Can I just hook "train" instead of putting him in a seperate tank?

[Adamrhh]

The reason I ask this is because he won't eat in another feeding tub. He will take it just fine in his tank which is glass. I honestly think I could just get him knowing the hook = me and anything else = food. He's not a burm or retic hes just a ball so what do you guys think? I find it kind of mean to take him out of his cozy tank put him inside a different environment and then he won't eat despite probably being hungry. Seems like a lot of unnecessary stress.

[IsmQui718]

I personally feed my BPs with 30" feeding tongs that look like forceps. I do this so my guys don't associate my hands with food. I do not put them in a different container to eat. It may work with my girls, and maybe 2 of my 3 males. However, I have one male who needs to be fed last before I leave the room, as activity by his tub will cause him to refuse his meal.


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[Adamrhh]

See that is my problem with my ball, the process of me picking him up and transporting him puts him in a Oh im being handled state and completely throws off his feeding response. I even tried just leaving him in the tub with the lid on and still no luck.

[angllady2]

There usually isn't a valid reason to move your snake to a separate tub for feeding. There is a perpetual myth that feeding in the home enclosure causes aggression. In my 9 years of experience with over 75 different ball pythons, I have as yet to prove this statement true.

Granted, most ball pythons will stay in "hunt" mode for a while after feeding, so reaching into an enclosure with hands that smell like food and trying to handle a snake that is still hunting will probably cause you to get bitten. But I have never yet seen it cause a snake to suddenly decide that any time the enclosure is opened it means it's time to eat and to snap at anything that moves. I have seen a single snake who is almost never handled and who has a very erratic feeding schedule associate her tub being opened with food, but this is the fault of her owner and not her. She isn't aggressive, she's hungry.

As long as you are comfortable with feeding in the home enclosure, there is no reason not to. If you have a very enthusiastic feeder who has been known to crash into a glass tank in the quest for food, you might consider moving this snake to a different tub the morning before you plan to feed that night, to give the snake time to adjust before feeding, but that is of course going to be a lot of work. Generally speaking, it's perfectly okay to feed in the home enclosure.

Gale

[Stewart_Reptiles]

BP do not associate hands with food because you feed in the enclosure (this is a myth), whenever a BP strikes it is either a defensive strike (young animal generally) or an aggressive behavior due to stress.

I feed all my animals in their respective enclosures, none of them are hooked trained.

Hook training for BP is a bit overkilled but if it makes you feel better go for it.

[Adamrhh]

thank you guys, you guys are the best

[Sonny1318]

Do you mean use a hook? I've never heard of training a snake before.

[KMG]

Do you mean use a hook? I've never heard of training a snake before.

Ive trained my Bloods to sit, stay, and lay.

My Hoggy will hiss, huff, and hood on command but we are still working on playing dead.

[John1982]

Save yourself, and the snake, a bunch of headaches and just feed in the enclosure. If the only time you open the tub is to offer food then expect the snake to get used to this routine and be ready to eat. I seldom handle my nasicus and I feed in a separate enclosure. I do this because it gives me a chance to sift through their bedding for waste while they eat. They associate any sort of interaction with me as feeding time so are always trying to gnaw on my 10 little pinkies. If you want a tame snake, take it out once or twice a week(feeding day excluded) and you should be fine.

Hook training is typically used for animals with stronger feeding responses. All you're doing is gently tapping them out of feed mode or, in the case of a sleeping serpent, waking them with a room temperature object so they don't get defensive when a warm touch jolts them out of sleep. You don't need a hook either, just use anything that isn't your hand/arm and full of blood you aim to keep. Once they're aware of the situation, and have been conditioned, you can usually just pick them right up with your hands.

[Sonny1318]

Working on getting my sssslippers.