feed in or out

[rhiannon79]

This is my question I have had mixed mixed reviews should I move my ball to a feeding bow or let him eat in his enclosure he will not eat f/t he eats live small white mice right now 3 one right after the other once a week and ? 2 . I really dont like the look of tge news paper so I am thinking of using the kitter krumble because another member said it holds moisture well i was using eco earth before the newspaper but it gets so dusty and while feeding in his enclosure enclosure as some had instructed he got a mouth gull of dirt wish I was very concerned about thank goodness he was fine just curious of ur thoughts

[shaunyboy]

i feed my Carpets inside their tanks,its where the snake feels most secure

i use newspaper substrate so i have no issues with substrate mate

cheers shaun

[Starbuck]

I feed all my snakes in their cages, they are on large chunk cypress mulch.
Switching to larger prey (rats) would mean you only have to feed him one prey item, which means he is only at risk of swallowing substrate once (rather than 3 times), not that swallowing small amounts of aubstrate is a big deal anyways. Just a thought. You could also use unprinted butcher paper if you don't like newspaper.

[rhiannon79]

I feed smaller prey because of the huge teeth on bigger prey what do you think the probability of my snake getting hurt from larger prey

[thinkbig317]

I vote for inside enclosure as well. As long as the temps are correct you shouldnt have to worry about impaction. I also agree on feeding larger prey. As long as u monitor the feeding session everything should be cool. Dont just leave the rat in there and walk away.

[MDT]

I would bet that in their natural environment snakes will accidentally/unintentionally ingest a whole lotta stuff (i.e. their "substrate") on a fairly regular basis.

I would also recommend feeding in their enclosure. Feeding in a "feeding tub" or whatever is a lot of unneccessary work.

thinkbig is right, if the husbandry is good, you should be good to go...

[Aaron_S]

I feed smaller prey because of the huge teeth on bigger prey what do you think the probability of my snake getting hurt from larger prey

Your snake looks like it has an entire stuck shed on it.

[shaunyboy]

Your snake looks like it has an entire stuck shed on it.

^^^^^
this


imo your snake has retained at least one or more shed's, going by your picture mate

cheers shaun

[rhiannon79]

He is shedding it came the rest of the way off last night he had made a mess with poop and pee so I had to change out the newspaper so I got him out before he was finished shedding it all I just snapped a few while I hade him out but yeah he did still have some stuck on his back in the pics give me a few and I'll snap dome more of him fully shed

[rhiannon79]

^^^^^
this


imo your snake has retained at least one or more shed's, going by your picture mate

cheers shaun

He has always shed completely never had any problems with it but I'll keep a close watch

[SnoopySnake]

Feeding outside the enclosure could add unnecessary stress from handling and cause your snake to regurge, plus imo it's unnecessary work also.. When your BP gets to be his full size, I'm going to imagine feeding in a tub may be quite difficult.. If your snake ingests a bit of substrate it shouldn't be a problem, as long as your temps are up to par, also I agree with what someone else said about moving up prey size.. How long have you had him?

[desipooh.12]

There's alot of controversy about this,
As I to thought it be better to feed outside of its enclosure,
But I NEVER had no issues with it at all,
Ate everytime & no stress..
But when I finally took a different direction,
I feed the F/T in its enclosure & everything was fine,
Just keep an eye on em till its done feeding..
Why don't you feed em F/T???? Safer..

[Aaron_S]

He is shedding it came the rest of the way off last night he had made a mess with poop and pee so I had to change out the newspaper so I got him out before he was finished shedding it all I just snapped a few while I hade him out but yeah he did still have some stuck on his back in the pics give me a few and I'll snap dome more of him fully shed

There's a humidity issue if you have a snake shed off it's head and then back first.

Also, next time, just let the snake shed then clean the bin. Much easier.

