is it ok to feed bp in same tank lives in

[la613]

i wanna know if its ok to feed my bp in the same tank i keep it in instead of a different tank ive been told both

[la613]

also is it ok to leave a dead mouse in its cage and for how long

[citysnakes]

i have only ever fed my snakes in the same enclosure that they are housed in. it doesnt make sense to me to move a naturally shy animal from where it is most comfortable into a new and unfamiliar environment and expect it to consistently eat well. sure some snakes will eat when moved to a separate enclosure but it is so unnecessary for so many reasons.

if you offer f/t prey on tongs and they dont take it, i think it would be fine to leave it on the floor of the enclosure overnight.

[la613]

he still didnt eat it over night idk why

[sassamagoo]

How long have you had the snake? Often they won't eat at first in a new environment. My Boa didn't eat for 2 and 1/2 weeks when I first got him. They need to settle in a bit. If he's a new snake, then give him some time. They can go quite awhile (months!) without eating so he's not going to starve if he won't eat for a few weeks.

[bads15]

what you ask is a debate that i have seen many times before. some say the snake associates opening the lid to feed with feeding if you do that and will tend to strike every time after that. i don't buy that.i fead in their own terraniums for years and never had a problem. its not the only time a good snake keeper opens that lid! however i do feed in a separate bin just because i do believe it helps them get into feeding mode sooner. feeding is the only time they enter the other bin and even though i clean them they tend to keep some of the rats sent. that gives sent association.
the bin i use for feeding is a tall rubbermaid that is not transperent. the reason for this is because i feed live asf's. the bins are tall enough that the rat cant jump out, dark enough to not destract my snakes, and i can still reach in with hemostats to intervien when needed.
a nother benifit of me using the feeding bin is that it gives me a chance to clean and disinfect my snakes bins. i try not to handle my snakes for 24 hours before feeding so sometimes they need maintainance.
another reason i use feeding bins is because rats will contantly deficate and i dont want that in their bins seeing as once they feed i do not touch my snakes or their bins for the next 48 hours. unless tere is a problem.
some might agree . some might disagree. thats how i do it. i hope it helps you out.
ps. some of my snakes still eat in their own bins just because they wont eat any where else.

[Will0W783]

It's fine to feed it in its enclosure, as long as you don't only open the cage to feed it. Make sure you handle the snake often enough that it doesn't associate you opening the cage with feeding and strike at you. I feed almost all of my snakes in their enclosures and have never had a problem. However, I have several snakes that I have to put in an opaque Rubbermaid container overnight with the food to get them to eat. It's also ok to leave f/t prey in the cage overnight. Just NEVER leave a live prey item unattended with a snake. The rodent can get bored and chew on the snake and then you have infection and wounds and vet bills to deal with. Just use your common sense and you should be fine. Also, what was the snake eating when you bought it? Make sure it was on pre-killed or f/t prey and not live. If it only ever ate live, it won't eat a dead prey item for you. You can train it to take f/t and there are good threads on here with instructions for how to do so.

[la613]

ive only had him for about a week but should i just leave him alone and keep the humdity up and stuff or should i handle him also when hes getting used to is new enviro and the meal that he had before me was alive but i tried feeding him the fuzzy alive he wouldnt eat it and i ended up freezing it so idk i might have to go to the store to b uy another live one but i have 2 frozen ones already ?

[sassamagoo]

You should handle him as little as possible or not at all for the first couple weeks you have him. Let him get used to the sights and smells for awhile, get comfortable.

[gonesnakee]

New snake mens no feeding or handling at all.
After the first week or so start attempting to feed do so only once weekly.
No handling at all until feeding regularily.
Best bet is to feed in the enclosure as moving the snake stresses it out & it will likley NOT eat.
Asa for the whole feeding in seperate bins BS LOL waste of time IMHO & more likely to make snakes not eat as well.
Also higher risk of getting tagged moving a hundry snake out to feed & then back again after feeding.
IF a person interacts with the snake other than just feeding & does hook training feeding in the enclosure should never be an issue.
I feed ALL my snakes in their enclosures & in the case of etablishing neonates etc. moving them around etc. will put them off of food even longer if they are not feeding.
Moving them around stresses them out, Mark

[teague]

I personally feed live. I also feed outside the enclosure. Mice/rats deficate very frequently and I do not want that in my enclosure. I have never had a problem with them not eating even though I move them.

