Night vs Day Feeding

Alright well I understand how to feed and where to do it (in the tank) but now what never comes up is what time a day. Now snakes are nocturnal so they are more active at night but also in the wild they feed during the day. So which do you guys do? Daytime or Nighttime feeding?

I find I have the most luck feeding after it is dark outside, at least 30 minutes after sundown.

I feed whenever and it really does not make a difference with my collection. ;)

I feed about an hour after the snake has woken up. She is usually very alert by then and ready for her meal. She wakes up shortly after sunset.

Yea I was thinking like around an hour or 2 after I put in his red bulb for night time. Like after that hour scent near the cage with the mouse and he should be ready by hour 2 so around like 8 or 9 o clock.

I have noticed with individual snakes it can certainly make a difference.

My old corn didn't care when it got fed.

My coastal refused to eat during the daytime when I first got her, stress of being shipped and all, but now she'll eat whenever. There is a noticeable difference in her EAGERNESS to feed however, because she's a lazy eater during the day but absolutely SLAMS her feeders when I feed at night (which I do 99% of the time with her)

I always feed at night! I have never tried day feeding because I am at work all day!

I feed whenever it's convenient for me. I have 3 kids, a job and church 2 days a week so most of the time it's between 11a-1p. His last feeding was Sunday, though, and he got it later in the evening. I think it all depends on the snake. Elmo eats whenever I offer him food.

i feed at night for 2 reasons:

1. my snakes are usually awake at night
2. its convienet for me because i work during the day, so im home at night :)

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Originally Posted by Vader6

Alright well I understand how to feed and where to do it (in the tank) but now what never comes up is what time a day. Now snakes are nocturnal so they are more active at night but also in the wild they feed during the day. So which do you guys do? Daytime or Nighttime feeding?

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Big Gunns was gonna make a thread about this. Although captive animals will eat in daylight, they are way more aggressive feeders at night.

Lude thinks BG is right about this one. Lude has noticed this in his snake also. Lude will now stop stealing BG's gimmick

I feed mine at night all the time. I'd feel like if I tried feeding mine during the day it would be the equivalent of someone waking me up at 2AM to eat dinner.

This issue is similar to the live vs frozen debate for me. If I want to get a picky eater to eat it's going to be prescent, live and late at night in the dark.

Once they are established they will eat just fine during the daytime, but I still feed at night.

I feed whenever I happen to get the rats thawed out. Sometimes I have to wait till after work, sometimes I feed them in the morning. I do tend to get the best feeding response at night though. :D

I feed when ever but I think i may have to start the newest rescue off as a night feeder he more active after full dark and when I first get up of a morning so as a first feding I am gonigot offer a mouse or rat pup tonight to see if he will eat . the little bugger not very alrge for a 5 year old bp.

Nowa days i feed at night when its dark, this is more down to the job i have then a prefered choice as before i used to feed them sparadically during the day and on a night. I havent noticed a real difference really either. All my snakes that are eatin well i would put money on them taking food during the day too. After all if you buy a snake from a pet store it will have no doubt been fed during the day.

Big Gunns will tell his fans another story about night and day feeding. An importer BG knows well once told him that trappers in Africa can't catch Ball Pythons at night because they are INSANE. Supposedly they act like Retics in feeding mode, and will just strike at anything that moves.

Only feed at night, tried in the day but didn't work.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I feed whenever and it really does not make a difference with my collection. ;)

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Same here - they eat when food is offered, day or night.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Same here - they eat when food is offered, day or night.

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x3 as long as its food they dont seem to care if its name is breakfast lunch dinner or midnight snack

have fed both day and night with equal success

Since I don't have a job, and the store I get my feeders from closes at 6 pm, I feed during the day. Typically I wait til about 4-4:30, but if I have something to do that day, I'll feed earlier. I prescent and typically wait til they come out flicking their tongues to put the rat in.

Because Ball Pythons are wait and ambush predators, they have a built-in ability to strike and kill prey from a sound sleep. It's natures way of ensuring their survival. This is why Pythons will eat in the daytime.

Most keepers will make sure the snake is actually awake before offering daytime prey, which is recommended because sometimes a Ball Python will not get the best "grab" when striking from a sound sleep, resulting in scratches or maybe even a bite.

i have a new normal ball, and i have feed her twice both during the day..

I feed during the day. Of course I wake them up first to make sure nothing happens. 2 of them eat rather quickly. The third I might try at night b/c she's a little more slower to eat during the day.

I've gotten good feeding responses at night and during the day. But i usually feed at night because i'm at work during the day.

I do both. I've never really had issues with them taking it during the day, other than I think one of them prefers to eat frozen thawed at night. But that girl gives me grief with f/t every now and again anyhow.

i feed all my snakes in the afternoon hours of around 5 or 6 pm. But ive never had a problem feeding a bp at any given time unless they were on food strike.

I put the box on top of the cage and it doesnt matter if its morning, afternoon, or midnight. Mine will come out of the hide salavating and try to get to the box. His response is nutty because when I come back in there to get the rat out, he will strike at any type of movement (my hand going in front of the enclosure to get to the rat) like he is blinded by the smell of food......

I am pretty sure that mine will eat at anytime. We feed them on Saturday afternoon. I do know if I didn't that I would be in huge amounts of trouble with them. Come Saturday morning they are up and scouting around. They must have little mini calanders in their hides....:rolleyes:

I've never fed at night. Okay, evenings sometimes but usually middle of the afternoon. I sortof feed whenever I find it convenient on feeding day. :P

Funny mine although rarely refuses seems to prefer after dark but the room light needs to be on. If I turn the light off too soon he'll drop it and stick his head on top when I check on him and turn the light on again he will re-strike and constrict and feed. So in my case after dark but not in the dark. Silly thing!

i have females and males that will eat when ever food is offered. They love those f\t\sm rats. My female albino on the other hand i have to feed at around 10 at night when she comes out of her hide and starts moving around. Then she nails the f\t\small rat no problem. I also have females and males that have such great feeding response if there still in there hide as soon as the lid is taken off the tub there are already out read to strike. They are putting some real nice weight on them. Going to breed my own rats this year for the snakes. :gj: Bare with some of my sentences that dont make sense at first since i add ramdom things to them. Little slow head as well as speaking Portuguese messes with me hahah

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Funny mine although rarely refuses seems to prefer after dark but the room light needs to be on. If I turn the light off too soon he'll drop it and stick his head on top when I check on him and turn the light on again he will re-strike and constrict and feed. So in my case after dark but not in the dark. Silly thing!

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lol ive had a few snakes like that. In the dark they will constrict it and leave it. so then i have to turn the light on pull the tub back out and do the rat dance with the tongs and they strike again and finally take the meal down.