Typically I know almost immediately if mine is going to eat or not. If he's eating that rat is wrapped in 5-10 minutes, and I usually remove after 20-30 if he's not showing any interest. Of course feeding live you never want to walk away, even for a second, while the rat is in there. I really want to stress that point, that you never EVER leave a live feeder in with your snake without you watching. When you're on fuzzies and pups you'd probably be okay, but I'd always rather play it safe.Originally Posted by kalismami
Try to feed at night, I prefer 9pm as that's several hours after the lights in my reptile room go out. I like to leave the rat in a container in the room so the scent is out there. Most of the time my guy is coming out of the enclosure when I open it to look for the rat. I'd also recommend getting a good pair of metal feeding thongs to redirect any bites that may occur if you're going to continue feeding live.
Also to what Nikkubus said, maybe try rearranging the enclosure on a day you're not feeing. I have plenty of clutter in my tank but if my guy comes out of his warm hide and takes a left, there's a good size "clearing" where I typically put the rat. That way I can see what the BP is doing, I can see what the rate is doing, and if he tries to run off and hide somewhere I just gently redirect him with the thongs.
I also want to say before anyone jumps in and starts the F/T vs Live feeding debate, that this is just the method I use, that works for me. Feeding live isn't for everyone, and it's not for every snake. This works for me and my animal, and is why I continue doing it. It's up to each and every keeper to find what works for their animal, and ask long as you're willing to put the extra time into it to make sure it's safe, you should be fine.
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