Should I feed my BP in a different tank?

[harper]

I just got my first BP a few days ago and am planning to feed him in the next day or two. But I've heard really conflicting advice on whether they should be fed in their tank or in another container. It makes sense that offering food in his regular tank would condition him to bite when I reach my hand in, but then I imagine it would be stressful for him to be plunked into a new environment and then offered food.

I'm a complete reptile neophyte, so any opinions/advice are most welcome!

[Kaorte]

Okay, I really don't understand why this makes sense to people.

Scenario time:
You are about to feed your ball python in its enclosure.
Step one: Prepare the food, pre-scent if it is live, thaw if it is F/T
Step two: Place feeder in tank with ball python. Use tongs or drop the live feeder in.
Step three: Watch ball python eat
Step four: Leave ball python alone for 2 days so it can digest.

Where in this process does it say "wave your hands around in front of the snake when the food is nearby". It doesn't. That is because your hand should have NOTHING to do with the feeding process. You are not a mouse, you do not smell or look like a mouse, so why would your ball python associate you with a mouse?

Now lets look at feeding OUTSIDE the home enclosure.
Step one: Pick up your ball python and place it in a separate container.
Step two: Prepare the food, pre-scent if it is live, thaw if it is F/T
Step three: Place feeder in the feeding enclosure with the snake. Use tongs or drop the live feeder in.
Step three: Watch ball python eat
Step four: Pick up ball python and move back to home enclosure
Step five: Leave ball python alone for 2 days so it can digest.

Now which one sounds more risky when it comes to "associating" feeding with your hands. The separate enclosure. Especially if you aren't feeding your snake enough. If you have handled a rodent and forget to wash your hands, you smell like a rodent. You go in there to move your ball python back to its home enclosure and WHAM, he thinks you are another mouse for him to eat for dinner.

Not to mention they feel really vulnerable when feeding (because they can be easily killed in the wild during this time). They will not eat if they feel unsafe. Moving them into a box, bucket, or tub that is unfamiliar to them often results in refusals.

I have never heard of someone feeding in a separate enclosure because their snake won't eat in there home enclosure, it is always the other way around.

It is really up to you, but just give it a good thought. This is completely my opinion on this very debated matter.

[rabernet]

With that logic (associating your hand with food if fed in the home enclosure), consider this:

Since you are probably going into the enclosure on more days than just feeding day, the snake isn't going to associate your being in there with just feeding time.

However, if you feed in a separate feeding enclosure, and the only time it's moved to that enclosure is to be fed, you're more likely to be bitten when you move it to a separate enclosure, because feeding is the only association that your snake has with that separate enclosure.

I've never fed in a separate feeding enclosure. I feed ~ 40 ball pythons a week, and I've never had one mistake me for food on a non-feeding day. I have had some that KNOW that it's feeding day come flying out of their tubs when it's their turn to have food offered in anticipation, but never had them do that when food wasn't being offered.

[frankykeno]

I'm currently feeding 40 snakes a week - 36 ball pythons of various ages and sizes, 3 boas ranging from a young male and female up to a 9 foot female and one smaller milksnake. They all eat in their enclosures. I've been doing this week after week for a few years now and have yet to have a feeding incident bite. Much as Robin mentioned, I have had to dance out of the way of an over-excited snake coming up out of an opening tub trying to "help" me feed it though but that's not a bite attempt in my mind.

Ball pythons are a very popular pet snake, hence there's a lot of misconceptions and myths surrounding them that often get repeated over and over as fact (especially from supposed reptile "experts" in chain pet stores). Things like all ball pythons are picky eaters - not true and often related to the lack of knowledge of a new owner about how this species hunts and eats - that feeding in the cage encourges biting - again not true as proven over and over by our experienced membership here.

Doesn't bother me if folks want to feed their snakes in a seperate feeding enclosure. Just do your research, make sure you know the pro's and con's of any decisions you make for your snake and base your decisions ultimately on what is best for that snake and you'll do fine.

[paulaura]

I also feed alot of BPs and have never moved one to different space to eat.

Seems like unnecessary hassle to me.

[llovelace]

Nope, feed in their enclosure.

[guambomb832]

It is best to feed them in their home.
Also try leaving everything in its cage when you are feeding it such as water bowl, hide boxes, decor, etc.
Like what kaorte said, they only eat when they feel secure.
Quick Tip:

If you want to feed your snake but it is still in its hide box, try leaving the ESCAPE PROOF tub that the rat/mouse is in next to the snakes cage with its screen OPEN thus letting my odor into his cage thus alerting him food his coming. Since the snakes and rodents cages are open, be in the room supervising. About 15-30 minutes will yield to roaming and rapid tongue flicking of your snake.

[tonkatoyman]

We feed between 50 and 100 animals a week in their enclosure. So DITTO every one elses comments

[harper]

Thanks, everyone. Kaorte pretty much wrote out what I had been thinking, but I had been told by the guy I bought the snake from that I should feed him in a separate enclosure, so I wanted to get some more opinions. I'll definitely try feeding him in his tank first.

[tonkatoyman]

Thanks, everyone. Kaorte pretty much wrote out what I had been thinking, but I had been told by the guy I bought the snake from that I should feed him in a separate enclosure, so I wanted to get some more opinions. I'll definitely try feeding him in his tank first.

Good Choice