Where should he eat?

Ok Your probably almost sick of my ?s.

I have read online not to feed baby bp in his tank because that means he will be more likely to strike us when we put our hands in?
So I am suppose to move him to a rubbermaid container or a box of some sort.

But reading here, I have seen people say just to feed the snake in the tank?

so whats best then?

I don't know what is best, but we feed ours in a separate container that has been warmed up a little. That way we can keep the rat pee/poo out of their tank and avoid the potential risk of being bitten (Although, you can never really avoid it 100%).

Actually in my experience, it's exactly the opposite. I listened to the advice of Petco when I got my first snake and fed in a separate enclosure. Neither of my snakes seemed to like me taking them out of the feeding box and putting them back in their own enclosures. Especially Floyd. He tagged me a few times and tried several more. After reading the forums and seeing how many people were feeding in the enclosure with no problems, I decided to try it once to see how it went. My snakes struck the rats from under their hides no problem. I haven't had a snake bite since.

I think it's a security thing as much as it is a "Don't touch me while I'm trying to digest" thing.

but but but, i don't want to get bitten! :( jk. I have given birth, I can handle a snake bite lol

The theory behind putting them in a different place to eat sounds great until you look at it this way.

If you feed a snake in their tank they will associate their tank with feeding and bite you when you reach in, right? But if you take him out to feed him wouldn't they then associate being taken out of their cage with feeding?

Feed your guy in his tank its so much hassle moving them back and forth.

Ohhhh! Your a wise one!!! I never looked at it that way!


ty :banana: and umm just cause I like bananas :banana:

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Originally Posted by gsx2ts4u

Ohhhh! Your a wise one!!! I never looked at it that way!


ty :banana: and umm just cause I like bananas :banana:

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I asked the same question when I got my first BP, and was given that answer. I'm just passing it on.

Hope all goes well

this is my opinon on this. feed them in the tank.
you may noticed that when you take them out of the tank thay are less likly to eat because they were just handled kinda the same reason that when you get a snake you let it settle in for a bit before trying to feed.

if you handle (returning it to its cage) any snake after it just ate you run the risk of being bitten by a snake still in feed mode or it may reguge.

I maybe wrong on this but the people that say if you feed in the cage that they associate their tank with feeding. I DON't belive that a snake is smart enuff to make that connection.

Thanks Mr. Constrictor! I am now going to try to feed him in his tank, ok well not right now, but I won't take him out of it to feed him.

I was wondering that when i was trying to feed him, he was way more interested in the "new place, then the food".

So I am going to let him settle in and then feed him in his tank,

thanks again everybody!

I too was told this by petco. We do feed ours outside the tank and he/she has never once struck us or even tried even after swallowing, maybe it just depends on the snake. But we also feed f/t not live. We also handle our snake on a daily basis and may have something to do with it.

I really have no clue about this, we kinda new at this and are going solely on what we were told in the beginning and what we read online. Now since joining here our views may change on somethings.

Yea I would think taking him out of his environment and putting him in another spot to eat would be harder on the Snake then anything. I'm not sure why some People say and do this.

I would just feed him and wait till his food is Digested before handling him. Like You said You gave Birth, and that has to be one of the most painfull things to ever go though.

So this is what I would do if I wanted a nice,don't bite at Me Ball Python when I open the cage. "OK here You go He's feed and its all digested well enough to take Him out,with out Him throwing up on You"

You look at Him and he's in his tank and not looking to strike at all. Just reach in quickly and take Him out after a while He'll know that He gets handled every once and a while, and then You'll see that neither one of You have nothing to fear.

And before You know it You'll just be able to reach in and pick Him up,with no worries of getting bit or stressing Him out and putting Him in a deferent cage to eat. If He is biting You when You reach in just pick Him up anyway. You will see it doesn't really hurt at all and he will grow out of it very soon.

Try that and You'll see what I mean,just remember He's just a baby and can get scarred easy. I just pick them up fast even the meanest baby's quit bitting after a short Time. Good luck with Your new baby Ball Python, and let Me know how it goes sometime down the road.:D


Greg VanZweden

So tonight we decided to feed bob. We had his fuzzy layed to dethaw for a little bit and just after i posted on this earlier i said we fed him outside the tank. Well last weekend we bought a new tank with new stuff etc... and he loves it.... you can just tell lol....

well so we take him out of his tank as usual for feeding and he wont strike at it... nothing... so after reading this earlier we decided ok... put him back in the tank and just lay the fuzzy in there to see if he will eat it.... and no sooner did we put him in his hide, dangle the fuzzy with the tongs, he strikes lol..........

I think he's telling us something and he's making examples of us lol

Before I dont think his old thank got hot enough, now we have two temp gauges one on top (hot) and one on the bottom (cold) and its staying nice and toasty in there, jsut where it needs to be. (our tank is taller than it is longer)

Every day for us something new, Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters.


Thanks Greg!!!

I am glad Bob liked his Fuzzy!!! Yum... err ok not really my kinda meal but YAY for Bob!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Constrictor

this is my opinon on this. feed them in the tank.
you may noticed that when you take them out of the tank thay are less likly to eat because they were just handled kinda the same reason that when you get a snake you let it settle in for a bit before trying to feed.

if you handle (returning it to its cage) any snake after it just ate you run the risk of being bitten by a snake still in feed mode or it may reguge.

I maybe wrong on this but the people that say if you feed in the cage that they associate their tank with feeding. I DON't belive that a snake is smart enuff to make that connection.

