Do You Feed In Your BP's Enclosure/Tub/Tank?

When I got my rosy boas, I started out trying to feed them in a separate container. I had read about their enthusiastic feeding response, and that it was better to feed them in a separate container so they wouldn't develop "cage aggression". Result: One snake ate most of the time, the other skipped half his meals, and finally one of them escaped from the feeding container. (Did find the escaped snake.)

I now feed them in their enclosure. So far no problem with them acting hungry or bitey when I am handling them. There's a different routine between handling and feeding, and they seem to understand what the routine is (besides the fact I don't smell like their food when I am handling them). Since I stopped using the feeding containers, I have not had one single skipped meal, snakes have seemed less stressed and more comfortable.

In terms of ball pythons specifically... my first ball python was always fed in his enclosure, and the ONLY time I got bit was when I stuck my hand in there during feeding time, food already in his enclosure. My mistake, not the snakes. He never bit any other time before or after that. My current snakes are fed in their enclosures too, and so far no problems.

I feed all 20 of my personal snakes in their enclosures. Much better and consistent feeding response, for all the reasons folks have mentioned before.

My thought on the in-or-out of the cage feeding goes along these lines:

If you are going to encourage the snake to associate something with feeding, why not make it the one place you can easily control it? Even if the snake did become cage aggressive (pretty much non issue with ball pythons), I would much, MUCH rather the snake assumes that the ONLY place it is ever going to find food is in its cage. Instead, by removing it, you are associating your hand with feeding time, moving it with feeding time, and assuring it that the only place it will ever get fed is OUTSIDE the cage. Where are you usually holding your snake? Where are strangers usually interacting with your snake? Outside the cage, of course! So why would you want your snake(s) to associate being out of the cage with eating?

I would much rather know that the snake will always be predictably ready to eat in the cage, and predictably not ready to eat out of it, than be concerned about where my snake will be when it decides that it's feeding time. :)

-Jen