substrate questions

[Sharlynn93]

i just switched out my CRB's substrate and put in the eco earth. upon reading up on it, it says not to feed in the enclosure due to possible impaction if ingested...i know alot of ppl on here talk about how they feed in the enclosure and was wondering if this was actually an issue or just a "warning" in case it ever were to happen?

[Terranaut]

Who are the "they" you speak of?
I have never had a problem.

[KORBIN5895]

Don't worry about it if you keep your snake properly. I have boa that is blind and she would eat mouthfuls of it while feeding.

[kwhitlock]

I used to worry about this also. Just think though, how often in the wild would a snake ingest something he's not intending too. If snakes couldn't handle anything besides what they were eating, they wouldn't be alive today. Obviously trying to prevent them from eating it is the goal, but some here and there won't hurt.

[Sharlynn93]

"They" would be the 3 different websites I read. Thanks all, I would rather feed her in her enclosure if possible. Its much easier on all of us...

[muffiewrites]

I don't feed Spike (Honduran Milk) in the viv because I'm pretty paranoid. We don't have any herp vets nearby. It's a four hour drive to get to one. He's also pretty quirky, himself, and behaves better when I feed him in a feeding enclosure than in his viv, so it all works out for us.

I have fed him in his viv, though, when he needed food and I didn't want to take the twenty or thirty minutes it can take to unwind him from the plants and furnishings without ripping them out. I put the feeders in a ceramic bowl and put that on top of the dirt. He doesn't usually get dirt into the bowl with him. And he'll let them sit there for hours.

[LadyWraith]

As long as husbandry is appropriate, that type of substrate is not a problem for their digestive system.

[Terranaut]

"They" would be the 3 different websites I read. Thanks all, I would rather feed her in her enclosure if possible. Its much easier on all of us...

That is strange. Can you tell me what sites? I would be very curious to read them and see why "they" feel that way. My snakes eat a little bit of subsrate every meal. I am very confident that it is harder to digest teeth and bone than a little wood or dirt. I also agree that they must eat all kinds of forest floor material in the wild. I have read about impaction on many sites but have only seen one example of actual death by impaction and it was still questionable wether or not the impaction was the cause or a result of another issue.

[lady_bug87]

Before I started using newspaper for my Bci I fed her on aspen and she I'm sure ingested some. They pass BONES through their body. A little substrate is no big deal if you keep your animal right

[Sharlynn93]

That is strange. Can you tell me what sites? I would be very curious to read them and see why "they" feel that way. My snakes eat a little bit of subsrate every meal. I am very confident that it is harder to digest teeth and bone than a little wood or dirt. I also agree that they must eat all kinds of forest floor material in the wild. I have read about impaction on many sites but have only seen one example of actual death by impaction and it was still questionable wether or not the impaction was the cause or a result of another issue.

i don't remember the sites, i just did a search and read what came up. I just did another search on aspen bedding (thinking of switching my corns and garter to aspen) and read the same thing...i think i am still going to feed in their enclosures and just put the mice on a saucer to minimize the risk of substrate ingestion...

[sharthun]

A little fiber is OK! ;) My snakes pass it right through.

[wrecker45]

I use repitibark for all my snakes. I thaw the prey in hot tap water then dry with paper towels. That way nothing sticks.

[Chris72]

Before I started using newspaper for my Bci I fed her on aspen and she I'm sure ingested some. They pass BONES through their body. A little substrate is no big deal if you keep your animal right

Yeah really!

They are passing rat skulls with teeth and all.