is it dumb to feed on repti-bark?

[SkYyaMe1623]

as in is there a decent chance your snake can swallow a big piece?

[NennaMeerkat]

I feed in tank but on a plastic flat hollow hide. If you are using substrate of any kind I consider it a risk always with them ingesting some of it. Why not try a plate or as I do some sort of plastic hollow hide that has a plastic bottom?

[TeaNinja]

honestly, i feed right on my reptibark. i figure if they eat in the wild with no issues they can eat on the reptibark. that being said, i always watch my snakes eat to make sure they don't get abunch of substrate in their mouth. my female dumerils ate the other day and got a chunk of reptibark in her mouth and she got it out by herself in a few minutes.

but i'd definetly say theres a chance of ingesting the bark. if you're worried about it, use a plate or something to feed on. sometimes it's no use because the snake drags the prey off the plate anyway. that's half the reason i fed my bp in a shoebox instead of the reptibark. now i just get lazy and let them eat on the bark and watch them.

[mykee]

"is it dumb to feed on repti-bark? "
Yes.
Impaction can be very dangerous and could lead to death.

[Jay]

. i figure if they eat in the wild with no issues they can eat on the reptibark.
Most common issue brought up with new owners, your snakes are not in the wild anymore.
No they do not receive a nice fat frozen/thawed rat from above every other week.
If you go by that logic, the moment you provide a heat source, warm meal or a soak in the tub you are immediately contradicting yourself.
As a keeper it is your responsibility to care for these animals taking unnecessary risks is not worth it.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Most common issue brought up with new owners, your snakes are not in the wild anymore.
No they do not receive a nice fat frozen/thawed rat from above every other week.
If you go by that logic, the moment you provide a heat source, warm meal or a soak in the tub you are immediately contradicting yourself.
As a keeper it is your responsibility to care for these animals taking unnecessary risks is not worth it.


exactly...

[TeaNinja]

was gonna comment but i'm over it. your opinions are duely noted.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

I would have liked to have seen your comment Tea. I enjoy seeing everyones thoughts as there is no right or wrong answer to be exact.

[marionsclan]

Another reason that speaks for feeding in a separate area. When it is feeding time at my house they go in, feed, and within 20 minutes they are back in their own habitat. Quick, pain free and stress less.

I wouldn't even think of feeding them in anything that has stuff in it they could ingest. My Amber Corn has Aspen in her tank so she can burrow and my BP has coconut fibers to hold the moisture better for humidity. Neither of those substrates would serve well for a feeding platform. But this is what works best for me and my snakes as part of our routine.

[DeesBalls]

I feed on aspen... never had anything go wrong, but i also WATCH ALL THE FEEDINGS!!! so as long as you watch and are smart about it, nothing can go wrong...

my BRB feeds on forest floor and she also does just fine.. its all about the owner, not the snake eating...

[NennaMeerkat]

I wish my snake would feed outside her tank but she won't. Spends hours easily just trying to get out of the feeding tub I put her in. Tried a bag, same thing, ect. ect. However in her tank in the hide I have she will immediately eat quickly. Usually done within 10 min. without any worry of substrate getting digested. There are safe ways of feeding in their home that uses substrate and if your snake won't eat outside of their home you are pretty much forced to do it that way.

[marionsclan]

I can see both your points and like I said, my way works best for us. Mainly because I don't sit and watch them eat all the time. I make sure the head goes in first and then move on to other things, while checking occasionally. Once one snake is done, the tank gets cleaned and the next one gets to go.

I simply like to minimize the risks and because I can't control how my snakes eat and what they pick up along the way, I prefer to exclude additives. Of course when you see your snake ingest (not just pick up) something you can always jump in and get it with tweezers but that creates an awful lot of stress for all parties involved (me not wanting to do it and she not wanting to have it done). But we all do what we think is the best for the snake and that's what counts.

[DeesBalls]

I can see both your points and like I said, my way works best for us. Mainly because I don't sit and watch them eat all the time. I make sure the head goes in first and then move on to other things, while checking occasionally. Once one snake is done, the tank gets cleaned and the next one gets to go.

I simply like to minimize the risks and because I can't control how my snakes eat and what they pick up along the way, I prefer to exclude additives. Of course when you see your snake ingest (not just pick up) something you can always jump in and get it with tweezers but that creates an awful lot of stress for all parties involved (me not wanting to do it and she not wanting to have it done). But we all do what we think is the best for the snake and that's what counts.

each person has their own way of doing things i suppose... whatever works for them is what is important.. :)

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

I feed in the snakes cage. Im not worried about impaction because i take steps to ensure that wont happen. It would be unnecessary handling to remove them from there comfortable environment to feed. Alot of people say they remove there snakes because they dont want to associate coming in the cage to get them; with food. Not an issue on my end lol. Like i said there's not really a right or wrong.

[NennaMeerkat]

I feed in the snakes cage. Im not worried about impaction because i take steps to ensure that wont happen. It would be unnecessary handling to remove them from there comfortable environment to feed. Alot of people say they remove there snakes because they dont want to associate coming in the cage to get them; with food. Not an issue on my end lol. Like i said there's not really a right or wrong.

