Do You Feed In Or Out??

[SoCaliSon]

Just in my experience, I feed my snakes religiously every Friday at 5:00 when I get home from work. They don't seem to act any different on feeding day. When I bring the feeding bin into the room, sometimes my Boa will realize whats going on and come out of his hide so I can take him out. I watch their behaviour very closely cause my Boa is almost 6 foot and very powerfull... I would not want to be bit that is for sure. Once he gets put into his feeding tank with the newspaper he is on the hunt. I would never knock anyone elses oppinion on doing this or say that they are doing it wrong because different things work for different people.

It's just that we all know snakes do go into the mode where they are looking for food and their feeding reflex gets locked and loaded... and in captive snakes it is usually a part of the owners feeding ritual that triggers this. Since I handle these snakes daily and you are most likely to get bit reaching to pick up any snake... I like to try to ensure that in no way do my snakes relate anything warm in their tanks with them with food. It seems like if all the feeding ritual consisted of was opening their enclosure and putting the food in... over time the act of opening the enclosure will be enough to trigger feeding mind set. Imagine trying to pick up a six foot boa that thought it was time to eat everytime you open then cage. I encoutered a Red Tail years ago that was given to the shop where I cared for the reptiles...that would not let you reach in without striking. Mom wanted it away from her kids. It was about a year old and underfed... when it was fed it was fed in it's cage because the mom did not want to handle it. It took months of daily handling and feeding outside of her tank before I was able to get the snake to the point where I could reach in without her wanting to take a snap at me. Point is... This was given away as an aggressive snake that could not be handled... when in actuallity it was just hungry and doing what it was used to doing. Well i cared for that snake for about a year until it made what I would call a full recovery... then I found it a good home.

I'm sure that snake had other husbandry issues when I took it in... But that is just an example that may be relevant to the discussion. These are the reasons I personally feed out...

Sounds like there are pros and cons either way you feed.

All I know is if the way you are feeding is working for you ... Why change... If it's tried and true

[West Coast Jungle]

Open tub drop in rodent, next

[frankykeno]

Open tub drop in rodent, next

Good one Raul!

Pretty much the same here....open tub, drop in rodent, WHAPPPPPPPPP, close tub, grab another rodent, open another tub, WHAPPPPPP....and so on and so on....

[Corrupter]

I feed everyone in their tanks except 2 of my normal females because they are sharing a tank until my rack is built. They seem to get along well, but I still want to seperate them as soon as I have the room.

[rabernet]

I like to try to ensure that in no way do my snakes relate anything warm in their tanks with them with food. It seems like if all the feeding ritual consisted of was opening their enclosure and putting the food in... over time the act of opening the enclosure will be enough to trigger feeding mind set.

Well, I can tell you that over three years of feeding multiple snakes in their enclosure, and handling them minimally (cleaning, and occassionally if I want to hold a snake just because), none of mine have ever mistaken me for food, yet have a very aggressive feed response only on feeding day.

I follow routines, they're fed in the same order every feeding day, the room is pre-scented before feeding, when it's not pre-scented any other time, I don't smell like a rodent on non-feeding days. I've never had a snake come out of the tub in a feed mode except when feeding.

So - so far, three years hasn't conditioned them to be in a feeding mindset at any other time than on feeding day. Knock on wood, the only bites I've ever received have been defensive, not offensive strikes, and because I've startled them (if I'm sitting on the floor and letting them crawl, then suddenly grab them and they weren't expecting it for example). But I've never been bitten while getting them from their enclosures, or when I've been in their enclosure to change water, etc. It's always been out of the enclosure.

There's opinion on what might happen, and then there's actual hands on experience on what will happen when feeding in tubs with routines.

All I know is if the way you are feeding is working for you ... Why change... If it's tried and true

I agree!