Newbie with a feeding question...

[JoshJP7]

The snake knows its not being fed every time its taken out bc its not being put in the feeding tub... I dont only take my snakes out to feed so why would they think theyre getting fed everytime??? I could see if you didnt touch your snakes and only touched them when its feeding day but whats the point of having the snake as a pet if your not gonna take it out??

I put a towel across the bottom of the feeding tub and after feeding a couple snakes the towel smells like rat... They know when they get in the tub by the smell that food is coming.

Ive been feeding my snakes inside a feeding tub for about 2 yrs now and the only times ive been bit are when Ive placed the snake inside the feeding tub and couldnt get my hand away in time be4 he struck(same snake both times!)... either way I dont complain bc that just means hes got a strong feeding response and furthers my belief that they know the second they get in there its time to grub.

[West Coast Jungle]

The snake knows its not being fed every time its taken out bc its not being put in the feeding tub... I dont only take my snakes out to feed so why would they think theyre getting fed everytime??? I could see if you didnt touch your snakes and only touched them when its feeding day but whats the point of having the snake as a pet if your not gonna take it out??

I put a towel across the bottom of the feeding tub and after feeding a couple snakes the towel smells like rat... They know when they get in the tub by the smell that food is coming.

Ive been feeding my snakes inside a feeding tub for about 2 yrs now and the only times ive been bit are when Ive placed the snake inside the feeding tub and couldnt get my hand away in time be4 he struck(same snake both times!)... either way I dont complain bc that just means hes got a strong feeding response and furthers my belief that they know the second they get in there its time to grub.

I am glad that works for you but my point is the snake is not reasoning all this info, it smells a rat and strikes. My snakes never strike at me unless they smell rats. The point is there is no need to remove from the enclosure. I never do and they dont strike untill they smell a rat.

now some people remove them because they dont want them to swallow bedding which makes sense but the theory that they will think they are gonna eat everytime you open the tub if you feed in their tub is false. otherwise I would get bit all the time and I never do.

The only ones reasoning all this info is us not the snakes.

Now if someone is having a problem with feeding then removing from the tub is not a good idea. I have nothing against feeding in another tub, but when problems arise I reccomend you dont, thats all.

[JoshJP7]

So you're saying you dont think my snakes know that when they get put in the feeding tub thats its time to eat? I find that very hard to believe just because they can "understand" (if thats the right word) a pattern and that pattern is always the same on feeding day. Also the towel in the feeding tub smells like rat so again another sign its time to eat.

I dont disagree with you that the whole hand in tub get bit myth is just that... a myth but my experience has shown me that a feeding tub works very well in developing a feeding pattern which helps get/keep snakes eating regularly.

[SatanicIntention]

All of mine are fed in their tubs, and I do not generally get bit on a non-feeding day. There are babies here that would rather bite me than look at me, so they don't count. I can reach in anytime on a non-feeding day and will not be looked at as food.

I bring the tub of mice into the room, put it on the floor and leave it in there for a good 30 minutes. When I come back, snakes are usually in their hides or cruising around the tub. I then feed everyone in the same order until I'm done. Even if I have skipped a week, this routine gets them into feed mode.

Josh, what he is saying is that the snakes smell food, they associate the smell of food with eating. They aren't associating the tub with eating. You could set them on the floor with a towel that smelled like rodent, and they would go into feed mode.

Smell of rodent = Dinner time!
A bare tub that smells nothing of food doesn't equal dinner time.
A tub with a towel scented with rodent = dinner time!

Getting the picture? They are not associating being put in a tub as feeding time, they are associating the smell of food with feeding time. If you put them in a bare tub to clean their enclosure, how are they going to react? None of mine could care less.

Also, I am not about to handle any of my snakes on a feeding day if the smell of mouse is in the air. I will get bit and constricted as fast as I can blink. I am also not about to handle ANY of them after they've had a meal, as they are still in feed mode. It doesn't make sense to leave them in the still-rodent-smelling tub for an hour to calm down then have to go pick them up, stressing them out. They could already be in their own enclosure, starting to calm down, find a safe spot to rest and digest.

To me, there isn't ANY reason to move the snake other than to stress them out and have the possibility for a regurge. Just not worth the risk to me, and it's not worth it for me to get the raining hell of bites..

Thanks though!

[West Coast Jungle]

So you're saying you dont think my snakes know that when they get put in the feeding tub thats its time to eat? I find that very hard to believe just because they can "understand" (if thats the right word) a pattern and that pattern is always the same on feeding day. Also the towel in the feeding tub smells like rat so again another sign its time to eat.

I dont disagree with you that the whole hand in tub get bit myth is just that... a myth but my experience has shown me that a feeding tub works very well in developing a feeding pattern which helps get/keep snakes eating regularly.

I believe and agree that they do used to specific patterns and if that is your pattern then that maybe so. My point was never to try to talk people out of separate tub feeding but to help the OP with their situation.

I dont know why you feed in a different tub, i assume its concern over substrate injestion. I am just trying to dispell the myth that snakes associate open tubs with feeding and will bite, that association is man made. I will have over 70+ snakes by the end of breeding season and taking them out is just unrealistic and unnecessary but anyway, I think we are getting off track.

I also have feeding patterns which works for me only it doesn't include removing my snakes, I also house my snakes on newspaper so injestion of wood peices is never a concern.

[STORMS]

I love it! You all are amazing with all the tips, etc. I REALLY do appreciate it.

Question... How do you guys heat up your f/t?

I'm thinking maybe mine aren't warm enuff?

I take the mice out of the freezer and put them in a small tupperware and put the tupperware in a large bowl of hot water when they are no longer frozen I remove from the water bowl.
I warm them up with a hairdryer prior to feeding... Is this wrong???