View Full Version : Designated Feeding Place
I just read in my snake book that sometimes it is a good idea to remove your snake from its tank and place it in another place such as a plastic tub to feed in. This is apparently to "prevent the snake from associating its home terrarium cage with food" and "may help prevent mild bites because many snakes fed inside their terrarium come to associate the opening of the tank's lid with feeding time and may bite their keeper in association of a meal". Is this true? Does anyone else do this?
StudentoReptile
10-09-12, 02:48 AM
Used to....but its just baloney. Not sure exactly who started it, but its baloney.
Gungirl
10-09-12, 03:50 AM
Feed in the tank and don't add stress...
Lankyrob
10-09-12, 03:51 AM
It's all rubbish - i fed in a tub for a while but after a couple of feeding bites from trying to get the snake back in their viv afterwards i now feed in the viv, on the substrate and have had no issues whatsoever :)
Okay, I don't think I'll try it.
I think it depends on how much you handle your snake(s) They are like anything else they learn by association it 90% of the time you opening the cage and throwing a rat in and 10% getting it out to clean the cage when you open the cage the first thing itgoing to do is go into food mode but if your like the rest of us and get it out every now and then You shouldnt have a problem. Thats just my opinion though
I really like to handle my snake, and although I just got him, I can see myself handling him quite often. This leads me to another question - you guys are saying that it would be stressful to move him to another environment to eat...is it also stressful when I handle him? If I handled him daily, would he become used to it and not be so stressed?
I love to get mine out. Daily handeling isnt a good idea though. Also if you go to RedTailBoas.com Main Menu - The Front Page (http://www.redtailboas.com) they have an awesome care guide on there with loads of useful information you can only view it if you not a member but you can download it in pdf format if you sign up.
I'm sorry for all the questions but why isn't daily handling a good idea?
It just causes them to much stress. they aren't like other pets they are more sensitive there more of a display animal. stress can cause them serious issues some animals die due to it. they can stop eating they can get sick, it can really harm them.
thats not to scare you from picking them up anymore just be aware and watch for signs
example of signs of stress would be but not limited to Balling, hissing, striking, constant "exploration", refusal to feed, stuff like that
Thanks for letting me know! :D
not a problem. You should really check out that care guide I told you about on redtailboas.com its one of if not the best ones ive read. you should read more than just this one though cause when it comes down to it most of them is just someones opinion and with snakes i have noticed everyone has a different one
Lankyrob
10-09-12, 06:46 AM
I think it depends on how much you handle your snake(s) They are like anything else they learn by association it 90% of the time you opening the cage and throwing a rat in and 10% getting it out to clean the cage when you open the cage the first thing itgoing to do is go into food mode but if your like the rest of us and get it out every now and then You shouldnt have a problem. Thats just my opinion though
I barely handle mine anymore, they are display animals more than anything for me. So 90% of the time when i open their door it is to change water or feed. I have no issues with cage aggression/biting/striking at all with any bar my JCP who is just an ornery ******* anyways.
My personal opinion is that the amount of handling has no effect on snakes biting when you reach into the viv. Snakes know that you aren;t food cos you dont smell like food. If you are assertive when reaching in to get them and dont wave your hands around in front of them nervously then there should be no issues. :)
shaunyboy
10-09-12, 07:04 AM
that tghoery is flawed,because.....
if you apply that very same logic to taking a snake OUT its tank to feed,then.....
surely every time you took it OUT,it would associate that with feeding,so bite everytime you took it out
it never ceases to amaze me how people,don't apply the same logic to feeding out the tank,as they do for feeding in the tank
feeding in the tank,does not make snakes associatte the door opening with food
i keep carpets into double figures and all are fed in their tank,with no issues
i do take 1 snake out the tank,if i'm keeping more than one carpet in it...
