Feeding inside tub

[Lolo76]

well, feeding outside of the enclousure is a better way of not teaching your snake that when the lid opens a mouse/rat/rabbit will be dropped in, i mean i have fed in the same enclousure before but i dont like to make that connection.

I feed my whole collection in their enclosures, and nobody's ever bitten me when I opened their tub. As long as you're not only opening the lid at feeding time, I think they learn quickly that your hand doesn't always equal food.

Personally I think that with BP's shy nature, it's better not to uproot them before a meal. Hard enough getting them to eat consistently, without adding stress at feeding time. Maybe the separate tub makes sense with large and/or aggressive snakes, but not so much with a Ball.

[moravaguy]

inside the tub/tank since 1994...

[anatess]

There is no reason to feed outside the enclosure

I can see why people like to feed in a separate container for cleanliness purposes (rat poop all over the snakes enclosure/blood/etc), but I feed in the enclosure because I don't want them to strike at me every time I take them out because they think it's feeding time. I also don't want to chance a regurgitation. My snakes are only strikey (?) on feeding day, and they have never actually struck at me... I can just tell they're hungry because they look like they're going to.

I feed mine outside the tub because of the aspen bedding I keep him on. I just don't want him accidentally swallowing any of it. I've been doing it that way for 7 years without any problems.

well, feeding outside of the enclousure is a better way of not teaching your snake that when the lid opens a mouse/rat/rabbit will be dropped in, i mean i have fed in the same enclousure before but i dont like to make that connection.

I feed my whole collection in their enclosures, and nobody's ever bitten me when I opened their tub. As long as you're not only opening the lid at feeding time, I think they learn quickly that your hand doesn't always equal food.

Personally I think that with BP's shy nature, it's better not to uproot them before a meal. Hard enough getting them to eat consistently, without adding stress at feeding time. Maybe the separate tub makes sense with large and/or aggressive snakes, but not so much with a Ball.

If you have a decorative vivarium full of stuff like this:


... and you feed live rats, you can't feed inside the enclosure - the rat has a lot of places to hide, some inaccessible to the snake, therefore "hunting" will take a long time and you will have too many things in the way of your tongs in case you have to do some intervention (to prevent a rat bite).

Now, if you have a tub or some enclosure without tons of stuff in it, or if you feed F/T or pre-killed you can feed in the enclosure without needing to move the snake to a separate feeding tub. They will not associate opening the tub with feeding because, hopefully, you change out water/clean poop/change bedding/and all other maintenance stuff on a regular basis and not just on feeding time.

Lolo76 made a great point that moving a snake to a separate tub adds an element of stress that you can avoid by feeding in his enclosure. For us who prefer a decorative vivarium, we take on that bigger responsibility and do the best that we can.

[theartofsolitude]

Sometimes inside, most of the time outside for me too. It's more of, if i wanna see them eat then i feed em outside, but there are just some busy days sometimes that i just have to feed inside the enclosure and wait til the mouse dies and leave them alone.

for me, i see to it that i get to transfer them to the tub before they start swallowing (on my opinion, you should pick them up and transfer to the original cage while still constricting)

[snakesRkewl]

If you have a decorative vivarium full of stuff like this:

Is that light fixture inside of the viv?

[anatess]

Is that light fixture inside of the viv?

Nope. That's the reflection of the domed lamp that goes on top of the screen cover that is in use during winter months when the ambient temperature of the room is at 72F.

That's a 10-gallon tank that housed our bp when she was a baby. She is now over 1500grams and is in a 30-long.

Thanks for asking.

[snakesRkewl]

well, feeding outside of the enclousure is a better way of not teaching your snake that when the lid opens a mouse/rat/rabbit will be dropped in, i mean i have fed in the same enclousure before but i dont like to make that connection.

That connection is still made whether you pull the snake to a tub or not, when you open that tub and they are hungry they want one thing (FOOD) not to be picked up and moved.

I find your statement to be an old news and totally unsubstantiate, but to each his or her own when it comes to care.

[MitsuMike]

I really don't see why this is even up for discussion. ALL big breeders feed in the tub, they have to be doing something right. Second it is all speculation that the snake will strike when you open the lid/pull the tub out because he thinks your food. Unless your scented like rat your ok.
Personally all my snakes know when it's feeding time. I bring the rats into the room after I get off work, go get a snack and when I come back the ones who are hungry and in "striking mode" and are ready to eat. Now on feeding day you might accidentally get struck at by an overly hungry snake but other than that your find.
I mean why waste time, money and on top of all that put stress on your snake for feeding time. Most of mine strike from their hides so they feel the most secure.
Unless you have a setup like anatess, then you might have too. haha

[snakesRkewl]

Nope. That's the reflection of the domed lamp that goes on top of the screen cover that is in use during winter months when the ambient temperature of the room is at 72F.

That's a 10-gallon tank that housed our bp when she was a baby. She is now over 1500grams and is in a 30-long.

Thanks for asking.

Kewl, just making sure

[sarahlovesmiike]

As for the whole "You will get bitten if you smell like a rat" thing goes, I handle my pet rat a few times a day and I don't usually wash my hands before handling my snakes... Never been bitten and I've had them for 2+ years now.