressive in defense of its territory, attacking intruders. Snakes do not engage in that type of behavior.

i miss up on the poll and read it woung i meet to to put No and in the cage

Hobbyist or Breeder: HOBBIST
# Snakes in Collection:1
How often do you handle your snakes: 3 or 4 times a week for about 30 mins to a hours
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?:in the cage
# of snakes with cage aggression:none
F/T P/K or Live?:live
Tank/Tub: Tank

Hobbyist or Breeder: hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection:2
How often do you handle your snakes: 3-5 times/ wk
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: out of tank
# of snakes with cage aggression: zero
F/T P/K or Live?: 170 g lesser- live adult mouse, 1000 g normal, P/K rat
Tank/Tub: 40 and 20 g crowded tank

Hobbyist
1 snake in collection (Female BP)
I handle my snake almost every day
Feed out of cage
My snake does not show cage agression
I feed live adult mice
Small tank (Snake is still quite small)

Guess we are bringing the thread back

Hobbyist or Breeder: Guess I'm a breeder now
# Snakes in Collection: 14 ball pythons
How often do you handle your snakes: once a week
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: Inside
# of snakes with cage aggression: Zero
F/T P/K or Live?: half eat F/T, half eat live
Tank/Tub: Tub

Feeding in our out of their cage is debatable. It is not necessarily great for the snake to be moved after feeding and for larger constrictors I wouldn't want to handle them just after a feeding session.

That being said, you can hook train your snake. If you don't handle your snake often and usually open up the cage for maintenance and feeding they will of course become more cage aggressive. They associate most of your invasions as being food related.

If you handle them a lot it will minimize their food association with you opening up their cage. Regardless, you should tap them with a hook or something to let them know it isn't feeding time. My Bredli has a strong feeding response when I open her cage however once I tap her with the hook she settles back down and I can go about my business.

I've got 40 balls, ive never had any aggression issues with a single one

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist first and breeder secondly
# of Snakes: 40
Frequency of Handling: daily for rack maintenance. Once a week for cuddles 
Do You Feed Inside or Outside the enclosure: in tubs
F/T, P/K, Live: Live md/sml rats. 1 eats mice and hatchlings eat mice
# of Snakes with Cage Aggression: 0
Tank/Tub: Rack system

Before I had so many I did have tanks and did the same routine. Still none having aggression.

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist
# of snakes in collection: 5
How often do you handle your snakes: once or twice a week
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: Inside
# of snakes with cage aggression: Zero
F/T P/K or Live?: F/T
Tank/Tub: tank

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist...for now ;)
# Snakes in Collection: 7
How often do you handle your snakes: daily
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: In cage
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: P/K
Tank/Tub: Tubs
I Mice for the babies, med. rats for the big girls
(No rat pups in my area :(

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 3
How often do you handle your snakes: a few times a week to daily depending on what's happening
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: 1 is fed outside of cage, 2 are fed inside
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: Live and F/T
Tank/Tub: 2 tanks, 1 tub

Our ball python is in an awkwardly high place(only place to put her cage) so it makes it difficult to reach in. She also will only eat live(not even F/K!) and so if she were to not eat it would be incredibly difficult to get the mouse out! Plus for now she is on particle substrate and until we switch her to newspaper we would rather not risk her ingesting it. So we bring her out to a feeding tub.
Our common boa is fed inside her cage. She exhibits a feeding response, but is not 'cage aggressive' and has never bitten anyone yet. She merely will look interested when we open the cage and once she is shown there is no food(we are hook training) she calms down. Our rainbow boa has not eaten for us yet(just got her) but she will be fed inside her cage as well.

I haven't read any of the other posts. I've never seen cage aggression, I know it exists but i have a feeling a lot of new snake owners confuse a normal feeding response for cage aggression, so I think that may cause more people to think it's a bigger issue than it is. That as well as snakes that are defensive and frightened. But I don't think feeding in their home makes them 'meaner'

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 1
How often do you handle your snakes: weekly
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: outside
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: f/t
Tank/Tub: tank

Hobbyist or Breeder: Corey "SiQ"
# Snakes in Collection: 6 BP's
How often do you handle your snakes: Every day
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: outside separate tub
# of snakes with cage aggression: none
F/T P/K or Live?: live
Tank/Tub: tub FTW

Hobbyist or Breeder: hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection:3
How often do you handle your snakes:3 to 5 times a week
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?:in cage
# of snakes with cage aggression:0
F/T P/K or Live?:f/t
Tank/Tub:both

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobbyist
# of Snakes: 3
Frequency of Handling: 3-5 times per week.
Do You Feed Inside or Outside the enclosure: In cage.
F/T, P/K, Live: F/T
# of Snakes with Cage Aggression: None
Tank/Tub: Rack system.

Hobbyist or Breeder: hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 1 (for now!)
How often do you handle your snakes: 2 x's p/ week (when not in shed/digesting)
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: in cage
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: live
Tank/Tub: neither

Hobbyist or Breeder: hobbyist
# Snakes in Collection: 1
How often do you handle your snakes: 2-3 times a week
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: outside
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: F/T rats
Tank/Tub: tank

I think aggression is influenced by a variety of factors and can't be attributed to just one specific variable. I'm not certain feeding outside of the enclosure has any influence on aggression or being mistaken for prey but if there's a chance it makes a difference, I'll do anything I can to try and reduce the risk of being bit. In my situation it's easy, I only have one snake and he has no problem eating outside his tank, I know some snakes won't and I can see why you wouldn't bother if you have a rack or racks of snakes.

Hobbyist or Breeder: Hobby breeder
# Snakes in Collection: 17 permanent members
How often do you handle your snakes: Only for maintenance
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: All are fed in their cages
# of snakes with cage aggression: 1, but it is not food related. She is just evil.
F/T P/K or Live?: Primarily live, although our young corns eat f/t
Tank/Tub: 14 are in tubs, 2 are in tanks, one is in a custom built cage.

Hobbyist or Breeder: Both
# Snakes in Collection:13
How often do you handle your snakes: 3-4 times a week
In cage/Outside of cage to feed?: inside
# of snakes with cage aggression: 0
F/T P/K or Live?: my baby hog island boa gets a live hopper rat. my smaller ball pythons get a small F/T rat and my larger females get a large F/T rat.
Tank/Tub: hog island boa is in a glass tank the rest are in tubs.
Do you feed Mice/Rats/Other? they all eat rats