Feeding in your enclosure

Is it a bad thing or not..I've heard both..I feed mine in a seperate container but is it neccesary..

About to feed around 40 tonight, and they all get fed in their tubs. I like to keep my fingers, for some odd reason..

I only have one BP but I always feed her in her enclosure. She eats f/t and it takes her a minute or so of sniffing to realize its food anyway, she doesn't just start lunging at things and I am not at all worried about getting bit by accident.

Last night she got confused and kept trying to swallow the rear end of the rat for about 1/2 an hour, it was so exhausting she needed a break and had to have a long drink of water before resuming and finally starting at the head. I am quite sure she prefers eating in her own tank and heading off to a comfy hide without me picking her up and messing with her after.

I find that alot of "breeders" or someone who has a good bit of snakes feed in their tubs. I think it is cause it would be a hassle to feed 20-100-600 snakes by taking them all out. I always feed in a different container just always have. Plus gives u a reason(althogh I don't need one I handle mine everyday) to handle your snake!:rofl: Hope this helps.-Ray

I feed in a separate container because of all the stories I've heard about aspen getting stuck in the snakes mouth. I'm going to switch to newspaper the next time I clean out its tub and then I will start to feed it in there so I won't stress the snake out even more after eating.

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Originally Posted by JayBP

I feed in a separate container because of all the stories I've heard about aspen getting stuck in the snakes mouth.

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Not to hijack the thread but is a bit of aspen in their mouths reason to worry? She DID get a tiny piece stuck in her mouth, and she was fussing with it after eating, but she freaked out when I tried to remove it so I let her be.

Is her face going to swell up or some horrible infection start because of it? I thought surely it must happen a fair amount with all the aspen people have in their enclosures.

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Originally Posted by Sonya610

Not to hijack the thread but is a bit of aspen in their mouths reason to worry? She DID get a tiny piece stuck in her mouth, and she was fussing with it after eating, but she freaked out when I tried to remove it so I let her be.

Is her face going to swell up or some horrible infection start because of it? I thought surely it must happen a fair amount with all the aspen people have in their enclosures.

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From what I hear they will be fine, but I just don't want it to happen because I'm sure its very uncomfortable for them.

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Originally Posted by scales owner

I find that alot of "breeders" or someone who has a good bit of snakes feed in their tubs. I think it is cause it would be a hassle to feed 20-100-600 snakes by taking them all out. I always feed in a different container just always have. Plus gives u a reason(althogh I don't need one I handle mine everyday) to handle your snake!:rofl: Hope this helps.-Ray

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Handling your snake on feeding day isn't a very good idea.. it's best to be avoided.
Also feeding inside your enclosure for ball pythons is highly recommended and I have a few reasons why.

• Ball pythons are very shy animals, and because of this they don't want to be picked up and have a mouse or rat shoved in their face in a completely new and unfamiliar enviornment.
• Ball pythons prefer to 'hunt' or 'prowl' their prey. They get the chance to do this when fed in their enclosure.
• Moving the snake after eating could cause regurgiation and stress.
• People think that feeding in a separate enclosure prevents them from associating your hand with food. This couldn't be further from the truth. Unless your hand smells and looks like a rodent, they are biting at you for a different reason then food. Usually when people feed in a separate enclosure, they have a much higher chance of being bitten before or after the meal then if the snake was in the enclosure.
• Consuming a bit of substrate also tends to be a worry. If your snake eats a bit of it's substrate it should not be a problem and probably never would be (unless you were using sand), as the substrate would just pass through their system harmlessly.

Just my 2c.

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Originally Posted by JayBP

From what I hear they will be fine, but I just don't want it to happen because I'm sure its very uncomfortable for them.

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If your worried about it being uncomfortable then you should look into softer aspen brands or use paper towels/newspaper for substrate.

No his head isn't going to swell up and get infected. :]

I too hear a varied opinion on both ways. I feed my boa in its enclosure, for mine it's what he is most comfortable with. When it's feeding time I would almost for sure get bit if I tried to take him out when he's hungry, as soon as I open the top he knows whats coming and he is eying it and ready to strike :) So for me it would add more stress to my boa to remove him from his enclosure and feed him elsewhere. If you are feeding live, which is how I feed, it's extremely important to keep and eye on the rat and make sure you never leave a rat unattended in the snakes enclosure. I know that some say that there is a lot of risk to feeding live but if done properly it shouldn't pose any harm to your snake in my opinion. I think it alot depends on the snake and what they are more comfortable with during the feeding process.

I feed all 24 in their enclosures... that came with experience as to what kept my BPs eating with consistency.

When I had one, he came with a feeding enclosure, I used it for six months... had many refusals, a few snaps (no bites), and it was a pain.

I started feeding in the enclosure and he started eating consistently, I threw out the feeding tub, and would never move a snake on feeding day or consider out of tub feeding.

