Feeding In Separate Tub

[iddah]

I'm a new snake owner, ready to pick up my 1.0 spinner bp tomorrow from the breeder, and I have a couple of questions regarding the feeding of snakes in a separate tub/enclosure.

I just switched the substrate in my 10 gallon tank from Forest Floor to a mix of Komodo Coconut Terrain and Exo Terra Jungle Earth after dealing with some humidity issues (which were resolved when I changed to dried bedding). There's a label on the Jungle Earth bag that warns against feeding your snake within it's own enclosure due to risk of swallowing the substrate while it's eating it's prey (I will be feeding f/t rat pinkys, because that's the food item the breeder has started out with, so he's going to be already used to f/t; I live in Northern Europe where live prey feeding is illegal due to animal welfare laws).

My worry here is impaction and digestive problems if he happens to swallow some of the substrate while eating, how common or likely is it if you're using substrates like Reptibark, Coconut Terrain, Jungle Bark, etc? I was thinking about just getting a couple of plastic tubs and put newspaper or paper towels in there for a clean feed with no risk of impaction. I believe the breeder has previously kept him in a rack and has not fed him in a separate tub, I didn't want to keep a single snake in a tub so I bought a glass/display tank for him instead. I've been told he's a good eater (the breeder has fed him successfully 5 times) and I don't want to change his feeding response by stressing him out.

Is it better to feed him in his own tank and just make sure the rat is dry and won't get big pieces of substrate stuck on it, or would it just add stress for the baby if I take him out and feed in another tub? I would imagine feeding in a different enclosure would get him more used to a feeding schedule and he would learn when food is being offered, by associating the separate tub with prey. Wouldn't this potentially strengthen his feeding response even more, or does it really make any difference? I intend to feed him during the evenings. I have no problems feeding him in his tank, other than being worried about impaction.

What substrates do you guys use and how many of you feed your bp's in a different tub/enclosure? How big of a risk is it for snakes to swallow their substrate or bedding while eating? In the wild they obviously do end up getting some dirt etc into their system so I don't see it being that big of a deal, I'm just concerned because of the texture of the substrate I'm using.

If I do get him a feeding tub, how long should I wait before moving him back to his own enclosure so he won't stress too much and end up regurgitating his meal?

[monks98]

A) don't get a feeding tub. It causes stress and increases risk of a bite. Its really not nexessary. They learn what's food and when it's coming fast. And we have yet to have one unable to differentiate between food and hand
B) small amounts if ingestion are fine. Snakes often get mouthfuls of dirt or grass or what not in the wild
C) I also live where live rats are illegal so what we used to do us the at room temp and then just wet the head. Dangle high. Snake strikes up and gets all the wet in its mouth right away.
D) we are in tubs now....we have 22 so its much more feasible for us. We kept on blank newspaper at the end of our tank days because it was easier...but its not pretty. Any dirt based substrate should be fine if ingested in small amounts so it will look nicer.

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[hollowlaughter]

Yep. No feeding tub. Just not worth the trouble as long as you intend to regularly interact with the animal outside of feedings.

I have mine on hemp, which is a cypress alternative. No issues so far and I've not seen any of it into his mouth since I make sure the rat's dry before offering it to him.

[donnadudette2003]

I have noticed that a tub ritual does make the snake realise what's happening as soon as I set them down. It also helps them get into the mindset of "oh hey I'm supposed to eat this and not laze about my tank".
Since I have them out and about in my house with other animals and children etc, I feel it is good to have the snake know this is the only place I eat.
If your snake has not previously been fed in a glass place and its a new home it might be perfectly fine with switching to a new way to eat since it's switching to a new home.
I suggest testing out trying a tub at least once to see if the change works, and if it doesn't, try something else.
If you feel like you'd like to keep feeding it in a tank it sleeps in I would still worry about substrate/ etc, and put down newspaper to be safe. Our babies might be wild animals, but we have to admit sometimes ball pythons don't know how to think straight when hungry and just strike until they hit something.

There is no one really right way to do things, as long as you find what works well with you and your snake. Just like humans they can have their strange habits that you have to learn to work with. I wish you luck with your journey!

