Quote Originally Posted by TheDude
I use a tub for several reasons.

1. They say it makes them less cage aggressive, I know some people dont believe this but ask anyone you know about "Hook training" and you can see that snakes DO learn associations.

2. Eating substrate

3. Better strike acuracy

4. I feed live and I dont need a mouse borrowing under the substrate or hiding in a bush somewhere where he bites me as I pull him out.

5. If some thing goes wrong (bad strike, mouse bitting snake, snake frightened, etc.) I have much better control over being able to handle it.

6. Easier to clean up, live mice poop or pee sometimes when struck.

So there's my but I get change back all the time so take it with a grain of salt...

-Mikey
OK, I'll bite!

1. - As Brad (elevatethis) has pointed out before, if an argument can be made that feeding in the enclosure will make a ball python more cage aggressive, the same argument can be made that when a ball python is put into a feeding tub, they will associate that tub with feeding and become feeding tub aggressive. I don't know about you - but I don't want to pick up a snake in feeding mode - especially since they can stay that way for some time after eating. With that said - I have 15, all fed in the enclosure that do not have cage aggression. And none are hook trained either!

2. - A little bit of substrate won't hurt them, their bodies are designed to digest bones, fur, nails and teeth, a little bit of substrate will be taken care of as well.

3. - Can't speak to that - mine strike in less than 15 seconds, none have ever missed. Is there some study that you are aware of, that their strike accuracy is better in a feeding tub where they are exposed (no protection from their hides to ambush strike from)?

4. - I never had a mouse or rat burrow in the aspen when I was on aspen - but then, they didn't last more then 15 seconds anyway, so I guess they didn't get a chance to burrow.

5. - Never had experience with anything going wrong - I also feed live.

6. - When I was on aspen, the little bit of pee or poop from the mouse or rat wasn't that stinky. Now that I'm on newspaper, it's easy enough to do a quick cage cleaning in two days - but I've not found it to be a big problem.

With all that said - feed in the manner you are most comfortable with, but also come armed with fair and balanced information to come to that decision!