[rhiannon79]

Feeding outside the enclosure could add unnecessary stress from handling and cause your snake to regurge, plus imo it's unnecessary work also.. When your BP gets to be his full size, I'm going to imagine feeding in a tub may be quite difficult.. If your snake ingests a bit of substrate it shouldn't be a problem, as long as your temps are up to par, also I agree with what someone else said about moving up prey size.. How long have you had him?

I've had him seven months and he will not eat f/t I have tried on several occasions when he was smaller for almost two months when I first got him he was not interested at all so after that I put in live and he was all over it immediately I wish he would eat f/t it would surely bring my stress level down

[rhiannon79]

There's a humidity issue if you have a snake shed off it's head and then back first.

Also, next time, just let the snake shed then clean the bin. Much easier.

I will defently wait next time I just switched to a newspaper substrate and yes I agree I am trying to work on the humidity since I changed to news paper it just keeps changeing I am working on it going to go to kritter krumble someone said that held moisture real well I mentioned the shedding issue in another thread he usually has no problem what so ever but hes been in a super good mood and he foes still have some shed on his neck area but I think u are all correct about the humidity one day I hope to be able to get this down hate to think im not a good snake owner I am trying my best until earlier this month when I found this site with all the wonderful members I've learned alot thank you all

[Sublimeballs]

Definitely feed in the enclosure, balls are unreliable enough when it comes to meal time. No need to add another reason for them to not eat. As for the not feeding larger live prey(I know ill catch some s*it for this but) before one of my balls started taking FT, I would take the rat and give it a good whack to stun it before it went to the snake. Or you can put a pencil in the rats mouth while its being constricted so its got something to chew on other then your snake.

[robertjnovak59]

I've always fed my snakes live. I've never seen a mark on any of my snakes. I've never seen any of the rats bites get thru the scales. I've been bit by rats hundreds of times and it only made me bleed a couple times. I think the snakes scales protect it pretty well against rodent bites.

[rhiannon79]

Thank uuall I guess I am going to go to a small rat Monday I will be sure to let u guys know how it goes what about t he left over shed how long should I let that last little bit stay if its dont come off will it make my snake sick hopeing with the extra moisture it might cone off tonight anyway I'll let yall know

[plutos_kiss]

I guess I'm the odd one out that feeds outside of the enclosure, heh. My ball is slightly aggressive when it comes to his food and he is a very good eater on his FT rats, so I have zero problems doing it. My Rainbow is also a very good eater on FT outside of the tank. I do it in a large, dark tub on a warm heating pad (I put in a large towel for the Rainbow to burrow in so she feels safe). If I had their new habitats built with a substrate other than Eco Earth, I would probably feed in the cage.

[DeesBalls]

like everyone else, i say feed in the cage, beendoing it for years now with different species, and no problems at all.

as for substrate, i use aspen, i mist every couple days, and ihave no humidity problems, then again it could be because of the cage i have, not sure, but i like aspen alot! just be sure to mix it up every week or so, to make sure nothing nasty grows in it. that is what i do, and my BP been on aspen for 4 yrs now.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I guess I'm the odd one out that feeds outside of the enclosure, heh. My ball is slightly aggressive when it comes to his food and he is a very good eater on his FT rats, so I have zero problems doing it. My Rainbow is also a very good eater on FT outside of the tank. I do it in a large, dark tub on a warm heating pad (I put in a large towel for the Rainbow to burrow in so she feels safe). If I had their new habitats built with a substrate other than Eco Earth, I would probably feed in the cage.

I use EcoEarth and I feed my ball python and boa on it without any problems. Just make sure the rats are dry so it doesn't attract too much of the bedding. Only problem is you might have a bit of a struggle with that rainbow when it's full grown. ;) Cloud became difficult to move when he was only 4.5ft, which is just one of the reasons I decided to stop feeding him outside the enclosure.

[rhiannon79]

I was using eco earth but it got so dry and dusty so after talking to several members they all said newspaper but I dont like the look so I'm going to look for something else

[rhiannon79]

So I guess I'm gonna feed in the cage for now seems to be working nicely