The Feeding question: Separate Feeding Box or in Cage?

[Anna.Sitarski]

Ok So I am hearing all sorts of things about the best way to feed ball pythons. I have a fairly decent collection and have been feeding them in separate feeding boxes. I have one very picky eater and driving me crazy but that's another post. I want all my critters to be happy and as stress free as possible and I have been reading about feeding within their home enclosures verses separate and want to do whats best.

I have a very new 70g hatchling home(bought him last week a little over a month old) that I have been feeding in his enclosure. He's so little I just want him to eat. (He ate for the first time for me yesterday wohoo!) I wanted to know what everyone's opinion on this was. I have heard so many contradictory things and wanted to bring it to the experts. Thanks for all your help!

[VicShell]

I feed all of mine in there tubs and there are perfectly fine no aggression. I feel you are chancing a regurge feeding in a seperate box and then putting them back home.

[dragonboy4578]

I feed in my tubs. I use to move them into a feeding enclosure, but found that I had quite a few that wouldn't eat consistently.... I have a better feeding success rate now that I don't move them. I have never found them to be more aggressive either....

[Anna.Sitarski]

Thanks for the input, I was worried about aggression but I really fear the regurge as well that's why I want to see if possible to feed in their own space. Thanks much! I do have that one picky eater maybe that is his problem.

[RetiredJedi]

I feed in the enclosure. As a matter of fact I take his hides and water bowl out about 15 minutes prior to feeding so that nothing is the way. It works pretty good now because when I bring the f/t he seems to know the deal and always has the upper half of his body in the air looking up at the top of the enclosure ready to chow down. He has been hitting right away and when everything is down I put stuff back in and he goes right to his enclosure and starts digesting. (Hope I didn't just jinx myself...hehehe)

[reptile65]

Do those of you who feed in the tubs ever notice substrate getting stuck to the rat? If so, how do you avoid this problem?

[spiderz]

use newspaper

[VicShell]

I used to have the stuck substrate problem so i switched to newspaper and its cheaper to.

[reptile65]

The only problem is, I like using cypress mulch because it helps with humidity. This hasn't been a problem so far, because my only BP eats fine in a separate feeding container, but I'm considering getting a baby. (Sorry to take this thread in a new direction. I've just been wondering about this lately)

[Egapal]

Do those of you who feed in the tubs ever notice substrate getting stuck to the rat? If so, how do you avoid this problem?

I don't consider stuck substrate to be a problem. As long as your substrate isn't sand, or sharp, I don't see a huge issue. When I feed F/T I thaw the rodent in a zip lock bag so that the rodent itself is dry when I offer it. Snakes routinely ingest small amounts of dirt, sticks, leaves, or whatever else. I rarely use the "it happens in the wild" argument but in this case I think its a matter of weighing the pros of aspen or cypress bedding vs the cons of newspaper substrate.