feeding tub thoughts

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Originally Posted by Rapture

I would consider yourself lucky here... some ball pythons are just outwardly overly aggressive and need to be water bottle or hook trained (seems like both have the same principles) to avoid any potential injuries. The reason I am pointing this out is because the smiley you used leads me to believe hook training is silly.

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Hook training a ball python? I guess for me, I do think it's silly. As Adam has said before - you have to OWN your snake! ;) That doesn't mean that I don't respect someone else's right to hook train theirs if that's what makes them more comfortable.

I do have some that don't want to be bothered, I wouldn't make a direct correlation between that aggression as a result of feeding in the tub, just their personality, and I do lightly touch them on top of the head with a water bottle. But using a hook training them to get them out of the cage? I don't think it's necessary. I can see how it would be with larger snakes though.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Hook training a ball python? I guess for me, I do think it's silly. As Adam has said before - you have to OWN your snake! ;) That doesn't mean that I don't respect someone else's right to hook train theirs if that's what makes them more comfortable.

I do have some that don't want to be bothered, I wouldn't make a direct correlation between that aggression as a result of feeding in the tub, just their personality, and I do lightly touch them on top of the head with a water bottle. But using a hook training them to get them out of the cage? I don't think it's necessary. I can see how it would be with larger snakes though.

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x2

The only reason I brought it up is because half of hook training seems to be a lot like the water bottle method when you touch the hook to the snake's head to discourage aggression. That's more what I was referring to. You're right, I couldn't really think of a situation where I would need to actually hook a ball python to get it out of its cage.

Just wanted to add that on Seward's DVD, the Sutherlands (Snake Keeper) mention feeding live in the tub, and then removing the still-constricting snake to clean the enclosure, putting the snake back in before it begins swallowing. So you could consider putting your snake back in it's enclosure at that point (constricting). That would also minimize your risk of getting bitten, since the snake is occupied. Plus that negates some of the other negatives mentioned in previous posts associated with feeding in the tub (ie. mouse hiding, or attacking the snake).

Feeding a snake in its cage does not make it more aggressive or more likely to bite your hand, that's bunk. It is always mentioned in this situation and everyone always rebukes it with personal experience. I have never heard anyone confirm this. A bite can always be explained some other way. The one time I was bitten it was outside of the enclosure.

Either way works though, there is no wrong answer.

Moving the snake while it's still constricting? That sounds odd. I'd always thought you want to leave them alone as much as possible because, in the wild, they're most vulnerable when they're eating, and any kind of disturbance would cause them to spit it out. Whoever said your snake will bite you if it wants to bite you is right, I think. Their brains are, what, the size of a pea? We'll never figure them out.

I don't see why you would need to clean the tank at feeding time.

Efficiency I guess.

Feeding time, while he's in the tub, is a good time to check the hides for urates and provide fresh water. That isn't the only time I clean his cage--any waste I see gets removed right away--but it's one of the times. No one likes to take an after-dinner nap in a messy bed.

Moving a snake while it's constricting is a case of knowing your animal ... I have plenty in my collection that would drop in heartbeat if you even looked at them funny while they're constricting ... these things are living creatures, not VCR's ... there's no one size fits all manual to their care.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Moving a snake while it's constricting is a case of knowing your animal ... I have plenty in my collection that would drop in heartbeat if you even looked at them funny while they're constricting ... these things are living creatures, not VCR's ... there's no one size fits all manual to their care.

-adam

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Same here, I have some that will constrict for an hour at a time or more if they know I am in the room. Others could care less and i can peer into the tub and watch them get the rat down.