Feeeding Question

So, i am going to attempt to feed the new Pied girl pretty soon, I want to feed her in her enclosure because i don't want to stress her out and cause a refusal moving her. I use Aspen as a substrate though. Should i just put a sheet of newspaper down, but her on there, and feed her in her enclosure, or put newspaper down, leave her for a few days, then try and feed her?
Im not quite sure what to do in this situation, so any help would be appreciated!!
Thanks all :sunny:

Well if you think about it, picking her up to place her on a piece of paper, you might as well move her to another cage if you are worried about bedding inhestion.


Just remember that injestion of substrate isn't something that only happens in captivity but also in the wild. I am not saying impaction can't happen or won't, i am just saying that no one places wild individuals into aquariums every time they eat. So just take my :2cent: for what its worth.

~mike

yeah...she is in her hide a lot, so i was thinking about putting newspaper down, and she comes out at night, and she will most likely be on the newspaper, and then feed her. I just don't want to risk anything happening to her. She's my most prized possesion, and i really don't want some silly aspen to hurt her.

i feedem all on Aspen. they usually take a little in..they're fine. I'm switching to newspaper as soon as this ginormous bag of aspen runs out

Being careful is probably the best, but no one can make a decision for you just remember that when people are throwing suggestions at you (including my owen). in the end it is your descision.

~mike

all my bp's are kept on news paper so for me its not an issue . on the other hand my rosy boas are on aspen . with them i just put a paper towel down and put the dead rat on top of it . they pretty much crawl over and eat it where it sits .

i don't think a little bit of aspen will make a difference, after all your snakes are digesting mice bones etc...

the problem is that wood and bark are composed of cellulose and lignnin , both of which are nondigestible . when broken down into very small pieces(ie chewing) its ok ( we call this fiber) . since snakes dont chew , it can be a problem for them .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by markface

the problem is that wood and bark are composed of cellulose and lignnin , both of which are nondigestible . when broken down into very small pieces(ie chewing) its ok ( we call this fiber) . since snakes dont chew , it can be a problem for them .

---

Thanks :gj: learn something new every day. another reason i'm switching to newspaper soon

i thought that it was a problem, but i was not sure. Just checking in on what i should do.

Thanks

your welcome . :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by markface

the problem is that wood and bark are composed of cellulose and lignnin , both of which are nondigestible . when broken down into very small pieces(ie chewing) its ok ( we call this fiber) . since snakes dont chew , it can be a problem for them .

---

Actually, the gastro-intestinal acids of snakes are some of the most poweful on the planet ... they are designed to break down fur, bone, and the thich tough heart muscles of their prey ... small amounts of fiborous bedding containing cellulose and lignnin won't pose a problem.

-adam

If you have had your female in that enclosure for a while, the aspen should be pretty pressed down from her moving around on it. If not, just press any fluffed bedding down some time before you feed. It shouldn't be a problem, especially if you are feeding f/t. If you are feeding live, it probably still won't cause a problem.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Actually, the gastro-intestinal acids of snakes are some of the most poweful on the planet ... they are designed to break down fur, bone, and the thich tough heart muscles of their prey ... small amounts of fiborous bedding containing cellulose and lignnin won't pose a problem.

-adam

---

you could very well be right Adam . i'm only going by what i was told by a biology professor . he did admit that reptiles were not his specialty though .

I've been feeding my BP on some aspen for almost a year now and as far as I know everything has gone perfectly well (I haven't watched ALL of them). There was one feeding in which he tossed and turned and SPLAT, landed the mouse in his water dish. A few pieces stuck to the wet mouse, but they didn't make it down his gullet. They slid off when he was either moving around or when it hit his lips.. (Lips..?) ;)

Every other time they've gone down fine with nothing interferring at all.

I use aspen on all of my sub-adult and adult BP's. I feed live and I have never had a problem with ingestion of the aspen.

I've had a few end up in the water dish, though..soggy dead rats..!!