feeding tub thoughts

[carmich132]

I've always wondered how people that use feeding tubs get their snake back into it's "home" enclosure after it's eaten? I was under the impression you should not mess with the snake for a good 2 days after it's had a meal. Do you use any device like a hook or just pick him back up and move him or what? Just curious for my own knowledge. Thanks.

[Amy05]

when i put my snake back in i just pick them up and put them back in. Its just a quick move, i dont sit there and handle them or anything. I think the 2 days that you are thinking about is for you not to take them out and play with them. putting them back into their enclosure should be fine.

[carmich132]

good to know, thanks for the response.

[TheDude]

Yea same here, I jsut wait till they are done then gently pic them up and put them in the cage. He pretty much goes straight for a hide and I dont see him for a day.

[slartibartfast]

I don't see the point in picking my snake up, putting it in a tub to eat, and picking it back up and putting it in its enclosure. Just seems like needless stress when they're supposed to be concentrating on eating.

The argument commonly given is that they can learn to associate your hand with food resulting in you getting bitten, but the logic doesn't follow.

The only snake I have that is pissy was like that when I opened the box she arrived in and hasn't changed a bit. It's nothing to do with where she's fed, LOL.

[joyful girl]

I don't see the point in picking my snake up, putting it in a tub to eat, and picking it back up and putting it in its enclosure. Just seems like needless stress when they're supposed to be concentrating on eating.

The argument commonly given is that they can learn to associate your hand with food resulting in you getting bitten, but the logic doesn't follow.

The only snake I have that is pissy was like that when I opened the box she arrived in and hasn't changed a bit. It's nothing to do with where she's fed, LOL.

agreed

I used to feed in a different tub but I didn't see the point after awhile
now I just feed right in their tubs since they are on newspaper.. before I was worried about them eating substrate when I was using aspen

[TheDude]

I use a tub for several reasons.

1. They say it makes them less cage aggressive, I know some people dont believe this but ask anyone you know about "Hook training" and you can see that snakes DO learn associations.

2. Eating substrate

3. Better strike acuracy

4. I feed live and I dont need a mouse borrowing under the substrate or hiding in a bush somewhere where he bites me as I pull him out.

5. If some thing goes wrong (bad strike, mouse bitting snake, snake frightened, etc.) I have much better control over being able to handle it.

6. Easier to clean up, live mice poop or pee sometimes when struck.

So there's my but I get change back all the time so take it with a grain of salt...

-Mikey

[rabernet]

I use a tub for several reasons.

1. They say it makes them less cage aggressive, I know some people dont believe this but ask anyone you know about "Hook training" and you can see that snakes DO learn associations.

2. Eating substrate

3. Better strike acuracy

4. I feed live and I dont need a mouse borrowing under the substrate or hiding in a bush somewhere where he bites me as I pull him out.

5. If some thing goes wrong (bad strike, mouse bitting snake, snake frightened, etc.) I have much better control over being able to handle it.

6. Easier to clean up, live mice poop or pee sometimes when struck.

So there's my but I get change back all the time so take it with a grain of salt...

-Mikey

OK, I'll bite!

1. - As Brad (elevatethis) has pointed out before, if an argument can be made that feeding in the enclosure will make a ball python more cage aggressive, the same argument can be made that when a ball python is put into a feeding tub, they will associate that tub with feeding and become feeding tub aggressive. I don't know about you - but I don't want to pick up a snake in feeding mode - especially since they can stay that way for some time after eating. With that said - I have 15, all fed in the enclosure that do not have cage aggression. And none are hook trained either!

2. - A little bit of substrate won't hurt them, their bodies are designed to digest bones, fur, nails and teeth, a little bit of substrate will be taken care of as well.

3. - Can't speak to that - mine strike in less than 15 seconds, none have ever missed. Is there some study that you are aware of, that their strike accuracy is better in a feeding tub where they are exposed (no protection from their hides to ambush strike from)?

4. - I never had a mouse or rat burrow in the aspen when I was on aspen - but then, they didn't last more then 15 seconds anyway, so I guess they didn't get a chance to burrow.

5. - Never had experience with anything going wrong - I also feed live.

6. - When I was on aspen, the little bit of pee or poop from the mouse or rat wasn't that stinky. Now that I'm on newspaper, it's easy enough to do a quick cage cleaning in two days - but I've not found it to be a big problem.

With all that said - feed in the manner you are most comfortable with, but also come armed with fair and balanced information to come to that decision!

[TekWarren]

I used to feed in a separate tub, used a hook or just my hands to remove them.


I no longer do this as it is pointless. Captive ball pythons do not lose the ability to digest/break down substrate and other matter that *may* be ingested while feeding. Nor do they lose the "accuracy" when feeding in their every day enclosure, your simply introducing the chance that they will not feed as they put into a new environment and may have more of an urge to explore or escape. Rodent feces...if it bothers you that much in a day or two you can pick it out or clean the whole tub.

I'm not sure who "they" is that says snakes become more aggressive when feeding in their every day enclosure?? To me the stress of handling the snake introducing a new environment ("clean tub") and then handling the snake again after just consuming a meal would cause a better chance of them having any aggressive response. Even when I was feeding in a separate tub I didn't believe in those sorts of associations.

[TheDude]

Lol, well maybe my dude is just lazy. He takes his time before striking, ussually takes him a minute or two.

The reason i brought up the accuracy part is my friends snake had a bad strike where he got the mouse on the butt and wasnt coiled around the mouse right. And that bugger started attacking like crazy. He had to reach in and kill the mouse himself since his sanke was just holding on to the butt and getting bit to all heck.

As far as the cage aggressiveness I dont know other than what i have read here, seems like it just depends on the snake. My guy is mellow as can be after eating. I dont think he is stressed from being moved back and forth between his enclosures, but I havent asked him lately either, lol