Is a separate feeding box necessary?

My son has had a ball python for a year, and we were told to put her in another feeding box (we use a Rubbermaid tub) instead of her aquarium to feed her, so she would not start striking at us when we were reaching into her tank to handle her. That's worked fine, but now we have the ball python bug and are getting 3 new ones. Do you folks with multiple animals feed in their enclosure or a separate tub? Does it matter?

Hi!

Tank aggression due to feeding inside the enclosure is a myth, there is absolutely no need to do that! :)
Rather, it's generally recommended to feed inside the enclosure using feeding tongs, because moving a snake from its enclosure to a feeding bin and back is stressful and can cause regurgitation! If you're afraid of impaction due to ingesting substrate, just put down a piece of slate or a tile on which to feed.

No need as already mentioned.

Nope totally unnecessary [emoji2]


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No need. Frozen thawed and tongs. I just take the hide off him and put in his food. My ball is very picky, he was only fed live by his former owners. frozen thawed was a struggle at first, until I figured out he wanted his mice very warm, and only in his cage.. The hairdryer trick works wonders.

Avoiding the stress put on the snake from being removed from its hide and enclosure completely outweighs experimenting with the theory that removing a snake for feeding will lower the chances of being bit when reaching in because the snake thinks your hand is food.

So is short it's completely unnecessary [emoji1]

Unnecessary as mentioned by the others.


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Completely unnecessary and can cause stress and make them not want to eat but I personally do move them. It's really more just for my entertainment(sorry if that sounds bad). My snakes are fine with it(only ever refuse in their winter strikes) and I handle them frequently and use that container to bathe them if they need it so they don't associate being taken out or put into that container with food unless they smell it, as some people may put the argument that they'll associate being taken out with food if you do feed in a separate enclosure. I just like to watch my snakes eat from all angles lol. But no, you don't need to do that and shouldn't do that with a picky eater

I feed in their own vivs. Both are still easy to handle.

Never had one strike at me thinking I was food. Had two hatchlings strike defensively. Had one adult (when I had a large aquarium style viv for it) strike after he put his food down. And had the other adults stare at me amd prepare to strike, but when I moved they realized I wasn't food and turned to run away.

Feeding in their enclosure works fine. If you're using a viv/aquarium and have a heat lamp for it, set F/T food under the light if the snake doesn't take it. Leave it for a day and the snake will likely eat it in that time.

On top of the other posts, being taken out for feeding time actually increases your risk of getting bitten in the first place, because the snake smells the rat/mouse and is in feeding mode. Even after swallowing the food, snakes can stay in feeding mode for quite awhile, and anything that gives off heat (such as skin) is potential food.

Nope. We feed her in her tank. Why stress her? Just be smart and if they are having an extended feeding response, don't put your hands in the tank, which you shouldn't really be doing for 48 hours after feeding anyway.

I started out with glass tanks for snake cages and feeding in plastic totes, I can tell you it was a nightmare. Seemed like most snakes didn't want to eat after being moved to a separate container. I put them in tubs in a rack system and they went crazy, they eat much better. And I never take them out at all. When I am about to handle a snake I do take the tub out and put it on a table before I handle them, seems like that works really well because I'm not reaching into the tub. Feeding in a separate tub is an old wives tale. A lot of people still do it, I see pet shops do that all the time. There's a lot of bad information that gets passed around and this is one of them.

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I think every bp is different peaches is my first and only but she seems to not be bothered by much

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My girlfriend moves her 2 BPs to a separate bin to feed them, though personally I leave mine in their enclosures. I have had no issue with mine being cage defensive. I have however been bitten by her big female trying to get her out of her cage. Moving them doesn't seem to effect their attitude. I'd personally say just feed them in their enclosure.

All (8) of my snakes are fed inside their enclosures. Like others have said there's no need to move them.

There is no need for feeding in another cage. I have a pretty good collection from ball,boa's and Carpet pythons. They are all fed in there cages. Just get a pair of feeding toungs for feeding, and you should be just fine. Just don't be one of those people who only open the cage to feed and change the water.

If you were worried about food aggression inside the cage, and with Ball-Pythons im not sure Its an issue, but you can start "hook training ". Doesn't have to actually be a snake hook, a lot of people use a paper towel roll to just gently boop them on the nose or something when you open up the tank to handle them, then you don't touch them at all when it's feeding time. That way they learn to associate the contact of the hook or whatever with being handled and if they are hungry it's sort of gets them out of food mode although honestly I'm not sure anyone does this with ball pythons.

I've been feeding my Ball Python in her cage for ten years and she's never bit me. I'm always sticking my hand in the enclosure to rearrange items in the cage, handle her, and she's never shown any signs of wanting to bite me.

I feed in separate just because I don't want the germs from the rat inside her enclosure

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Its covered a lot.

See this and others.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-the-enclosure