Feeding. Ft in the tank? Ok? Bad?

[Crazymonkee]

On another note... f/t or prekilled is sometimes not an option for some snakes. There are those who will only eat live. And there are those who will not eat f/t or prekilled unless they are zombie danced for and won't eat it if its just laid in there.


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[200xth]

So what's better ft or live?

Whichever you prefer, whichever is most convenient for you, and whichever your snake will go along with as well.

Also, feeding in the tank is fine.

[OctagonGecko729]

To the OP (Tj4x4fun), do a bit of searching. These two topics of feeding in the cage or outside and the f/t vs live probably have over 50 threads with probably 200 pages between all of them to be conservative. You will find much more precise information in those threads as they have been debated very heavily on the forums which will allow you to choose from that wealth of information.

To suffice my position. BPs do not associate food with opening cages, they are solely driven by smell and heat. Reticulated pythons and smarter lizard species can associate opening the cage with food which is why hook training or tong training respectively is very important.

F/T vs Live. Both are incredibly dangerous if done incorrectly, neither is safer then the other. Done correctly, both are completely safe. Everyone has their preferences for which is more convenient to feed, so make the decision yourself. Personally I do a mixture of F/T rats/mice/asfs and live asfs.

[MorphLife]

I have a normal male who turns 22 yrs old on Jan 1 , he's been in the same square 60 gallon since I traded a crossbow for him when he was 2 months in . He has eaten EVERY meal(probably close to 1,000), shed, drank water, and relieved himself in the same tank his entire life. NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES...(knock on wood)

[tj4x4fun]

"F/T vs Live. Both are incredibly dangerous if done incorrectly, neither is safer then the other. Done correctly, both are"

How is ft dangerous ?

[h20hunter]

Somebody with more experience can correct me if I'm wrong but the main danger I know is feeding a f/t that is not all the way warmed. A warm rodent with an ice cube for a belly could ( i assume logially) bring your snakes core temp down.

[tj4x4fun]

Somebody with more experience can correct me if I'm wrong but the main danger I know is feeding a f/t that is not all the way warmed. A warm rodent with an ice cube for a belly could ( i assume logially) bring your snakes core temp down.

Gotcha. I always make sure they are fully defrosted and squishy. Then I heat the prey under a heat lamp for 5 minutes. I couldn't see anyone icecubing a python but then again there are some dumb people out there.

As for feeding is every 7 days ok? And is he doesn't take can the rat pup or mouse be refrozen?

[bandicoot4]

Yea my butter will eat even without doing a zombie dance. But feeding in her enclosure is just easier and less stressful

[200xth]

Gotcha. I always make sure they are fully defrosted and squishy. Then I heat the prey under a heat lamp for 5 minutes. I couldn't see anyone icecubing a python but then again there are some dumb people out there.

As for feeding is every 7 days ok? And is he doesn't take can the rat pup or mouse be refrozen?

If he's young, anything from 4 or 5 days to 7 days should work. They grow a little faster if you feed them more often, but as long as the food is big enough, 7 days will work if that's more convenient for you.

Some people refreeze if the meal is refused. I do not. I think once the body starts breaking down and bacteria start forming and processing things in the warm corpse, it's better to just toss it and try again with a new one next time.

[tj4x4fun]

What is a good source to get a scale and what brand do you recommend?