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I follow the same belief.... :gj:

Well hey, who's the goose? :oops:

I have actually started doing a hybrid method. I put my BP in a small plastic container INSIDE the regular enclosure. This way there is no chance of ingesting substrate, but after she is done eating she can climb out of the smaller container and back into her hide. No need to handle her or cause undue stress after eating. Awhile later, after she is settled in, I come back and remove the feeding container. It's the best of both worlds.

Well I think you should feed them in a seperate enclosure...

That's the way I've been doing it for the past 8 years and I never had a snake regurgitate... I've been bitten once while getting one of my snakes out of a separate box b/c I had fed her 2 mice and then waited a few minutes and reached in and she tagged me, but it wasn't anything bad (She was just confused and it was her first time getting more than one mouse)...

Rats and mice are gross and pee and poop all the time when they're getting killed... I don't like my enclosures being dirty at all... so if the rat poops in the tank I would run the risk of reaching in and cleaning it up... the snake could get confused and tag me... I mean either way you are going to confuse the snake, but if you put them in the separate enclosure just wait 15 minutes after they relocated their jaw and start moving around like they are trying to get out... That is their sign to me that they are reading to go back home ;)

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Originally Posted by Koolaid

Rats and mice are gross and pee and poop all the time when they're getting killed... I don't like my enclosures being dirty at all...

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The hybrid "separate container inside enclosure" method is great for this. The mouse can mess up the container without any chance of getting excrement in your nice clean tank. Also, no chance of getting tagged because you don't have to pick up a BP that's in feeding mode.

I feed in both the thank & also a seperate enclosure. Less chance of them chewing all my herpstat II probes & hygrometers to shreds.

Plus its easier for me to film. in a seperate cardboard box.

That was easier then pulling out all the probes & then resetting them all after they fed.

I have never had an issue with one striking me, I scrub down pretty good before hand.

I let the mouse scent the box, remove the mouse,add in the bp then after a feew mins i intriduce the meal, live of course. THey eat 2 mice each last night in this fashion.

I stand by feeding them in a seperate enclosure, Preferably a cardboard box. My snakes are all very tame, as soon as I put them into the box, they go from being curious and playful, to ready to strike at there next meal. When I put my hand on any of the tanks, none of my snakes get defensive or offensive. The just go with the flow.
They are your snakes, you know whats best for them. I am just saying, from passed experiences, it works fine.

I feed my snakes in their enclosures. I have encountered a regurg at my school from moving the snake out of its feeding box annd back into its cage. The snake died.... it was only a baby... poor thing.

Here's a little insight in the form of a poll...

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=50754&

I have tried feeding my BP in his enclosure, and he just freaks out and hides, but when I put him in the cardboard box, he strikes almost immidiately. :/ I usually wait10-15 minutes after he has his food down before I put him back in his enclosure. He has been fine sofar and has not regurged.

youre gona hear all sorts of things depending on peoples experiance, but ive had a bp that i fed in a separate container and got bit twice, both times when he was in the container. when i got my mojave she was always fed in her cage and i still do that and have never once gotten bit. one of the most important things u can do is prescent your room so that ur bp associates THAT with feeding time and not weather you open the cage or not. hope that helps

ok this is how it is, snakes are all different, i have a 14 year old ball that has ALWAYS eaten in the enclosure, now when she is hungry and i open the top she does act as if she is ready to strike.....because shes hungry! so i feed her. but after she has ate and is full i can get in and out her cage with no problem. And mind you i have had this snake since she was a hatchling and she is now 14 years old and ive only been bitten like 3 times and it was always my fault. but i have also had ones that need to be fed in a separate container but that was only to switch from live to frozen thawed, but i also have a corn that WILL NOT EAT unless he is in his and his only rubbermaid box, and then also some that dont give a crap its kinda funny.

so basicly do what makes your snake happy:banana:

Both of my snakes eat in their enclosures.

For each snake, I remove the hide he is not using, and replace it with a rat-filled box :) After about 30-45 minutes, when the snakes are ready, I release the rat, they strike, and if there is any mess left, I take care of it after they've eaten and retreated to their hide.

With this method, I've never been bit, and they very rarely refuse to eat. Also, I think their eating association is a box that smells like rat being placed in their tub, not the lid being removed :)

so hen these are live right? when i did live for my girl i had a custom enclosure that had a trap door, i relesed the rat in there she would get to hunt, really good to watch but now i feed f/t so i just pop the top and dangle it. she takes everytime. but i really like the rat box idea sounds kinda fun :gj:

I should have specified that there's only one rat in each box. "Rat-filled" makes it sound like a bunch. Regardless, it works quite well.

Thanks for the link Princess. and ty everyone for your thoughts on it.

So far the only way I can get him to eat, is a frozen fuzzy, he refuses everything else, even frozen hoppers.

And I have to dip the fuzzy in chicken broth to get him interesting.


But so hard the only place he will eat is his tank.

We've had our BP for about 3 months now.
I have always fed him F/T in a cardboard box lined with newsprint and a hide.
I have never him strike at me, ever (we handle him for a few minutes almost every day except for a couple days after feeding).
I've also never had a problem with him feeding. The first couple weeks we had him, he wouldn't strike the mouse off the hemostats. We would have to leave it in the box with him and slowly/eventually he would eat it.

Now, as soon as he gets in the box he goes straight for the hide and sticks his head out licking the air.
As soon as the mouse comes near the hide...Bang, he strikes fast and hard...no waiting.

I have never had a problem moving him back either. We usually give him 15 to 30 minutes and makes sure it's well down, then carefully pick him up and put him by his warm hide in his regular tank...no regurg.