Is shredded aspen a problem for feeding inside the enclosure?

[ewaldrep]

Does feeding inside the enclosure ever cause a problem if the snake swallows some substrate with its food? I have been reading that many people feed inside the enclosure these days but I think I would be more comfortabe with this if not for the shredded aspen getting swallowed with the food. Right now she is eating live mice and I hope to switch over to f/t soon. Thanks for any advice

[The Serpent Merchant]

A small amount isn't going to cause any issues. A heaping mouthful could potentially cause some problems but if that happens most of the time you can remove most if not all before it is swallowed.

[Mike41793]

A little bit? No.

If she misses the rat and gets a whole mouthful of it then you may have to use tweezers and pick some of it out.

Ive never seen any of mine miss the rat before though lol.

[Riv]

I cant say Ive had it happen or even know in detail ehat happens to the snake when it occurs, but swallowing aspen is the only reason I do not feed in the enclosure. Ive done it before© and aspen gets stuck to the saliva(or moisture if doing F/T) and I have to tong it off without disturbing them. Just something I didnt feel like having to worry about. Hopefully aomeone else can get into the details of what swallowing the aspen can do.

-Riveran

[Mike41793]

Theyll digest the aspen just fine. Theres a possibility that it could cause a few different issues but theres also a possibility i could win the lotto or marry kate beckinsale...

[Riv]

Not if I get her first. Dibs effective immediately

-Riveran

[Skiploder]

Big mouthfuls and little mouthfuls are no issue.

There is only one person I have heard from in 30 years of keeping snakes that may have had an issue and it was never confirmed - just suspected. I have fed my snakes in their cages on woody substrate (as have others) for decades. God knows how many snakes and tens of thousands of feedings of ingested wood with not one issue.

If you are concerned about it - don't be. If you are advising that people be concerned about it - stop. It is simply not an issue.

[ewaldrep]

Okay, sounds like aspen is not really a concern so it will rely for the most part on my preference and with only two to care for it will not likely be a major problem either way. Thanks for the advice everyone!

[VooDooDoc]

Well the way I look at it is, in the wild it's not like they eat on a nice clean surface,so their digestive system can handle a bit of aspen shavings. If they can digest bones, they outta be able to handle a bit of wood.

Then again, my snake ate his last rat in his water bowl so what do I know.

[aldebono]

I recently switched from newspaper to aspen. I noticed one of my girls with her mouth open a lot, yawning a lot. Of course I thought, 'Oh Crap, RI'. I looked inside her mouth and she had a piece of aspen wedged on the top roof of her mouth. Tweezers and another set of hands set her straight. I think it was just a one time fluke and didn't cause any long term harm.