[gonesnakee]

Personally I don't see the need to feed live & put snakes at unnessicary risk of injruy myself, but thats a whole other debate, Mark
P.S. a dead rodent will NEVER injure you snake ;)

[la613]

my snake finally ate i feel better hes doin better i havent heard him make poppin noises anymore or ne thing he wouldnt eat dead ones nly live i guess he likes the somewhat of a challenge or something thank u everyone for ur inputs

[DeesBalls]

good to hear she/he ate!!

i to feed my snake in the same cage, and she's never even hissed at me, i beleive its okay to feed in same cage, as long as you handler her/him too.

[la613]

i was wonderin how long should i wait till i handle the snake after he eats
im not sure on his sex but its just about 1/12 foot long ball python if anyone knows about the age on that let me know that also thank u

[gonesnakee]

i was wonderin how long should i wait till i handle the snake after he eats
im not sure on his sex but its just about 1/12 foot long ball python if anyone knows about the age on that let me know that also thank u

A day or 2 to chill after eating.
So your BP is only 1/12 of a foot eh? Never seen a 1 inch BP before LOL
Its likely meant to be 1/2 a foot & is likely less than a year in age, just a baby, Mark

[la613]

actually i meant 1foot and about 3 or 4 inches it was a typo

[gonesnakee]

Maybe a yearling then? Hard to say, best bet is to ask the source of the animal, Mark

[raviolli]

i think the main reason for feeding in seperate tanks is so they dont accidentally swallow the substrate so really it just depends on what you use. i use aspen shavings and used to feed in the same tank until i stepped up the feeding to live mice and the shavings would get stuck to the mouse. she had a hard time getting the shavings off and seemed annoyed by it. (also, on the packaging for aspen, it says...and i quote..."feeding: very important: zoo med recommends feeding your snakes and lizards in a separate feeding container. this prevents them from accidentally ingesting the substrate, resulting in impaction and possible death of your animal." now i use a seperate 10 gallon tank with newspapers for feeding. my BP never had a problem feeding in her 55 gallon or in the 10 gallon.

[la613]

when i took my bp out today it just wrapped itself around my wrist and about not move usually when i handle it it likes to move all around any inputs?

[gonesnakee]

i think the main reason for feeding in seperate tanks is so they dont accidentally swallow the substrate so really it just depends on what you use. i use aspen shavings and used to feed in the same tank until i stepped up the feeding to live mice and the shavings would get stuck to the mouse. she had a hard time getting the shavings off and seemed annoyed by it. (also, on the packaging for aspen, it says...and i quote..."feeding: very important: zoo med recommends feeding your snakes and lizards in a separate feeding container. this prevents them from accidentally ingesting the substrate, resulting in impaction and possible death of your animal." now i use a seperate 10 gallon tank with newspapers for feeding. my BP never had a problem feeding in her 55 gallon or in the 10 gallon.

Why would you go from FT to live? Now thats just plain silly :rolleyes:
A dead rodent will NEVER injure your snake ;) Mark

[gonesnakee]

As for ingesting a little bit of substrate now & then its a petty common thing afterall.
What do you think happens in the wild? ;) No one provides an empty tank with newspaper to eat in thats for sure.
Snakes are meant to be able to pass small bits of substrate etc.
Its these big chunks of bark crap that cause impactions in captivity.
You are pretty safe feeding on shredded aspen or pine & very very rarely if ever will there be a problem. Mark
P.S. I'd be more concerned with feeding live prey than ingestion of small bits of substrate now & then ;)

[gonesnakee]

when i took my bp out today it just wrapped itself around my wrist and about not move usually when i handle it it likes to move all around any inputs?

It was cold & was using you to warm up, Mark

[Will0W783]

Probably what Mark says, also BPs are not the most active of snakes. Mine sometimes wants to explore, other times he just curls up around my wrist or balls up on my lap. Don't worry if it is just chilling out, that is what BPs do.

[gonesnakee]

BPs = BORING snakes LOL
Want a REAL snake? Get an Aussie Python ;) LOL Mark

[Will0W783]

I am partial to carpet pythons, are they what you meant by Aussie pythons, Mark? I think carpets are absolutely stunning snakes, and they are active and curious, but generally not aggressive. My 7-foot coastal male Voodoo is soooo incredible. Probably my favorite; he's such a ham! Of course white-lips are always fun too if you don't mind being tagged every now and then.

