In the tank or in a seperate box??

I have heard both sides of this argument & I am curious as to what all of you think. I have heard that feeding into the living space causes them to be more apt to bite you whenever you stick your hand in because they think hand in = food. However, there is the side that insists you must not handle your BP for at LEAST 24 hours after a feeding to avoid upsetting them & having them regergitate so that would put the idea of a seperate feeding box out the door. What have you all had success with!!??

I feed in the cage. Never been mistaken for food either. And yeah, 24 hours is a good amount of time to allow them to digest.

THen they could associate being taken OUT of the cage with feeding time CHOMP CHOMP! hehe kidding there.

You'll find folks do both - whatever works the best and safest for you and your snake is the right answer - you could find convincing arguments for either.

Here's a thread with a poll on that:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/index.ph...ewtopic&t=1753

yeah, this is a very common question

I have 3 BPs that eat out of their enclosures and two that eat in. It's a matter of what works for you, your setup, and most importantly your snake.

same with marla, peanut eats in a box, smoke eats in a box, but baby and paco eat in their enclosures... although i'm gonna have to start feeding smoke in his enclosure, cuz he's getting pretty big.

I feed outside.

I feed mine in seperate, empty rubbermaids. This is just because I use aspen substrate, and I don't want them swallowing any.

Pauliocho eats in the tub, he likes a soak after eating.

Yeah...I really think the concensus here is whatever is best for you and your snake. It won't hurt the snake if you can gently scoop it up out of the feeding box and place it back into its nice, warm enclosure. But I also seriously doubt that feeding in its home causes a pavlovian response to your hand...so long as you are taking proper care of it to begin with.

For the record, my vet says to feed in with a BP. He says that they are so shy anyways that it isn't gunna make them attack your hand if you feed them inside. In fact, he said, because they are so shy & can be shaken & upset so easily, takin them out of their tank could end up makin them less likely to eat.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eddie_Z

For the record, my vet says to feed in with a BP. He says that they are so shy anyways that it isn't gunna make them attack your hand if you feed them inside. In fact, he said, because they are so shy & can be shaken & upset so easily, takin them out of their tank could end up makin them less likely to eat.

---

Tell him to come down to where I live. I will show him a ton of Balls that will eat your hand whole if you stick it in :roll:

Eddie.. that's good to know. I plan on feeding outside because I want to challenge Pavlov... but if it doesn't pan out I'll feed inside.

It all depends on the personality of your ball. If it has an aggressive temperament, I would defenitely consider feeding outside.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marla

If I'm feeding Hanover an f/t mouse, he requires that it be dangled/danced for a MINIMUM of 30 minutes before he'll take it.

---

Marla, I apologize! I clicked on the "Edit" button instead of the "Quote" button, and deleted your post!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock: I am so sorry!!!!!!
:oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marla

...don't try to fit all ball pythons into the same mold or you'll be disappointed.

---

VERY excellently stated, Marla! (And girl...you got some seriously spoiled snakes! :P )

it is true, the one thing i have learned above all else so far when talkin with all of you is that everything is dependant upon what your BP's personality is. We can all use the guidelines we see as a general idea, but when it comes right down to it, all of our little friends have their own way of doing things!

LOL don't I know it? They have me wrapped around their ... little fingers? :lol: But as long as it doesn't get into the realm of the ridiculous, I am willing to do it for them. I'd rather make mousepuppets dance any day than pick up runaway crickets (ew!).

Yep, Eddit, totally true. There are some absolutes that work across the board (a snake is not a good pal to take ice skating, for example) but there are many more that are guidelines. One BP might be happiest at 93F while another likes to chill out at 78F most of the time. Observation is the biggest key to keeping your snake happy and healthy once you know the guidelines and rules.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marla

If I'm feeding Hanover an f/t mouse, he requires that it be dangled/danced for a MINIMUM of 30 minutes before he'll take it.

---

Well, this is what I was trying to post before I deleted Marla's post...... :oops:

Just an observation, Marla.....
I have noticed that when my BP's start taking forever to snag a dancing p/k rat, they will take a dead one left in their enclosure overnight. Once they start to not have that instant prey drive, it seems like they are ready to switch to scavenger mode. Just my observations with my snakes.....you might try it.

Actually, I've tried that 3 times now. First two it resulted in a stinky house. Last time it worked. I wasn't going to jinx it by mentioning it tho. ;)

and just so's ya know, now i get a free goof-up. :D

I feed in a box and Ozzy knows when I sit him down in the box it's time to eat he gets ready for me to lower the mouse in and he is already in strike positon.
I feed in box cause I use reptibark and dont want him to swallow any.
I give him about 10 mins after it's down his body a good way and he starts moving around trying to get out and then I just pick him up and he wraps around my hand for the ride back to his cage and usually goes in his warm hide for a few hours.
To tell you guys the truth I was more worried about being bite feeding in a box then in his cage as when it was time to take him out of the box I was worried he would stike thinking my hand was more food since he was in feeding reponse but so far he seems to know the routine.
Besides after that trip to the vet and the vet checking him out if he didnt strike then I dont think he ever will unless my hand smells like mouse :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RPlank

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marla

If I'm feeding Hanover an f/t mouse, he requires that it be dangled/danced for a MINIMUM of 30 minutes before he'll take it.

---

Well, this is what I was trying to post before I deleted Marla's post...... :oops:

Just an observation, Marla.....
I have noticed that when my BP's start taking forever to snag a dancing p/k rat, they will take a dead one left in their enclosure overnight. Once they start to not have that instant prey drive, it seems like they are ready to switch to scavenger mode. Just my observations with my snakes.....you might try it.

---

Just thought I'd let you know, Sunday's feeding went beautifully this week. Everyone got pulled out and handled for a while (one snake per person) to perk them up, then the boys were returned to their containers and given a mouse each and Snyder went to the "dining room" for dinner and a show. Five minutes into the show, she decides it's time for the entree and boom! down goes the tiny dancer. Once she had finished dinner and was cruising, I put her back in her enclosure and checked the boys, only to see that every one of them was done as well. Sweet!