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[iddah]

I respect people's opinions, but the thing is, I haven't really heard or read anything negative being said about feeding in a separate tub, I've mostly read positive things about it and that it has worked well for a lot of people in feeding their bp's, because of how the snake quickly adapts to a feeding schedule and recognizes the tub as a place where he receives food, as opposed to eating inside his tank. I've literally watched hundreds of videos of people successfully feeding snakes in a separate enclosure, as well as the snake having a better feeding response in general because feeding it in a different tub reinforces the snake's knowing where and when it will be receiving food.

The reason why I'm considering at least trying to feed in a tub is that he's been housed in a rack and the tub might feel more of a comfortable and familiar environment for him to feed in than the tank, which will be a completely different habitat for him, having previously been in the rack. I have the back and the sides of the tank covered with black paper (taped to the outside) to provide him more security in the tank so he doesn't feel too stressed out or like he's being watched, as well as him having two plastic hides in the cool and hot spots of the tank.

I just got the humidity in my tank where I want it to be (it's now stabilized in the 60% - 70% range, after being at 99% using cypress mulch) so I don't feel like changing the substrate to newspaper although I agree it's functional and cheap despite not looking visually pleasing. I'm happy with the Coconut Terrain/Jungle Earth mix, I really just don't want him to get any of it in his digestive system.

I should also mention that him being a spinner morph, the breeder has informed me he has a slight wobble, for this reason, I can't dangle the rat too high up for him or try to imitate live prey too much. To make sure he doesn't miss when striking, I'm going to have to offer it close and keep the rat relatively still (I'm going to give it a couple tugs though once he has it).

I think I'm gonna do what I did with the substrate, just try out different things until I get it right, and see what works. I'm gonna buy him a separate feeding tub and feed him in the evenings. If it works and he eats in the tub w/o problems or getting overly stressed out (to the point where would regurgitate), I'll continue feeding him in the tub so he learns to associate the tub with food. I will be handling him twice a week, to get him used to handling, this should also remove any bite response from him as he learns to trust me and that he is safe even in his separate tub during his feeds.

If the tub doesn't work, I'll just put some paper towels on top of his substrate to minimize the chances of bedding getting stuck to the rat, or him swallowing it and getting digestive issues or impaction.

[Sunnieskys]

I once had exactly the same post as you. Until....she stopped eating. I feed her in her enclosure now days she has never skipped a meal...ever.

[BR8080]

When I purchased my ball python the reptile guy said to feed in a tub so I did - Then I hear from people not to do it, but I continued to do so because I didn't see any adverse effects. I now do it with my 3 boas as well. It works, I have a system set up and when they get in the tub - it's game time. At no other time are they in "feed mode" and that includes the seconds before putting them in their feeding tubs when I grab a quick weight on them. I'll probably continue this procedure until they are just too big to move to feed I guess, they have a lot of growing to do before I figure that out.

[Zincubus]

I'd guess if you did a poll in this forum then about 90% would be feeding IN the viv/rub not in a separate place tbh

I've fed my 20 snakes on their vivs for years ( substrate is orchid bark ) with no issues . However , before offering the thawed rodent I put a couple of little pieces of card down and feed OVER the card . Simple .

[Craiga 01453]

You can do whatever works for you and your animal.

However, there are people on here with years and years of experience with thousands of snakes who will 10000000% say that a feeding tub is counter productive, myself included.

There is absolutely nothing to gain by using a feeding tub, it just increases chance of regurgitation and increases the chances of you getting tagged. Snakes will often remain if feed mode for m ore than 24 hours after eating. You put your warm hand in the feeding tub to move the animal after eating and guess what your warm hand becomes? Yup, a prey item.

If your husbandry is proper and your snake is provided proper hides and security it will have no problem eating within it's enclosure.

[Craiga 01453]

Since I have them out and about in my house with other animals and children etc, I feel it is good to have the snake know this is the only place I eat.
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Ummmm...you have multiple animals out and about while your snakes are out and about??? And children in the room???
If this is the case, it's not IF but WHEN will something go wrong. Not worth the risk, in my opinion. Too dangerous for the animals and the children.