Do you ever feed directly on Loose Substrate

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Originally Posted by Argentra

:) Remember this one fact: Snakes digest rodent bones and fur. Do you really think a little piece of wood is going to affect them much?? I would say, only if it's really sharp and gets stuck somewhere, or if they take in a whole mouthful of it.

Always use aspen bedding, always feed on it with no issues. Once, one of my BPs got a piece stuck in their mouth, but they worked it out on their own before I could even open the cage door. :)

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I stopped using aspen long ago, not because of digesting a few pieces, but because pulling it out of the throat of a large adult female ball python that is freaking out is no fun ...
I'm sure it's rare but...
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...loodyaspen.jpg

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Originally Posted by CaitJaye

I dont feed her with any substrate around, but thats only becasue when I feed her is when I clean out her home. I put her in a seperate big old bin and dump a feeder in there. By the time shes done eating her tank is clean. :)

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^^^^^this^^^^^^^

I know everyone has their own beliefs, and their own way of doing things.

I'm certain that there aren't herp keepers running around the jungles to ensure that the wild ones don't eat substrate while they dine...but I figure that IF I can control it, why not?

I feed all my babies in feeding tubs...and while they're chowing down, I clean their tanks. Like CaitJaye said - by the time they're finished, so am I. I get to return them to their homes with a full belly and a clean house.

Two birds - one stone.

Just my $0.02, and I can make change.

I used to keep all mine on cypress mulch and I fed F/T and live fine on it. I've since switched to keep everyone on newspaper since I get it free and it's cleanlier since I usually check everyday and just clean the individual tubs as they become dirty.

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Originally Posted by FoxReptiles

Thanks for the feedback. Don't forget to vote i the poll at the top! =)

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Those of us on tapatalk can't see polls. ;)

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

I feed directly on paper towels :)

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X2



Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

Those of us on tapatalk can't see polls. ;)

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yeah, this needs to be fixed.

At home I feed all of my critters on their substrate - never had an issue at all, even if they did ingest some. My blue tongues can be the worst at eating their bedding, but they usually spit it all out, and what they don't, I've seen in their feces. The ball pythons I rarely, if ever, see them actually get any into their mouths, even when feeding on live prey items.

From watching the hundreds of animals in the stores, they're extremely capable of removing substrate from their mouth on the occasions that they do get any in or near that area. The only potential issue would be when substrate chunks are too large - it's best if they're big enough to be spit out (I prefer mixing eco earth with bark or cypress for this reason) but not so big that it can't be easily swallowed if it has to be (so smaller bark pieces, smaller shredded wood chip beddings, etc).

My folks have a panther chameleon that was chewing the bark off of the wood perches in his cage... he passed a 4" long strip of tree bark one day. He certainly didn't seem to enjoy the process (coincidentally, he hasn't really chewed bark on the perches since) but he did manage to pass it on his own. One of the more unusual texts/phone calls I've received from my mother, to be sure.

While in the wild there's no one out there picking the bark/dirt/wood out of the animal's mouths when they eat, true, it's also worth considering that in the wild, not every single animal makes it for a full natural lifespan. We don't know how often wild reptiles die from complications with eating something they're not supposed to. Not saying that we should never feed directly on substrate (again, I feed directly on loose substrate at home), but it's worth remembering that they're not indestructible, either. Flukes happen! So just monitor your pets while they eat. :)

-Jen

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

I feed all of my snakes loose substrate.

I don't want to take a risk feeding them rodents because I'm worried they will choke. Loose substrate is an excellent source of trace minerals and is high in fiber.

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I feed on directly on Loose Substrate because my doctor told me I need more fiber to aid digestion, and it's pretty good with a little steak sauce. I'm not sure what snakes or rodents have to do with it.

^^ LOL

One of Sylvanas' feedings went a little funny as she went to strike the mouse moved and she got a mouth full of coconut substrate.
That was horrible and not fun :(
So now I don't feed her in her tank and put her in a small bin that I had been using for storing some makeup.

I do every time, but I use newspaper for all my pythons. I do how ever feed my Boas on coco husk bedding and reptibark ever time, no issues ever!!!

I always feed my snakes on their coconut husk substrate. In the wild, it would be near impossible to not get dirt of some kind in their mouths. And they hardly ever actually get the substrate in their mouths anyway. One of my kingsnakes actually spits dirt out :)