i keep same sized females and same sized pairs together,i have kept mutipule females in the same tank with no issues,other than having to split them up at feeding time
the above is just my personel experience and opinion
cheers shaun
shaunyboy
10-09-12, 07:10 AM
I think it depends on how much you handle your snake(s) They are like anything else they learn by association it 90% of the time you opening the cage and throwing a rat in and 10% getting it out to clean the cage when you open the cage the first thing itgoing to do is go into food mode but if your like the rest of us and get it out every now and then You shouldnt have a problem. Thats just my opinion though
i keep carpets into double figures,and i only handle them when 100% neccessary,the only time their doors get opened is,for water every 5 to 7 days and feeding every 15 to 30 days,(also spot cleaning when required)....
the only time they go into feeding mode is,when there is food defrosting in my house
i would disagree that they learn by association regards feeding mode,imo it's only when they detect food,that they will go into feeding mode (i'm not being cheeky mate)
cheers shaun
StudentoReptile
10-09-12, 07:32 AM
I barely handle mine anymore, they are display animals more than anything for me. So 90% of the time when i open their door it is to change water or feed. I have no issues with cage aggression/biting/striking at all with any bar my JCP who is just an ornery ******* anyways.
My personal opinion is that the amount of handling has no effect on snakes biting when you reach into the viv. Snakes know that you aren;t food cos you dont smell like food. If you are assertive when reaching in to get them and dont wave your hands around in front of them nervously then there should be no issues. :)
Ditto. I've had the same ball python since 1992. I used to handle him A LOT when I first got him. Now, in the past several years, I rarely handle except to clean out his enclosure, which is about every few months. He is about as docile now as he was 20 yrs ago. And I have been feeding him in his cage for years.
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Taking them out to feed them in another container stresses them out. And then, after they eat, picking them up and putting them back into their enclosure (i.e. handling them right after eating) is also stressful, and could cause a regurg. Much easier on the snake and yourself just to feed in the cage.
Listen to lankyrob before you do me he has much more experience. I do believe even if only a small amount association has an effect. How you go in at them does matter like you said and age the small ones seem to always be a bit snappy they grow out of it though
You all have much more experience than me so im sure your right. that was me just thinking outloud. just saying though if your putting that theory in use and your taking them out handling them too then it would only associate it with food when you put it in whatever box your using to feed it in
Pareeeee
10-09-12, 09:13 AM
I feed both my snakes in a separate tub, but the reason I do so is only because I don't want my snake to accidentally ingest any bedding during feeding. Both snakes have paper-based bedding (sort-of like carefresh, will be switching to aspen soon)
Anyway, neither of my snakes associated me with food when I was feeding them in their vivs. I think that's a myth. Neither of my snakes has ever bitten me. (Yet! lol)
Wyldrose
10-09-12, 09:50 AM
I use to feed all my snakes in tubs, it took a long time to feed everyone. Now I thaw out their mice/rats/hamster and put it in their bins. As long as I don't smell like rodent I don't get bitten.
I took my boa out to feed in a bin last night because the feeders I had left where too small and I wanted to make sure she'd take both. Which she did :) I have not noticed any aggression from where I feed them.
rmfsnakes32
10-09-12, 10:51 AM
I used to feed all my snakes in tubs it was such a hassle and took hours to feed everyone! Now feeding is done in about 30 min I get them out 2 or 3 times a week and they are fine except for my nic who has a nippy attitude anyway but she is getting better
Revenant
10-09-12, 11:48 AM
I religiously fed in separate containers for all but finicky eaters for years. When I got pregnant I got lazy and fed them in their enclosures most of the time. I have seen no difference whatsoever. Some of my snakes (like the Cal kings and gophers) have an "OMG FOOD!?!?!" reaction for a moment every time the door is open, no matter what. They did it before, they do it now.
I've got the feeding down. When I open the bin to feed, the food is in within seconds and the lid is back on. If food doesn't show up right off, they all switch to "Oh, it's just you" mode pretty quickly.
Blaze Mcsmith
10-09-12, 01:17 PM
i do it just because i like to handle my snakes but i also dont want them to accidently swallow the bedding either -as far as bites go i dont think it matters ,if a snake wants to tag you well you know the rest
Rogue628
10-09-12, 01:40 PM
I have fed both in and outside the enclosure, depending upon the animal. Some are finicky and don't feel safe in an enclosure or tub you just stick them in for a few minutes to eat. Now I feed all of mine in their enclosures.
