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.

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by mykee

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

I always feed outside the enclosures because of that risk.

[Jay]

Originally Posted by TeaNinja

. 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]

Originally Posted by jay0133

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.

[Ch^4]

Originally Posted by 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'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]

Originally Posted by Ch^4

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?

[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.