You know it is funny I have to often nudge my snake into wakefulness to let her know it is chow time. If I didn't nudge her I think she would just miss dinner all together. Today in fact she came out and gave me the WTF look (at least that is how I perceived it) before she realized the smell of toad in her hide.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

You know it is funny I have to often nudge my snake into wakefulness to let her know it is chow time. If I didn't nudge her I think she would just miss dinner all together. Today in fact she came out and gave me the WTF look (at least that is how I perceived it) before she realized the smell of toad in her hide.


hahah not mine, there looking at me before i can even get there enclosure open LOL.

Toad?

[NennaMeerkat]

hahah not mine, there looking at me before i can even get there enclosure open LOL.

Toad?

Hognoses are toad eaters in the wild so it is often a way to get them to eat mice to scent them with toad. I got a couple of small toads I froze and I thaw them (not in the water just enough to get a bit of moisture off of them to use it) when I need them and rub them against the pinks. She attacks those pinks with all the fury a more or less pencil sized snake can attack something. All hissy and strikey. So funny to watch.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Hognoses are toad eaters in the wild so it is often a way to get them to eat mice to scent them with toad. I got a couple of small toads I froze and I thaw them (not in the water just enough to get a bit of moisture off of them to use it) when I need them and rub them against the pinks. She attacks those pinks with all the fury a more or less pencil sized snake can attack something. All hissy and strikey. So funny to watch.

hahaha video tape it.

[NennaMeerkat]

hahaha video tape it.

Ha ha I will try next week to lure her out of the hide a little with the pinky so you might get a better shot. Its hard to get sometimes.

[Lankyrob]

I have reptibark in all my snake enclosures - ground feeders get fed with the prey on a plate to minimize risk and arboreal feeders just get the prey handed to them as they rarely if ever reach the floor of the viv anyway. My personal thought is that with a dry prey item it is rare for repti bark to stick to it so unless the snake picks up the prey and dunks it in the waterbowl and then drags it around on the bark the risks really are minimal.

[Coffee Black]

I stopped using feed boxes as I found them kind of pointless. I don't understand how the snake is supposed to be able to differentiate between the cage opening for a rat and the cage opening so you can take it out to be put into a box with a rat. Then you get to try and move a feed mode snake from a box back into their enclosure. BITES WILL HAPPEN. My carpet refuses to be a less voracious AND defensive feeder ( she HATES being watched) and if given on a plate she just drags it across the substrate into her hide. Ended up getting her a bamboo cylinder for a hide, which she loves, so I just hurl the rat in there. If I were feeding chopped up fish or chopped up pinky for a garter or similar sized animal I would definitely use a feed box, though.

[infernalis]

Yes.
Impaction can be very dangerous and could lead to death.

I always feed outside the enclosures because of that risk.

[SkYyaMe1623]

Thanks for the input everybody! One of the reasons I posted this is that I see my idle viperkeeper feeding on what appears to be reptile bark regularly...

Thoughts on his methods?

[infernalis]

With a viper, well taking it out is less of an option.

I would not be reaching in there any day soon..

[VaranidLover]

When I moved my RTB to a cypress bedded enclosure Monday, It only took me about 30 mins to come up with the idea to put some newspaper down for feeding

and 25 of those minutes were spent defrosting rats, so it was actually like 5 mins :)

Just put some newspaper down and everything will be okay

[Ch^4]

Another reason that speaks for feeding in a separate area. When it is feeding time at my house they go in, feed, and within 20 minutes they are back in their own habitat. Quick, pain free and stress less.


I'm sorry, but I disagree with those 3 points. I feed my non-nervous snakes in separate containers mainly due to the risks of impaction (partly for sanitary reasons). However, this is STRESSFUL for the snake. This also takes far LONGER than feeding in their enclosure. And 95% of my BITES were during removal from the separate feed box.

I feed my nervous BPs (about half of them) in their enclosure; they are typically in their hides when I open the tub. Using tongs, I hold the prey item in front of the hide opening and BAM. I then move the hide, pick up the coiled snake, put it on newspaper, and shut the tub. The snake can return to its hide under the newspaper after it finishes its meal without having to wait for me to come get it.

[marionsclan]

I'm sorry, but I disagree with those 3 points. I feed my non-nervous snakes in separate containers mainly due to the risks of impaction (partly for sanitary reasons). However, this is STRESSFUL for the snake.

What kind of stressful behavior should I be observing?

[marionsclan]

Thanks for the input everybody! One of the reasons I posted this is that I see my idle viperkeeper feeding on what appears to be reptile bark regularly...

Thoughts on his methods?

I've seen close to half his videos and there are multiple occasions when they snakes come close to ingesting bark, but because he watches them he is there with the tongs to remove it. There have also been a couple of episodes where he has to literally take out the bark with tweezers once they swallowed it. He does say that it is very stressful for him and the snake to do this procedure but because of the way his feeds them and gives them water reptile bark works best because it lets the water run through and retains the moisture without molding.