(poll) Do You Feed Your BP In It's Viv?

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Originally Posted by jayefbe

If anyone's worried about cage aggressive behavior (which honestly, is not a problem with balls) then think about hook training. Every time you are NOT feeding the snakes (handling, cleaning, watering) gently tap the snake on the head with a hook or anything else that is available on hand. The snake quickly learns that it is not being fed. This is particularly useful for the larger snakes. Burms and retics start acting like a dog that thinks it's getting a treat as soon as you start opening their cage. A quick tap on the head, and their feed response is completely extinguished and they can be safely taken out of their cage.

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I know this was posted long ago but I just found it and wanted to thank you for this info!!! My BP recently just came out of a 4 1/2 month long fast period. Previous to that I was feeding in a seperate tank. Now after 2 successful feedings without moving him ( :D ) I have decided that this is what I will be doing from now on. However, I am a little gun shy since he now peeks his head out of his hide waiting for the mouse and then strikes right away LOL. I know it's normal for him. But after 4 1/2 months it's not normal for me LOL.

I have a hook though and that is a great idea and way for me to ease my own fears about being bit!!! So THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feed in their own enclosure.. Generally if you follow a schedule and always feed on the same day, the snakes will learn when its feeding day. Some people have no problem feeding in a seperate box (which is really required if you have a bedding in its enclosure that is not safe to ingest) but sometimes doing this will stress the snake and it will not want to eat. So i just use newspapers and papertowles in their enclosure and feed them in there on thursdays every week.

i would prefer my snake seeing my hand to go "Oh, this jerk again, whatever I'm fine" instead of "I'M GUNNA GET FOOD SOON!!!!!!" and running the risk of it striking. I mean... you would have to feed it the moment it moved for that to happen, but if you left it for 10~20 minutes in it's feeding tank you wouldn't have this issue (classical conditioning requires very short time intervals between neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus (your hand, the rodent)).

I take out my bp's, put the mouse in the tank, and then put them back in, just to be safe. My one male bp can get really excited if he sees a mouse...

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

i would prefer my snake seeing my hand to go "Oh, this jerk again, whatever I'm fine" instead of "I'M GUNNA GET FOOD SOON!!!!!!" and running the risk of it striking. I mean... you would have to feed it the moment it moved for that to happen, but if you left it for 10~20 minutes in it's feeding tank you wouldn't have this issue (classical conditioning requires very short time intervals between neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus (your hand, the rodent)).

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In the four and a half years I've been feeding about 40 ball pythons in their enclosures, I've never been mistaken for food. But then, I also don't smell like a rodent (another vital piece of the classical conditioning) when I go into their enclosures. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Isis

All six of mine are fed in the tubs, they also share the snake room with my rat colony. I've never been bit and don't have problems with food aggression, just one snake with a bad tude :D

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I wonder which one that is? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

In the four and a half years I've been feeding about 40 ball pythons in their enclosures, I've never been mistaken for food. But then, I also don't smell like a rodent (another vital piece of the classical conditioning) when I go into their enclosures. :gj:

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I was saying that that is why I DO feed them in the enclosures. By feeding it outside of the enclosure it will come to think that you picking it up means food is coming soon, thus it will be more likely to strike at you if you move it than if you don't. (Classical Conditioning)

I feed mine in their tubs, I do everything wrong also according to popular opinion and still never have problems of aggression or getting bit or anything.

I feed them on a random schedule I try to stick to every saturday but sometimes It just doesn't happen *insert excuse here*, I feed anytime during the day, morning, mid day, night. doesn't seem to matter. Lights on or Lights off, again doesn't matter. Whenever i decied "im gonna feed the snakes now" is when they get fed.

I keep 11 snakes, 7 of which are BPs... no problems. If i stick my hand in there they always smell me, and even if I was handling the rodents, i still don't think they'd try to eat my hand. I mean the only one that would worry me would be the small GTP. thats the one i know would bite me if he smelled rodent. but if I don't smell like rodent i can stick my hand right in there and he'd smell it and most likly go back to sleep.