Feeding in a seperate tank

[Jaxx]

Personally, I feed my BP in a seperate tub. The way I do it is on feeding night, I will open his enclosure door, put his feeding tub in front of it and he will crawl out and into the tub on his own. I then take him and the tub into the bathroom where I feed him ( My wife does not want to see it.) Then once I am done filming him eat and he has completely swallowed the rat/rats and re-adjusted his jaw he will raise his head up to the top of the tub, so I put the lid back on it and take him back into the room where his enclosure is. I then open his enclosure door, place the tub in front of it, remove the lid, tilt it on a 45degree angle and he will crawl back out and into his enclosure on his own. So I do not need to handle him at all for the process, it has taken me a couple months to get him into this routine. I don't feed him in his enclosure because of substrate, swimming pool, water bowl, hides, fountain and other decorations.
I used to just reach in and get hime, put him in the feeding tub then once it was over I would pick him back up and place him in his enclosure, but I did not like doing this because I felt bad picking him up after he ate, so that is why I do it the way I do now.
Pics below are of the different steps just for a more visual/interesting post.

[MasonC2K]

Personally, I have never seen a reason to feed is a separate area. The idea that a snake can associate opening their enclosure to food is a myth.

The only reason to do that separetely I can think of is if you house multiple snakes in one enclosure, but that is something only true experts should even attempt.

[tcutting]

Personally, I have never seen a reason to feed is a separate area. The idea that a snake can associate opening their enclosure to food is a myth.

I would strongly disagree. I can see where in most cases it isnt needed; however if you believe they get use to being handled, why couldnt they get use to a pattern and routine for eating? These are creatures of very basic patterns and routines, and that is something you can get them adjusted to in most cases if there is a need.

[RetiredJedi]

I would strongly disagree. I can see where in most cases it isnt needed; however if you believe they get use to being handled, why couldnt they get use to a pattern and routine for eating? These are creatures of very basic patterns and routines, and that is something you can get them adjusted to in most cases if there is a need.

Well, one example is I handle way more often then I feed, I feed on a certain day and don't handle at all, and when I do handle I use hand sanitizer before I handle but not at all when I am feeding. So I guess they get used to that pattern.

[tcutting]

Well, one example is I handle way more often then I feed, I feed on a certain day and don't handle at all, and when I do handle I use hand sanitizer before I handle but not at all when I am feeding. So I guess they get used to that pattern.

sent would work as a way to train a certain response. so I can see where that would work. plus you dont handle on feeding day so that is another part to the pattern.

[sniper]

well i started to feed in a small box in tank then worked it so she is now eating off tongs, we are waiting for a breeding pair of afs rats then it will still be off tongs, any way good luck with your BP

[pinkeye714]

I feed my snakes in their tubs. but if you do feed outside of the tub then you can gentle pick up your snake after just to put him away. Then no more after that. your snake wont vomit the instant you pick it up or get to stressed for being put into a hide, so no worries.

[MasonC2K]

I would strongly disagree. I can see where in most cases it isnt needed; however if you believe they get use to being handled, why couldnt they get use to a pattern and routine for eating? These are creatures of very basic patterns and routines, and that is something you can get them adjusted to in most cases if there is a need.

I can only see it happening if the only time you ever open the cage is to feed. But if that's the only time you ever open the cage, why even have a snake? As long as you handle your snake in a normal way and don't smell like a rat, odd of you getting bitten are low, especially with a BP.

[tcutting]

I can only see it happening if the only time you ever open the cage is to feed. But if that's the only time you ever open the cage, why even have a snake? As long as you handle your snake in a normal way and don't smell like a rat, odd of you getting bitten are low, especially with a BP.

Like I said I only had to do it with the Burm I had because it had a very strong feed response. additionally the animal was a rescue and had never really gotten use to handling, so there was a need to "train." and as stated only for those animals who were a bit trouble some.

[rabernet]

I would strongly disagree. I can see where in most cases it isnt needed; however if you believe they get use to being handled, why couldnt they get use to a pattern and routine for eating? These are creatures of very basic patterns and routines, and that is something you can get them adjusted to in most cases if there is a need.

And conversely - why couldn't they get used to the pattern and routine of being moved to a separate enclosure on feeding day and be just as likely to bite when you move them than as if you fed in their own enclosure?

I feed over 50 ball pythons a week in their enclosures. I've never been mistaken for food. Well, OK, once I was mistaken for food, and that's because I was stupid and wasn't thinking about the fact that I was trying to locate a dead rodent by opening up enclosures in the exact same order as I do on feeding day, which triggered a feed response.

There's no need to feed ball pythons in separate feeding enclosures, other than just allowing the owner to have a false sense of avoiding a strike. Setting up a routine of feeding in a separate enclosure is just as likely (if not more likely) to elicit a feeding response. More so, because moving to the separate enclosure is only done on feeding day, whereas, I'm going into tubs every single day, not just on feeding day, so they aren't conditioned to associate the opening of the tubs as only being for feeding.