Feed in tank or out?

[xFenrir]

You don't want to put your hand anywhere near a hungry boa....

x2 on this! My boa will always give me a clear "you know exactly what will happen when you put a body part in my tank" when she's not in the mood for human interaction. My BP, she's a little harder to read, simply because she reacts to every unexpected movement or action with "DEFEND!" posture while she figures things out.

What I do for feeding in tank is to place down some paper towels, then move your snake gently, calmly and confidently to the towels. Be sure not to smell like the prey, and avoid letting them see it or get a whiff of it, as it could start "feeding mode" and you put yourself at a higher risk of getting bitten unnecessarily. When you get your snake situated, offer your prey. You avoid substrate getting ingested this way. My girl has even started associating paper towels with food; when she sees them laid down, she'll poke her head out, then come sit on them and wait. When they're done eating they'll usually go back into their hide on their own, so you can remove the paper towels and you don't have to worry about handling a snake that's just eaten, and minimize the risks of regurgitating because of handling.

I can't do it with my boa though, the second she sees a rat or the feeding tongs it's open season on heat signatures, haha.