feeding techniques

Getting my first BP soon and wanted some advice. I went to a pet store today and looked at tanks, i looked at the small BP's they had.
A employee and myself got bit today lol.

I wonder what is the best way to avoid being bit. Do you feed in the tank/tub or do you put the BP somewhere else to eat.
I want to avoid being bit lol. I got bit while holding the BP outside its enclosure at the store. I am sure they dont get handled much so I blew it off.

Want to know if you feel there is a way to avoid being bit, do you approach the animal a certain way so they know its not feeding time??

There's really no reason to feed a bp outside the enclosure.

mine basically bit me all the time until he got used to me now I can let other people hold him without worrying 24/7 about him biting someone

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Originally Posted by bman123

Getting my first BP soon and wanted some advice. I went to a pet store today and looked at tanks, i looked at the small BP's they had.
A employee and myself got bit today lol.

I wonder what is the best way to avoid being bit. Do you feed in the tank/tub or do you put the BP somewhere else to eat.
I want to avoid being bit lol. I got bit while holding the BP outside its enclosure at the store. I am sure they dont get handled much so I blew it off.

Want to know if you feel there is a way to avoid being bit, do you approach the animal a certain way so they know its not feeding time??

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Feeding in a separate enclosure only creates stress. Some snakes will eat in a separate enclosure, but most won't. I just feed my Ball pythons and all of my snakes in their own enclosures/tubs which makes it a lot easier on me and the snakes. If you are going to get a Ball python, I would suggest a tub since it's a lot cheaper, a lot lighter in weight, easy to clean, and holds in humidity extremely well. Ball pythons at pet stores aren't the healthiest, so I would consider purchasing from a good breeder. Try Brian at BHB (www.bhbreptiles.com) or Adam at 8Ballpythons (www.8ballpythons.com) or even Tracey Barker at VPI. There's a lot of great breeders out there with healthy snakes so I would consider purchasing from them. Pet stores are not the best place to purchase a healthy snake.

Also, when you approach the snake, be calm and don't pick it up as quickly. They can get scared easily and some may even strike. My little hatchling Spider struck at me because I moved too quickly, so it's important to pick up the snake calmly. This is what I do when I pick up my Spider and he no longer strikes.. unless I'm quick.

i was holding it for about 20 seconds when it bit me

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Originally Posted by bman123

i was holding it for about 20 seconds when it bit me

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It most likely doesn't get handled often.

there were 3 of them in the same tank. Two were 20inches long the other 16 inches long. we both got bit by the big ones lol. I held the small one and it was fine, no problem at all.

i dont mind buying a snake from a pet store. i've always bought my reptiles from stores.
2 gecko's 2 iguanas 1 pac man frog and 1 savannah monitor. They all have been healthy

Consider the real living situation of a pet in a pet store. They are usually put on the main isle that gets the most traffic. Ball pythons need privacy, so with all the noise and commotion that is constant throughout the day, the hide that they have probably isn't very secure feeling. This stress is probably what is making them nippy more than the lack of being handled.

To avoid being bit I never approach my snakes in front of their face, always grab them by the body behind their head. Move slow and be firm, don't let them think they may fall.

Once your get him/her home and let them be alone, for the first time most likely, they will be much more docile.

they should be fed tomorrow so maybe they were hungry IDK. I liked the small one it was friendly. The way the tank is you almost always grab them from the front. I think it was like this 20h x 16w x 20d close to that size with three of them in there

Wait a minute. You're not supposed to move them from their tank for feeding? Everything I've ever read said to do so so they don't associate you going into their tank as feeding time.

Hi,

It generally isn't a problem with ball pythons - but stress stopping them eating is.

So generally we would say in-tank feeding is less likely to have problems.


dr del

always let them know ye'r thar and so u dont startle them and never put your hand in front of thar face as for not feeding them in thair cage, i always have, ive never done it any other way. if u have a rack with lots of snakes it's probably way to mutch trouble but if u have 1 or 2 it's prety good idea if u dont want to get bit

There is no reason to feed a ball python in any other enclosure than its own (barring the reason if you have a piece substrate that you don't want the snake to eat accidentally).

The myth of cage aggression is just that, a MYTH. Snakes need to smell food to get into feeding mode. This is why pre-scenting is so highly recommended. If a snake is biting you and letting go quickly and not coiling, this is a defensive strike, not a mistaken feeding response. Its defensive because it is scared or stressed.

If a snake mistakes you for a food item (or is striking at the food item and misses and gets your fingers or hand) then it will fully coil and constrict.

To avoid being bit, feed with tongs. I thought it was cool to hand feed, till I got bit twice - once by a ball python and once by a corn.

When I first started caring for my daughter's snake, I fed it in a box because that's how she did it. He would know food was coming cause he could smell previous prey in the box; it was neat seeing him ramp up his feeding response. However, I didn't like handling him after he fed to put him back, so now I feed him in his cage. He can still smell the prey and still gets all excited about getting fed when I bring the mice in the room.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bman123

they should be fed tomorrow so maybe they were hungry IDK. I liked the small one it was friendly. The way the tank is you almost always grab them from the front. I think it was like this 20h x 16w x 20d close to that size with three of them in there

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The small one has probably just spent less time in that environment. If you plan on interacting with it a lot, it will probably be best for you. The larger ones would be better as display pets for people who want a snake, but not really as a pet. Of course the right care can change all of that.