Bruce

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Originally Posted by norcal_707

I too hear a varied opinion on both ways. I feed my boa in its enclosure, for mine it's what he is most comfortable with. When it's feeding time I would almost for sure get bit if I tried to take him out when he's hungry, as soon as I open the top he knows whats coming and he is eying it and ready to strike :) So for me it would add more stress to my boa to remove him from his enclosure and feed him elsewhere. If you are feeding live, which is how I feed, it's extremely important to keep and eye on the rat and make sure you never leave a rat unattended in the snakes enclosure. I know that some say that there is a lot of risk to feeding live but if done properly it shouldn't pose any harm to your snake in my opinion. I think it alot depends on the snake and what they are more comfortable with during the feeding process.

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Many other species of snakes can go both ways.
But because ball pythons are very shy, feeding them in separate enclosures is just asking for stress and feeding issues.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

If your worried about it being uncomfortable then you should look into softer aspen brands or use paper towels/newspaper for substrate.

No his head isn't going to swell up and get infected. :]

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The reason im worried is becaue my enclosure has alot of decoratives..You've seen it in the other post..Does my snake have any danger of getting injured by hitting anything by missing or what not

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Originally Posted by ballpython19

The reason im worried is becaue my enclosure has alot of decoratives..You've seen it in the other post..Does my snake have any danger of getting injured by hitting anything by missing or what not

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Probably not. Unless your decorations are sharp or theres a bunch of hard rocks everywhere, it's probably fine. Snakes are very good at aiming for their prey, and when they miss they usually won't go far enough to hit anything.
I've heard of ball pythons biting and hitting the glass of their enclosures when they first go to a new home due to stress, and I haven't heard of any problems after that. :]

I fed it out once and it bit me when I tried to put him back in.
So now I feed in the enclosure.

Those stories of mistaking you for food are fairytales

I feed all of mine in their enclosures (10 total). I don't see a need to handle them any more than nessicary on feeding day. As for the notion that they think you're food when you reach into the tank... over time I've learned to read my animals' behavior. When I look in the tub and see that they are in "hunt mode" I take extra caution when changing water or whatever.

I actually just finished feeding our entire collection (you can count them in my signature LOL). From the little hatchling ball pythons all the way up to the 8.5 foot boa constrictor. Everybody eats in their home enclosures, nobody bit me, nobody had a problem with their dinner, nobody fell over dead from a scrap of substrate in their mouth.

Pretty much a typical feeding night around here. Snakes are all happy with full bellies, I'm tired and smell faintly of rat. :D

We use a feeder tub for several reasons...son is more comfortable doing so, no worries of ingesting substrate and she was fed in a seperate tub before we got her. She seems to be doing just fine. We give her some time to settle in and give her some time after putting the rat away before moving her.

But, I have considered feeding her in her own tank...just because I think it will be easier in the long run.

i feed all three of my snakes in their tubs. i try to keep an eye on them as they eat, and never see them even get a tiny piece of aspen in their mouths... They seem comfortable in their tubs, and they don't associate my hands with feeding, as I make it a point to handle them daily (except after feedings).

all my snakes big and small get fed in their enclosures except my kenya sand boa. I put her in a 10 gal aquarium w/ paper.

When I started out I used to move to another enclosure. Not from any myths or fear, but because I thought it would be more convenient to clean the cage while they ate.
Wrong.
Feeding out of their home, especially once you have more than 2 or 3 snakes, is unnecessary and actually a lot more work.

1- It takes a TON more time to move them, give them their dinner, wait till they swallow it and rest a bit, and move them back then it does to just dangle the meal in front of them and let them take it.
2- MUCH less stress, on you AND the snake.
3- Less chance of being tagged, or of the snake regurging from all the commotion.
4- Just a paper towel or piece of cardboard can protect from ingested bedding. And even if they DO get a piece in their mouth, they can usually work it out on their own or swallow it...which doesn't hurt them one bit.
5- The 'associate the hand with food' thing is a total myth. Even so, if you still worry just pre-scent the room on feeding days and get the snake(s) on a regular schedule and they'll never confuse the days. :)

All in all, it's just safer, easier, and faster to feed in the home enclosure.

I know I have much less experience than most people here, but most of the information I have gotten since adopting Alice in March has been obtained from this site. I believe, in most cases, there are no absolute rights or wrongs. Of course, one of the first items I read in support of feeding in a separate enclosure was the one regarding mistaking the hand for food. I thought it sounded pretty logical, so I took that advice to heart.

Five months later, I don't necessarily subscribe to that belief; however, I continue to feed in a separate enclosure. I have developed a routine with Alice and I don't like to mess with what works. His home is full of things with his two hides, water bowl, and LOTS of fake vegetation. I use newspaper and paper towels as substrate. I handle him every day except for 48 hours following feeding. I don't believe that he counts off six days in his little snake brain to know that it's feeding day. He knows he's going to eat when I put him into the plastic enclosure that surely must smell an awful lot like mouse by now. I aim the blow dryer on his F/T in his direction, he gets all excited, I open the top and lower the tongs. He takes a little sniff and strikes. I'm now feeding him two and he has come to expect the second one. After the second one, I allow him to rest a few minutes, then I lift him out with both hands supporting him adequately and lower him back into this home. Conveniently, while he eats, I clean his house.