[gonesnakee]

They fall under Aussie yep, along with other Pythons of course such as Womas, BHs, Childrens, etc. etc. etc. Mark

[raviolli]

As for ingesting a little bit of substrate now & then its a petty common thing afterall.
What do you think happens in the wild? ;) No one provides an empty tank with newspaper to eat in thats for sure.
Snakes are meant to be able to pass small bits of substrate etc.
Its these big chunks of bark crap that cause impactions in captivity.
You are pretty safe feeding on shredded aspen or pine & very very rarely if ever will there be a problem. Mark
P.S. I'd be more concerned with feeding live prey than ingestion of small bits of substrate now & then ;)
a little bit of substrate now & then is pretty common...but it started to be more and more each time. the last time i fed in the same tank, i couldnt tell it was a mouse anymore by the time she took it because it was so covered in shavings :Wow:. maybe shes just a messy eater....i noticed she likes to push it around a little before opening up and swallowing whole . everyones got theyre methods, id just rather be safe about injestion as long as shes a good eater. as for going from frozen to live, thats easy. theres only two pet stores around, petco and A1 pets. petco, only sells pinkies and fuzzies (frozen) and theyre NEVER in stock. well, i need something bigger than a fuzzy, and im not going to spend as much as i would on several frozen fuzzies when one live mouse at A1 costs less than one frozen fuzzy at petco. and i get what you're saying about frozen food never harming a snake....at first, i didnt want to go to live...but seriously, "what do you think happens in the wild?" its instinct.

[jonny666]

Understand that it is not about instinct. You are right that there are not any F/T meals in the wild. Have you seen what a live mouse can do to a snake? I have and it is not pretty. Even if the prey is wrapped up perfectly the mouse still will try to get a bite in. I had a BP get bit and needed stitches. As far as getting F/T you can order online and have them shipped to your house or if you live close you can wait until a reptile show comes around and buy them there. You can also kill the mouse and feed it to your snake. Meaning freshly killed.

[gonesnakee]

Instinct in a wild snake is not the same as one that has been captive bred for multiple generations & raised on FT food. HUGE difference ;)
Ever seen a wildcaught snake? Ever wonder why they are all scarred up ;)
As suggested you can always go fresh killed as well.
I have seen first hand how quickly a rodent can chew the crap ot of a snake as it is being constricted. If one can eliminate the potential issue why not do so IMHO Mark

[citysnakes]

(also, on the packaging for aspen, it says...and i quote..."feeding: very important: zoo med recommends feeding your snakes and lizards in a separate feeding container. this prevents them from accidentally ingesting the substrate, resulting in impaction and possible death of your animal."

zoomed most likely recommends this more for the safety of their company and less for the safety of your animal.

i use aspen shavings for the majority of my snakes and only feed them within the enclosure and the thought of impaction has never even crossed my mind. these animals swallow prey whole and digest teeth and bone. a few aspen shavings really is nothing to worry about.

[Will1976]

You should wait at least 48 hours before handling the snake after it eats, gives it a chance to digest the food

[gonesnakee]

They cannot digest the shavings though, but in most all cases do "pass" them.
I have actually had snakes eat pieces of blue shop towels before & they come out the other end intact still.
Its funny how they digest teeth & bone but not anything wood related & also "pass" all the hair as well, Mark
P.S. I agree on the CYA comments presented by the company, sounds pretty standard

[citysnakes]

i agree that the risk of impaction is real and that certain animals at specific times in their lifespan should not be fed on loose substrate but the company's general warning cannot be applied as a concrete rule to every case.

[gonesnakee]

Exactly! As stated I feed mine on the Aspen all the time, though young snakes & most all Colubrids are housed with blue shop towel substrate.
As mentioned I have had them eat shop towels (or try too) more than once (Womas, Kings & Indigos), Mark

[citysnakes]

maybe the blue shop towels just taste that good...?

Mark, i just so happened to aquire a jungle jag that i think may have been produced by you so i guess i may find out pretty soon just how digestible those shop towels really are. ;)

[gonesnakee]

No JJs produced here just Diamond Jaguars so far.
Its the blood spot thing. They just keep eating sometimes due to it LOL Mark

[citysnakes]

im not too familiar with carpets so they're all jungles to me... it could possibly be a diamond jag. i was told that they were produced by "that breeder out west" by where i got em from. do you recall selling some jags to Grant at all?

[gonesnakee]

I never sold Grant any nope. I sold 3 of the 6 & have the other 3 still. So I know where they all are still. Could be a Jeff Favelle or a Don Patterson produced snake?
Also probably a better chance it was produced by Big Dan Uremovic? Hard to say? Mark

[citysnakes]

oh well who knows...? shes beautiful anyways. ill post pics in a few.

[la613]

thak you l o youfor all the nputs to the forus i haveread and startd my bp is eating and seems vey healthy besides one mark on its neck ithnk a mouse did it when my bp was constricting it but im tryin to switch its food to pre killed i tryed last week but didnt work so ill keep tryin dfferent things any inputs ? greatly appreciated

[la613]

my keyboard is messed up but im sure you can make out that last reply