When should i take her out of her feeding tub?

[hijacked]

I have a new snake in my small collection. Its a Sumatran Blood Python. Shes just short of 4' long (2 or 3 years old). I dont know what she weighs.
I keep her in an aquarium style set up, on large coco chips. Therefore, I move her to a plastic tub with paper for feeding.
How long should i wait before moving her back to the aquarium? I dont want her to regurgetate her food. Shes not like my small BP's, which are easy to support, and move without much stress.
However, this girl is just big enough that its impossible to move her without disturbing her.
Thanks in advance.

[KMG]

The chips are not going to be an issue and feeding in the separate tub is not a good idea, especially with something that usually has a very strong feeding response as a short tail.

In the wild snakes eat just fine with all kinds of debris around their prey. Feeding in another tub is just gonna get you bit. Another thread recently had that exacte thing happen to them.

I would say once the prey is fully eaten and the snake seems settled down and not still appearing to be in feed mode.

[hijacked]

Just so im clear, your suggesting i feed her in the aquarium? I do understand what your saying about the debris. I guess Im a little more concerned with her because of the spagnum moss i have mixed in the chips for humidity. Like you said, I guess it wont hurt her.
I feed all my snakes in their aquarium, except this Blood. If I feed her in the cage, Im afraid i will trigger a feeding response every time i open the cage to remover her.
I want the feeding response to start when shes in the tub.
She is well behaved. I have no trouble handling her, however, she is an agressive feeder. She is also the only snake I have that i feed pre killed rodents. The first time she snatched a rat from the tongs, i almost crapped my pants. Im feeding her the prekilled rodents in an effort to minimize any aggressive behavior. Like i said, she is well behaved, but i want to keep her that way.

Im all ears. This is a totally new experience for me. I welcome all advice.

[Eric Alan]

Almost none of your thoughts regarding feeding in the enclosure or live versus pre-killed are based upon facts.

You are far more likely to get bit while she's in feeding mode if you move her at feeding the time (either before or after). It has pretty much nothing at all to do with her association with her location at the time of feeding. As far as the aggressive behavior part, there's no difference. A healthy feeding response is a healthy feeding response regardless of the kind of food that's on the way (live or pre-killed).

Well behaved and a good feeding response are two completely different things, but they don't have to be traits in different animals. I'm not the only one who will tell you that I have more than a few snakes that are gentle as a lamb that I wouldn't dare go in fingers first on feeding day. They are also my favorite snakes by far.

Best of luck with your blood!

[bcr229]

You won't minimize her aggressive behavior by feeding pre-killed or f/t food. Be happy she has a strong food response - you will appreciate it when your picky BP's fast for six months at a time!

If you are truly worried about her ingesting substrate you can put a paper plate or a plastic lid from a food storage container down and put the feeder on that - assuming she doesn't rip the feeder off the tongs again.

[Eric Alan]

I forgot to add, there's a good thread on this topic called "The Age Old Question" that was started very recently. Read through all of it, but pay special attention to Skiploder's contribution on the 4th page. It's worth its weight in gold (as many of his posts are).

[KMG]

Your Sumatran is a Short Tail, not a Blood. Check out the three species here http://bloodpythons.com/cms/index.php/species-info

I have a 30lb female blood python that is near 6ft. She can pound a rat like a freight train. I would hate to have to move her to feed her because she knows by the smell of rat in the air that she is about to get food. I have never fed her anywhere but in her cage and she has never once even made a motion as if she was going to strike. She is very well mannered and a puppy dog in your lap. There is no reason to feed these snakes with their strong response to food in anything but their cage.

I also have three younger bloods that I had to tame down but even they are fed in their tub and always have been. I have never once been tagged by them in a feeding related way. The only times they have given me a bite is when they are being pissy about me disturbing them.

[hijacked]

Thank you, very helpful.

[TheSnakeEye]

I don't use separate feeding tubs. But if you are going to use one, then I suppose waiting 10-15 minutes after she's done swallowing the meal will give her enough time to settle down.

[bcr229]

I don't use separate feeding tubs. But if you are going to use one, then I suppose waiting 10-15 minutes after she's done swallowing the meal will give her enough time to settle down.

A snake with a strong feeding response can take hours to settle. On the day I feed my boas I do any necessary cleaning, water changes, misting, etc., feed in the enclosure, and then I don't mess with them again until the following morning.