Can I just hook "train" instead of putting him in a seperate tank?

The reason I ask this is because he won't eat in another feeding tub. He will take it just fine in his tank which is glass. I honestly think I could just get him knowing the hook = me and anything else = food. He's not a burm or retic hes just a ball so what do you guys think? I find it kind of mean to take him out of his cozy tank put him inside a different environment and then he won't eat despite probably being hungry. Seems like a lot of unnecessary stress.

I personally feed my BPs with 30" feeding tongs that look like forceps. I do this so my guys don't associate my hands with food. I do not put them in a different container to eat. It may work with my girls, and maybe 2 of my 3 males. However, I have one male who needs to be fed last before I leave the room, as activity by his tub will cause him to refuse his meal.


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See that is my problem with my ball, the process of me picking him up and transporting him puts him in a Oh im being handled state and completely throws off his feeding response. I even tried just leaving him in the tub with the lid on and still no luck.

There usually isn't a valid reason to move your snake to a separate tub for feeding. There is a perpetual myth that feeding in the home enclosure causes aggression. In my 9 years of experience with over 75 different ball pythons, I have as yet to prove this statement true.

Granted, most ball pythons will stay in "hunt" mode for a while after feeding, so reaching into an enclosure with hands that smell like food and trying to handle a snake that is still hunting will probably cause you to get bitten. But I have never yet seen it cause a snake to suddenly decide that any time the enclosure is opened it means it's time to eat and to snap at anything that moves. I have seen a single snake who is almost never handled and who has a very erratic feeding schedule associate her tub being opened with food, but this is the fault of her owner and not her. She isn't aggressive, she's hungry.

As long as you are comfortable with feeding in the home enclosure, there is no reason not to. If you have a very enthusiastic feeder who has been known to crash into a glass tank in the quest for food, you might consider moving this snake to a different tub the morning before you plan to feed that night, to give the snake time to adjust before feeding, but that is of course going to be a lot of work. Generally speaking, it's perfectly okay to feed in the home enclosure.

Gale

BP do not associate hands with food because you feed in the enclosure (this is a myth), whenever a BP strikes it is either a defensive strike (young animal generally) or an aggressive behavior due to stress.

I feed all my animals in their respective enclosures, none of them are hooked trained.

Hook training for BP is a bit overkilled but if it makes you feel better go for it.

thank you guys, you guys are the best

Do you mean use a hook? I've never heard of training a snake before.;)

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

Do you mean use a hook? I've never heard of training a snake before.;)

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Ive trained my Bloods to sit, stay, and lay.

My Hoggy will hiss, huff, and hood on command but we are still working on playing dead.

Save yourself, and the snake, a bunch of headaches and just feed in the enclosure. If the only time you open the tub is to offer food then expect the snake to get used to this routine and be ready to eat. I seldom handle my nasicus and I feed in a separate enclosure. I do this because it gives me a chance to sift through their bedding for waste while they eat. They associate any sort of interaction with me as feeding time so are always trying to gnaw on my 10 little pinkies. If you want a tame snake, take it out once or twice a week(feeding day excluded) and you should be fine.

Hook training is typically used for animals with stronger feeding responses. All you're doing is gently tapping them out of feed mode or, in the case of a sleeping serpent, waking them with a room temperature object so they don't get defensive when a warm touch jolts them out of sleep. You don't need a hook either, just use anything that isn't your hand/arm and full of blood you aim to keep. Once they're aware of the situation, and have been conditioned, you can usually just pick them right up with your hands.

Working on getting my sssslippers.

Some, not all, ball pythons can be finicky eaters, especially babies or individuals that are shy. I would not recommend moving them to a separate enclosure- just the action of a different environment and lighting can throw off their feeding. On the other hand, some ball pythons are great eaters and will just pound food regardless of their environment!

There is no reason not to hook train a royal. You can, and if you feel more comfortable, you should. It is often not needed, at home I don't hook trained my royals.

At work however all the snakes and large lizards are hook trained or whistle trained depending on the case. It is a safety issue especially with a'rocks. Many of the brighter animals we keep (caiman and gators) have been trained further to turn and present tails for blood work and such as well. It is easier and far less stressful for both animal and keeper.

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

Do you mean use a hook? I've never heard of training a snake before.;)

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Trained is probably an overstatement. However, I have a large diamond x jungle carpet that operates on the "bite first ask questions later" approach. Hey, if it's not food (say for instance it's only my hand) he can always spit it back out. He's not aggressive, just wants to make sure he doesn't miss a meal. When I enter his cage for non feeding purposes, I give him a couple of gentle taps on the snout and chin with a hook and he goes out of bite mode. I don't think he's trained, it just gives him time to recognize that it's not dinner time.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Ive trained my Bloods to sit, stay, and lay.

My Hoggy will hiss, huff, and hood on command but we are still working on playing dead.

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now if you could just train those bloods to move once every week or so, LOL

As others have said, its not needed to hook train a ball python. They are small enough that even if one tagged you, it wouldn't hurt. Feeding in separate bins was a myth and can actually be dangerous. Try moving a retic, burm or big boa from a little feeding tub when it is still in food mode, not good. Unless you only open the cage to feed ever, then your snake is not gonna get imprinted with that. I feed my 6ft BCI in her cage and she never has mistaken me for food. Her and my BP only go into food mode when they actually smell me bringing rats into the room. Then the BP pokes her head out of her hide and my BCI will perk her head up or sit at the front of the cage. 90% of the time I actually leave my BCI girls door open and she sits with her head poking out just relaxing and you can walk by, pet her on the head or body(which she seems to love) or reach in and change water and she will barely even pay attention to you. So unless there is some other reason you want to feed in a separate bin, its not needed.

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Originally Posted by DennisM

now if you could just train those bloods to move once every week or so, LOL

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At least they are always where I leave them. Im pretty sure my cages don't even need doors. LOL!



I just moved and my backyard has a built in koi pond. I drained it and started setting it up for future fish and plants. What I would really love is to have a caiman in it. The wife has vetoed this though and I believe the HOA would as well.

You should go for a monitor like a Nile, Water or Black Throat. They are really great and as for a reptile, they are very smart and if you get them as babies and interact with them a lot, they get puppy dog tame. My old Nile monitor was so tame, I used to come home from work and throw him in the tub with the heat lamp on and he would relax in there and then walk around the apartment. For some reason though, he hated a friend of mine and took a swipe at him with his tail so hard it put a divet in the wall and broke the sheet rock. If that had connected with his leg, he would not have been feeling good. :P I wish I could get another monitor but no way I got the room needed indoors to make a cage the size a full grown large one needs.

All my Ball pythons are "hook trained". Most are aggressive feeders and I really don't like to get bit. I think using a hook is a great idea. If I need to go back into their tub for any reason, even after feeding, I can touch them with the hook and not have any issues reaching in.