Feeding in a serparate bin/cage/container

[Mr. Misha]

I used to feed my big BCI girl in a tub and it sucked. She had a strong feeding response so after feeding, I would have to leave her in there for 30 mins or more until she calmed down to move her. She has struck at me a few times when I used to feed her in a tub after she ate her rat. As for live, you are right there. I avoid feeding live. I always just pre kill my rats with cervical dislocation to make it easier. And while yes it probably will work fine with a smaller snake like a BP, would you really want to try it with a 14' retic, burm or anaconda? Retics get a CRAZY feeding response and you don't want to be on the receiving end of one of those. Plus not to mention trying to move said snakes from a cage into a feeding bin and then back. I guess you got lucky then. Again, this is more pertaining to large constrictors. For a BP, I'm sure it would be fine to feed in a tub as you are talking a snake that is 5' on the best days, not 8-14'. And I'm not trying to scare people, I'm giving my experience with it.

I appreciate you clarifying your position. If I was feeding F/T or F/K I would absolutely agree with you regarding feeding inside the terrarium. I also understand the argument regarding feeding bigger snakes. Believe me that I wouldn't want to move a hungry 14' snake. At the end of the day though we are talking about Ball Pythons though.

[Gary P]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt0iBCWzCOE

This is an animalbytestv vid and it talks about bad snake advice. They mention separate bin feeding at 2:10 if you want to skip to it. The info before that is interesting as well so I recommend just watching the whole thing. Their vids can be goofy at the end, but it's all in good fun .

My two cents: I don't feed in separate bins. I have 4 balls. 1 is quite picky and would not do well if it had to be moved to be fed. It seems like an endless battle trying to keep weight on him and I wouldn't want to do anything to make it worse. And in the end, it seems like a lot of work for nothing. I've been a snake keeper for almost a whole year (I know, doesn't sound like much, but a landmark for me!) and I've never been bit.

[BCS]

BPs don't necessarily have as strong of a feeding response as other snakes(they can). I own an adult male Burm, and the second I touch the lock on the cage, he is at the glass, what is the benefit of having to turn that response off with a hook so that I can try and move him into another enclosure to feed? I'll be dealing with that same response as soon as he's finished.

The only time I don't get a response like that immediately is if he's already cruising the cage.

Most of my female BPs (except one) have super strong feeding responses but they know what food looks like. Like I said, I have two that feed live and even they do not confuse me for a rat/mouse/ASF. Opening a cage for some does not mean feeding time. However, for my BCI male, he is ready for food the second I open his cage but he knows there is no food if reach in and touch him. He has also never mistaken me for food.

[Sauzo]

Most of my female BPs (except one) have super strong feeding responses but they know what food looks like. Like I said, I have two that feed live and even they do not confuse me for a rat/mouse/ASF. Opening a cage for some does not mean feeding time. However, for my BCI male, he is ready for food the second I open his cage but he knows there is no food if reach in and touch him. He has also never mistaken me for food.

The problem isn't necessarily the transferring them from the cage to the feeding bin. The problem is transferring the snake who just ate in the feeding tub and is still in feed mode back into the cage. That is where the problems most of the time occur. All of my snakes are fine when I open the cages and I reach in and do whatever and even pet them on the head and go straight for them head first and they are fine. Now if they smell a rat, that is a whole new game and all 3 of my snakes become death machines who coil up, trace any movement and slam the rats the second they are in the cage. All the bites I have suffered from my snakes minus one were from feeding accidents and 3/4 of those were from feeding tubs. now as I posted above, this isn't really a problem with something smaller like a BP but for something big, it can end in a very ugly bite or even worse, you getting constricted although to be honest, every time I was tagged with them in a feeding tub, they let go once they tasted I wasn't a rat but again, this was from a BCI, not something like a burm, retic or anaconda. I just don't see any upside to feeding outside the cage for something like a F/T or pre kill. A live rodent, I can see an upside as you don't want a rodent wrecking havoc in the cage but that is the only circumstance I could possibly see an upside to a feeding tub. Bottom line is even the most docile trustworthy snake can turn when it smells food and do you really want to play roulette with a big constrictor? I know this is the BP section of the forums but this advice is applied to all snakes and even more so to big ones.

[lunasjy]

I did not realize there are so many different opinions about it. I figured it was lack of know how and experience. I still would not recommend it though. I do not have a certain cleaning date. I spot check every day or two and clean any messy cages. I do not like leaving a snake with fecal matter in their cage for a whole week... gross. Feeding live should not matter whether you feed separately or not. I know it would hurt a lot more to get bit by a 14' snake, but size does not matter. I still hate getting bit by a 2' ball python. But like many of you have said, it is all a matter of opinion and what works for you.

Also, I put this in BP section because I could not find a "All Snakes General" section, but I also did not make it to refer to larger snakes... it is for all snakes of all sizes. Even male kenya sand boas.

[Jhill001]

I did not realize there are so many different opinions about it. I figured it was lack of know how and experience. I still would not recommend it though. I do not have a certain cleaning date. I spot check every day or two and clean any messy cages. I do not like leaving a snake with fecal matter in their cage for a whole week... gross. Feeding live should not matter whether you feed separately or not. I know it would hurt a lot more to get bit by a 14' snake, but size does not matter. I still hate getting bit by a 2' ball python. But like many of you have said, it is all a matter of opinion and what works for you.

Also, I put this in BP section because I could not find a "All Snakes General" section, but I also did not make it to refer to larger snakes... it is for all snakes of all sizes. Even male kenya sand boas.

I don't leave poop in my snakes cages all week either its just something you can do while you are feeding the snake. Drop my snake in its feeding kritter keeper with the mouse already in it. Turn around spot clean, change water, temp gun the hot spot and ambient areas. Turn back around open up the keeper pull the snake out and put it in its cage.