Most ball pythons are pretty mellow and feeding inside the enclosure for yours should be no problem. If you're worried about it ingesting substrate, feed on a plate. Or even a piece of cut cardboard you put on the floor of the enclosure before feeding.
Once a ball python has acclimated to it's new environment, start off with small handling sessions and work towards more frequent and longer periods. This is how you build it's trust. Some snakes will tolerate frequent handling and some don't. Most ball pythons tolerate handling well. But snakes don't need or desire interactions from their human keepers and do just fine without it.
My snakes have always been fed inside their enclosures and not once have I ever been bitten. However, while I was doing my animal management college course over the last year (not anymore, working on animal behaviour now) we had to remove every snake from its enclosure and place it into a tub to feed. Every time I went to open a viv the snakes would get extremely aggressive and would strike out. They were only ever handled to be fed. I found it extremely uneccessary that we had to take them out to feed them being as it did stress them out and then they wouldn't eat for a long time! Once you'd fed them you had to pick them up and put them back in again. At not one point were those snakes in a good mood with you. I told the staff they'd of been better off just feeding them in their enclosures being as they don't come out. But as I said, my snakes are wonderful and they're fed in theirs!
MoreliAddict
10-09-12, 01:51 PM
Do you want your snake to associate leaving the cage/handling with feeding?
This one is common sense to some extent...
shaunyboy
10-09-12, 05:43 PM
Do you want your snake to associate leaving the cage/handling with feeding?
This one is common sense to some extent...
i disagree mate (not being cheeky)
imo the only thing a snake associates with feeding,is the smell of food
it will no more associate being taken out with feeding,than it would associate the door opening with feeding (if you feed in the tank)
if we can agree that feeding in the tank,does not make them associate the door opening with feeding,then.....
using the same logic,surely it would not associate being taken out with feeding
why would it associate feeding with one method of feeding,but not the other
^^^^^
i hope that makes sense
cheers shaun
Pareeeee
10-09-12, 09:01 PM
Boaz can't be fed on a plate in his enclosure, I always say that he's "mentally handicapped" as he travels around the tank with the mouse shoving it into a corner, wedging it into the driftwood, or something, and then decides that he can't figure out how to eat it, and leaves it to rot. If he does eat it, he's shoved it in the substrate so many times it's covered in it and I have to keep reaching in to pull little bits of it out of his mouth.
The only way I overcame this problem was with a feeding tub, lol. Such a nutty snake :P
If you don't have a "mentally handicapped" snake like I do, then the plate thing will probably work.
For me I feel that picking up, moving, putting into a foreign environment, then feeding, picking up while full, and putting back in the cage is far more stressful to a snake then occationally thinking im food, if that is even true.
IMO, if I don't smell like a mouse - he wont think im food. as long as im not doing anything to make him afraid of me.
worst case scenario - he bites me, finds out im far too big to eat, and learns in the long run. lol.
Little Wise Owl
10-09-12, 11:22 PM
Boaz can't be fed on a plate in his enclosure, I always say that he's "mentally handicapped" as he travels around the tank with the mouse shoving it into a corner, wedging it into the driftwood, or something, and then decides that he can't figure out how to eat it, and leaves it to rot. If he does eat it, he's shoved it in the substrate so many times it's covered in it and I have to keep reaching in to pull little bits of it out of his mouth.
The only way I overcame this problem was with a feeding tub, lol. Such a nutty snake :P
If you don't have a "mentally handicapped" snake like I do, then the plate thing will probably work.
LOL Oh boy that made me giggle. My Ball Pythons are kind of like this.
Anyway, I used to feed in separate tubs but it just became a hassle and it seemed to stress out my snakes. I've been feeding in their tanks for a couple years now with no problems.
Blaze Mcsmith
10-10-12, 01:21 AM
ive seen pics of people feeding snakes while their holding them and them contently eating while resting on their arm-
Jlassiter
10-10-12, 05:23 AM
I have fed in the enclosure for MANY years with no problems.
I use a feeding plate...usually a 16qt plastic tub lid.
Plus this "feeding plate" serves a dual purpose....it's a nice, tight hide as well.....
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