Feeding in a separate tub

I always thought you should feed on a separate tub as it cuts down on the snake mistaking your hand as good when you go into their cage.


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I find people get bit more after feeding their snake in a separate tub while the snake is still in hunting mode. It can also stress your snake as they don't enjoy being handled in the first place, so they wont eat, then people come here to ask why their snake isn't eating. Quite often, this doesn't ever stop your snake from trying to take a chunk from you when reach into the cage whether you feed in a separate tub or not. If your snake has a strong feeding response, it may still think your food. My corn snake was fed in a separate tub for about 8 months. She was my first snake and we were told to feed her in a separate tub as well. She still tried to bite us when we reached into her enclosure but she has such a strong feeding response that she follows anything that moves. Now we feed her in her enclosure and there is no difference... we can only pick her up once we have blocked her view.

None of my snakes (besides the corn) has been or is fed in separate tub and out of 15 snakes, only two will try to bite us when reach into their cage. My boa and corn snake, two of the most hungry snake species I have ever seen.

People do successfully feed in a separate tub. It is a myth that you should or have to, but typically it is the owners choice. If you feel it would be better or easier, go ahead. I find it easier just to leave them in their enclosure.

Right now my ball python is pretty chill and seems to be quite inquisitive when I take him out. I don't want to mess him up because he is so friendly and I enjoy having him out. He eats in his tub when I do feed him but I noticed he is more active after he eats.

I do leave him alone for two days after he eats and then go back to taking him out. I'm more than likely going to be getting a Brazilian Rainbow Boa one day and I know they can be a little harder to tame than ball pythons. I just want to make sure I'm doing good husbandry practices and will end up having healthy happy snakes.

When I was a kid I had a Boa and a Burmese and fed them live food in their enclosure. My Boa tagged me once when I was feeding him and the Burmese was one nasty snake. The Burmese would go for me every chance he got even when I would try handling him. I think a lot of the bad attitude was the bad husbandry practices that I was told by the pet store. Needless to say the Internet is a great thing and I have been doing a lot of reading especially before getting the snake I have now.

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This topic will be debated till the end of days. I started out thinking there was perhaps some merit/logic to it but after feeding for a while in a separate tub and now feeding right in their tub I can honestly say there is no difference. I did use to find it easier to take them out and feed them in a separate tub so I could change out their substrate and clean their tub while they were eating. The issue with this was that as I added more and more snakes feeding night was taking hours because of the time involved in cleaning the tubs. Now I use paper substrate and have 8 spare vision tubs already clean and lined with paper and ready to swap out when I see a mess. Monday night it took 10 minutes to feed all 12 snakes I currently have.

I think the key thing is you have to train yourself how to be aware of whether they are in feeding/hunting mode or in explorer mode. Pretty much every time I pull their tub they are right there at the ready so I know to be cautious that they think food is coming. Usually after distracting them for a minute or two I can reach in no problem and I've not been struck at in a long time. Once out and broken from the feeding response and they know you're not there to eat them they chill and hang out with me.

I keep BRB's. I wouldn't feed them anywhere but their enclosure, they go into "food mode" as soon as they smell anything thawing, whether that be mouse, rat, or rabbit. Once foody they will strike out at warmth and movement (your hand) and ask questions later. They also stay foody for hours after eating.

Do your BRBs like to be handled?


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I have a pair of communally housed garters that I separate for feeding; there is absolutely no difference in behavior between the one that goes out of the tank to eat and the one that stays in the tank to eat.

As long as you are going into the enclosure to do regular maintenance and check on the snake, they shouldn't mistake you for food right off the bat. The only time I could see that potentially being a problem is if literally the ONLY time you open the tub is for food.

I always feed in a separate tub...it keeps his regular cage cleaner. After I feed my BP I just gently dump him back into his regular cage. He goes out of hunting mode real fast in his regular cage.

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Originally Posted by Billy29

Do your BRBs like to be handled?

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They didn't as babies but that's typical for most snakes. They tolerate it fine at a year old after working with them as babies so they learned that "Godzilla" (me) wouldn't eat them.

FWIW I can only claim that two of my snakes "like" handling, as in, they will come out of their enclosures and crawl up my arm. The rest dive for a hide or the back of the enclosure except for my male dwarf retic, who comes out looking for food. Even so, I'm not sure those two are actively seeking to be handled because they like it, I think they're just looking to explore and I just happen to be a warm mobile tree conveniently in their path...

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Originally Posted by bcr229

FWIW I can only claim that two of my snakes "like" handling, as in, they will come out of their enclosures and crawl up my arm. The rest dive for a hide or the back of the enclosure except for my male dwarf retic, who comes out looking for food. Even so, I'm not sure those two are actively seeking to be handled because they like it, I think they're just looking to explore and I just happen to be a warm mobile tree conveniently in their path...

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Most of my garters are the same way. They have pretty much zero fear of me and will do their best to chase me around while still inside their tanks, but I think that's a combination of wanting to explore and hoping I've magically procured another dead rodent.

I'm new to owning a snake but I can see reasons for both. I would just do whatever is comfortable for you and your snake. Personally I feed in tank. My hands go in and out of the tank during daily maintenance and mine just keeps snoozing unless there's the smell of rat in there. Some people feed in a tub because that's when they'll clean the enclosure. Some people feel that they get bit less. Personally I've seen and heard of more bites when feeding out of tank. In tank feeding you have a bit more distance between yourself and them as well as you will see if they're gonna go for you instead of the food as with a tub it might be a bit harder. As long as the scaly baby is eating and looking healthy I would just do what works for you.