Works for Alice, works for me. Never struck at me, never refused a meal, and never regurgitated. Although, there was the one time when my husband was watching me feed and Alice was so geared up for the mouse that he was doing a cobra dance. My husband put his hand out to try to "guide" him back into the box and he got tagged...and he wasn't the one holding the mouse! :rofl:

Anyway...moral of this ridiculously long story...do what works best for you and your snake. I only have ONE right now, so I will stick with my method.

Of course, that's just my opinion...I could be wrong :rolleye2:

Robbin

ive seen some things go horribly wrong feeding in the enclosure.there is always the risk of aspen getting caught in the mouth which i have seen and it looks pretty uncomfortable to say the least.another thing i seen was when the snake struck the mouse from the hide sending the hide slightly airborn landing on the snake(heavy hides not plastic).i didnt like that at all!also a mouse went under a piece of driftwood and at the same the the snake struck the wood instead.after seeing these things i no longer feed in the tanks.now if you have tubs with just 2 plastic hides and a water bowl there is no reason not to feed them in there tubs.

Hmm, let me add something I forgot to say: A highly decorated cage and live prey aren't the best mix. I feed FT and PK with tongs, and so have little trouble with wild strikes or things getting in the way. If you feed live and have heavy decor, you can remove most of it just before feeding and replace it once the snake has retreated to digest. I believe that would still be less stressful than moving the snake around.

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Originally Posted by dadspets

all my snakes big and small get fed in their enclosures except my kenya sand boa. I put her in a 10 gal aquarium w/ paper.

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Just because my sand boa won't stay put and will burrow immediately, I put him in a Petco take home cardboard container with his mouse and he eats it like that. But that's just because with my deep substrate for him, he wouldn't eat otherwise.

The petco box however goes back in the enclosure in case he manages to escape from it, which he has many times.

Just like Argentra said, if your worried about feeding in the enclosure, remove some of the loose foliage for safety. Much easier than moving the snake. :]

I don't know what kind of hide you have Butters, but it sounds like it could be a log hide, which are heavy/useless/stressful pieces of wood anyway.
When feeding in the enclosure you shouldn't put it in front of them while they are in the hide unless they have room, but rather entice them out of their hide to stalk and strike.

so taking out 6 items is easier then taking out the snake?i dont think so.and wouldnt that defeat the purpose of the stalk people talk about?oh and its not a half log hide though i do have some not for hides but a tunnel leading from the cool to the warm side.the hide i speak of are the zilla cave hides which are quite useful,re-washable,sturdy and look good.

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Originally Posted by Butters420

so taking out 6 items is easier then taking out the snake?i dont think so.and wouldnt that defeat the purpose of the stalk people talk about?oh and its not a half log hide though i do have some not for hides but a tunnel leading from the cool to the warm side.the hide i speak of are the zilla cave hides which are quite useful,re-washable,sturdy and look good.

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No need to be hostile.

I think I remember seeing your picture of your enclosure somewhere. Hmm.
Does he ever actually go through that tube? I would think that from the way my snakes behave they would be too apprehensive. Interesting idea.
You would only have to take out a couple of items (not all of them) that would get in the way, which would maybe be only one or two. Also, depending on which side of the tank he is on, you could block the other side so that he stays on one side making less items?
I don't know how well set you have your decorations, but taking out two-three strings of foliage and a piece of wood or rock takes less then one second and too hands for me.

Also, I find it very hard to take out a snake and put it back after eating then normal because you have to be extra careful and they are usually more testy and stressed. Not to mention, if it regurgitates you just caused a mass of issues internally with the snake which could cause a vet visit if he has trouble eating as well as a two missed meals. That seems more difficult than taking out some decorations to me. :]

no hostility! as for regurging,i feed my animals more than 1 prey item and if they can handle striking,constricting and eating a second item i dont think picking them up for 20 seconds is gonna cause them to puke.

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Originally Posted by Butters420

no hostility! as for regurging,i feed my animals more than 1 prey item and if they can handle striking,constricting and eating a second item i dont think picking them up for 20 seconds is gonna cause them to puke.

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Maybe, maybe not.
For the longest time I fed my only snake in a separate enclosure. She never reg urged on me, but honestly I don't want to take the risk anymore.
Plus, I've found it MUCH easier to not have to handle her.. She's difficult enough on cleaning day.. to the tub she goes. -_- As soon as I get my rack up stairs it's no more Miss Spoiled Tank Snake!

If you have more than one snake in the same cage then yes put them in seperate cages for feeding. But if its just one then its ok. Its not like they are messy eaters and smear guts all over the walls and roll around in the bile like my nile monitor used to do.

I think the only reason to feed in a separate tub is if you don't use newspaper or paper towels as their substrate in their enclosure. When we used to feed our snake in it's enclosure it would end up getting pieces of it's cypress mulch stuck to the mouse and eat it. My bro's snake used to be on a different substrate that was more like dirt and it would ALWAYS eat dirt when trying to eat the mouse. We are now going to keep them in tubs and feed them in there. I think that's fine if there is nothing they can injest other than the mouse.

I have always feed my ball in his enclosure live food. Never had a problem ever. As most of the friends here, I think is stressful for the snake to be removed to be feeding.