Regarding feeding in separate tub or in enclosure question, ponderings

[Erikamc]

I have gathered that more recent snake advice is IN enclosure feeding. Not what I was taught some *COUGH, COUGH* years ago, but I know stuff changes. Although, I have been feeding my corn snake in a separate tank since I got her (honestly, I haven't seen this debate on CS lists). During feeding time for her, I will clean her cage (spot clean of bedding, or complete change, scrub hides, clean and refill water bowl). The two times I have fed Sterling, it was the same thing, I put him in a bin to feed, and cleaned his cage. So my question is, since most of you feed in the enclosure, when do you clean, like is it a certain number of days after they eat, a day before they eat, a couple days before they eat?

[Neal]

I have gathered that more recent snake advice is IN enclosure feeding. Not what I was taught some *COUGH, COUGH* years ago, but I know stuff changes. Although, I have been feeding my corn snake in a separate tank since I got her (honestly, I haven't seen this debate on CS lists). During feeding time for her, I will clean her cage (spot clean of bedding, or complete change, scrub hides, clean and refill water bowl). The two times I have fed Sterling, it was the same thing, I put him in a bin to feed, and cleaned his cage. So my question is, since most of you feed in the enclosure, when do you clean, like is it a certain number of days after they eat, a day before they eat, a couple days before they eat?

It just varies as to feeding in our out of the enclosure. It's your preference. For a BP I would not feed put of the enclosure. For snakes that borrow, I always feed the enclosure because they poop under the substrate. So it's easier for me to go digging around when they're out in a feeding bin. Plus I only have to mess their tunnels once a week.

Each way has pros and cons. If your snakes is still in feeding mode, you can get bit, I generally use hand sanitizer before I take them out of the feeding bins as to avoid being bit if they're still in feeding mode. Then you can do tank maintenance and cleaning while they're eating which makes one less time you have to disturb them.

The cage aggression for feeding in tanks is a myth, as is if you feed them out they'll think you're taking them out to feed them and you'll get bit. Both are myths. It's purely preference.

[Ba11er]

Snakes usually don't require too much cage cleaning. spot checks for urate and feces with some extra bedding added as needed with a full clean out once a month. I use paper towels which I switch as needed or weekly. I feed in the cage and try to leave them alone at least 24 to 48 hours after feeding. So no picking them up, but if I need to get into the enclosure for a spot check/ cleanup that should be fine.

[Erikamc]

For cleaning, now I have to use Lana, the corn snake, as my main reference, because Sterling has only pooped once since I got him, and that was about a week later, plus, he shed at the same time. So... For feeding, I take Lana out (she did bite me once,made me laugh, bled like a mofo, but made me laugh), put her in the tank with the F/T mouse, which she almost immediately takes. This was a pleasant surprise TBH because she always ate live before I got her and she is like 13-15 years old, any way, while she is working on the mouse, I spot clean, and wash the water bowl. If needed I'll change all the bedding and/or wash her hides, and/or wipe down the sides of the tank. Thats pretty much what I do for Sterling too. Other than his shed tangled single poop, I haven't had to spot clean. what I do have to do though is add moisture to his substrate (plus wash his water bowl). Honestly, I'm not too concerned about handling Lana with feeding, I don't think anything will throw her off. So far Sterling hasn't seemed to mind the move to the bin, but, before I got him, I don't know when his last meal was. The bin is nice and dark and gives him more head room (err... I watched him eat last time and while his constricting method seemed odd, the oddest part was him throwing his head back like a gator while swallowing the mice...). I guess I was just wondering what process other people use with feeding and cleaning.

[Coluber42]

I feed in the enclosure, and generally leave my snake alone afterward. I do spot cleaning whenever I notice something that needs picking up, which usually means sometime in the morning because the messes tend to get made over night. My snake will usually wake up and poke his head out when I open his cage in the middle of the day, but he'll generally just give a sniff or two just in case the commotion is something to eat, but then when he doesn't smell food he'll pull his head back in and go back to sleep. Since I can do that without really disturbing him much, I just do it whenever even if he just ate the previous night.

For more involved cleanings, his cage has two upper levels that both have substrate and hides on them. So if I want to clean the level he's on, I just move him to one of the others. If I take him out of his hide in the middle of the day, he'll mostly just go straight into whatever other hide I put him down next to and stay there until the evening. So it's really pretty easy to clean around him with a minimum of disturbance, and he can stay in his enclosure the whole time. I pretty much only ever clean one level at a time.

Cleaning in the evening when he's active is a little harder because I have to either put him in another container or keep an eye on him while I do it. But during the day he'll just go back to sleep if he's disturbed, so it's easy.

[redshepherd]

One of mine consistently goes every 1~2 weeks, while another holds it for up to 3 months, so it depends on the snake.

Also, I usually clean out or spot clean the day that I notice a poop or urates, I don't wait for a scheduled day.

[Eric Alan]

So my question is, since most of you feed in the enclosure, when do you clean, like is it a certain number of days after they eat, a day before they eat, a couple days before they eat?

I don't have set cleaning days - I just clean as needed. I check everyone twice a day, morning and evening, and take care of whatever needs to be taken care of as I go. On feeding days, my evening spot checks are just that - checks - because I'm feeding instead. I make a note if anyone needs to be cleaned and take care of them the next morning.

FWIW, I use ReptiZorb liners as my substrate (basically super absorbent paper towels), so it's very easy to see when a mess has been made and to get it cleaned up quickly.

[CloudtheBoa]

For the snakes that are on paper towels, I replace as they get soiled. If a snake soils it while eating, I give them 2-3 days and then change it. With the way I feed my snakes, they don't poop right after eating, so that hasn't been a problem, but if they did I'd change it immediately and just try my best not to pick them up. Do a quick wipe down then, and then do a full clean a few days later.

With the snakes on bedding I spot clean, and do full bedding changes a couple times a year. Snakes that poop more often/pee ridiculous amounts like the retic and garters, and the rainbows with their higher humidity, get bedding changes slightly more often. I clean when they need to be cleaned, instead of relying on taking them out to feed or some other activity to do the cleaning.