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Feeding Question..
I have my baby ball python since October and I feed her every 5 days..
When I want to feed her I get her out of her inclosure in a different tub..
But she don't want to strike and seems even scared of the mouse..
After several times of trying I put her back in her inclosure and leave the mouse in there over night in the hope she will eat it .. and she does..
But why won't she eat in a different inclosure..??
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Moving them to a "feed box" can cause stress which causes refusal. There's no need to feed your bp outside of its normal enclosure
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Re: Feeding Question..
Quote:
Originally Posted by iCandiBallPythons
Moving them to a "feed box" can cause stress which causes refusal. There's no need to feed your bp outside of its normal enclosure
So it won't make her more aggressive when I want to get her out of her inclosure to handle her?
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This is one of those things that you hear a lot of people debating about.
On the feeding box side
- No chance of swallowing substrate
- Easier to clean if there's any mess from the feeding
- If feeding live, less places for the mouse to hide
- According to some, less aggression
On the feeding in tank side
- Less stress to the snake
- You have the option to leave it over night(as you've done)
- If feeding live, more chances for the snake to ambush
It really comes down to can snakes learn to associate certain places with Feeding Time. If they can, then obviously a feeding box is better because:
- They're looking for food, so you're more likely to get a feeding response
- They're not looking for food in their tank, so you're less likely to get bit
The main reason I feed in a feeding box is because my snake seems to have learned that that box means food is coming and will immeadiately go into "hunt" mode and so far has never even histated to strike and eat for me, also I could stick my fingers directly into my snakes hide and poke her in the face and she wouldn't bite me.
Now it's possible that my snake would do this anyway, but since it's worked this well for me so far, why would I want to mess with something else.
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Pre-scenting the room is great for triggering the feed response. I use unprinted newspaper or paper towels in my racks but if a snake can digest fur,bone etc I doubt ingesting a minute amount of substrate will harm the snake. I would not recommend leaving a live feeder in the enclosure un-supervised.
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Re: Feeding Question..
I only feed in the ensclosure. My snakes know when it is time to eat, they immediately go into strike position. If I tried to move them into a seperate feed box, I would surely get bitten by them. They show no signs of aggression when it is not feeding time.
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the only snake I ever fed in a separate enclosure was a 13ft burmese....simply because of a super-aggressive feeding response and the fact that she knew cage=no food, huge tote=food. I started moving her when she was around 6 ft, as she would begin striking at the enclosure door on feeding night as soon as I came in the room.
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Re: Feeding Question..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeo123
This is one of those things that you hear a lot of people debating about.
On the feeding box side
- No chance of swallowing substrate
- Easier to clean if there's any mess from the feeding
- If feeding live, less places for the mouse to hide
- According to some, less aggression
On the feeding in tank side
- Less stress to the snake
- You have the option to leave it over night(as you've done)
- If feeding live, more chances for the snake to ambush
It really comes down to can snakes learn to associate certain places with Feeding Time. If they can, then obviously a feeding box is better because:
- They're looking for food, so you're more likely to get a feeding response
- They're not looking for food in their tank, so you're less likely to get bit
The main reason I feed in a feeding box is because my snake seems to have learned that that box means food is coming and will immeadiately go into "hunt" mode and so far has never even histated to strike and eat for me, also I could stick my fingers directly into my snakes hide and poke her in the face and she wouldn't bite me.
Now it's possible that my snake would do this anyway, but since it's worked this well for me so far, why would I want to mess with something else.
I would prefer myself for her to eat in a feeding box, I tried but she won't take the food... so how do you think I can solve that problem..? Keep on trying?
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None of my pythons eat outside their enclosure. Some simple, common sense rules apply when feeding your snake in their enclosure.
First, I ALWAYS use latex free disposable gloves and a long pair of tongs when I feed my snakes. My bare hands NEVER touch the food my snakes eat, hence there is little to no chance of them mistaking my bare hands in their enclosure for food. I have NEVER had any of my pets strike at me when I've put my hands in their enclosures. I always make sure I use the same hand soap before I reach into their enclosures to ensure they recognize my scent and know also know it is not feeding time.
I know it sounds like overkill, but my snakes are totally comfortable with me handling them and they recognize my scent immediately and respond accordingly. Remember, the less stress you induce on your pet, the healthier the pet. Less stress also results in a more steady feeding cycle and less frustration on your part. Keep in mind that, no matter how hard you try, your snake may just not eat in a seperate enclosure. Each pet is different and you have to accept them for their own quirky personalities and likes and dislikes. After all, that's what makes them so much fun! :gj:
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Re: Feeding Question..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snakie2010
I would prefer myself for her to eat in a feeding box, I tried but she won't take the food... so how do you think I can solve that problem..? Keep on trying?
Well, here's my process:
- Take the mouse from the freezer and put it in a cup of the hottest water from the tap
- After about 15-30 minutes, I put it on on a plastic chinese food lid and put that under the heat lamp to get it to normal body temperature.
- While the mouse is under the heat lamp, I get my snake out of her tank and into the box to let her settle down a bit. She usually goes around sticking her tongue out a bit while this is going on.
- I grab the mouse with a pair of tongs by the back legs/hips( basically the body, not the tail) and hold it about 3-6 inches from her slightly in the air. She'll strike at the mouse directly in the tongs.
A couple things about the last step. I grab by the back of the body instead of the tail because it let's me hold the mouse horizontal instead of straight up and down.
I hold it in the air because it seems to get her attention more when things are moving above her(when not feeding moving my hand over her typically causes a defensive curl while moving my hand in front of her does nothing)
Finally, I don't just leave it in with her because she seems to lose interest sooner if it's not moving.
Hope that helps
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Re: Feeding Question..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeo123
Well, here's my process:
- Take the mouse from the freezer and put it in a cup of the hottest water from the tap
- After about 15-30 minutes, I put it on on a plastic chinese food lid and put that under the heat lamp to get it to normal body temperature.
- While the mouse is under the heat lamp, I get my snake out of her tank and into the box to let her settle down a bit. She usually goes around sticking her tongue out a bit while this is going on.
- I grab the mouse with a pair of tongs by the back legs/hips( basically the body, not the tail) and hold it about 3-6 inches from her slightly in the air. She'll strike at the mouse directly in the tongs.
A couple things about the last step. I grab by the back of the body instead of the tail because it let's me hold the mouse horizontal instead of straight up and down.
I hold it in the air because it seems to get her attention more when things are moving above her(when not feeding moving my hand over her typically causes a defensive curl while moving my hand in front of her does nothing)
Finally, I don't just leave it in with her because she seems to lose interest sooner if it's not moving.
Hope that helps
Well today was feeding time so I did a newpaper in the feedingbox because it was seetrue... went to get her out of her enclosure put her in the feedingbox for 10 min to settle in, the rat pinks ready to go.. en YESSSS she ate....!!!
I am soooo glad she eat woehoee :D
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