My girl usually eats in a separate tub but when she doesn't take in tub I feed in her cage. I have picked aspen out of her mouth a time or two, and stressed about it. After talking with my breeder and others on this forum, I no longer stress about this. They've convinced me that small amounts is not going to harm her. I know feeding in a seperate tub is not necessary but it works well for us 95% of the time and when it doesn't, she doesn't hesitate eating in her cage.