feeding a ball

[mousking]

i've been told by people that it is best to feed a ball python in a sepperate enclosure than they live in, but in the reading i have done it says to feed them in their living enclosure. which do you peoples think is best?

[SerpentLust]

I'm not sure about Balls, but I have fed my python in and out of her enclosure, and for her anyways, it doesn't seem to make a difference. People's usual arguments is that if you feed them in their enclosure, they'll get used to things being put in there as being food. I've never had this problem minus that one time I forgot to wash my hands of the mouse smell.

Jenn

[snake_goth]

i used to feed my corn in a nother due to me having no tongs to feed him with but wen i got my bp i got sum tongs and i feed them both in there living tanks and there ok with that

[Wraith]

If you feed your snake in the same enclosure that it lives in you will need to be careful. It may learn to associate your hand with food and sometime when you try to take it out of it's enclosure it may mistake your hand for a nice juicy mouse.

[Big Mike]

This has been debated many times. While some people think that snakes will "learn" that food is comming in every time the enclosure is opened...if you feed in the enclosure...other people think that taking your snake out of it's enclosure to put into a feeding enclosure...could trigger a feeding response.

Here is what I think. If you alway make sure that you don't smell like food then reaching into the snakes's enclosure should not trigger a feeding response.

If you think that by feeding in the enclosure, you are conditioning it to bite anything that comes in. Think about it this way...by that logic you would also be conditioning it think of food every time you took it out. Then you are holding a snake that thinks it's dinner time. Also, you should not move a snake that has just eaten, to prevent a chance of regurgitation. So what do you do after it has eaten?

If however you keep your snake on a loose substrate that would be harfull if injested...feeding in a seperate container may be the better option.

For my snakes that are on loose substrate, I put a small feeding container right into their enclosure. This fay they can go in there to eat and can come out on their own.

[fateamber]

I feed my bp in his viv cos he is more likely to eat it then. I always take out the hide he is not in before i feed him, do you think he would relate that to feeding?

[Colonel SB]

I think with BP's it would be better to feed in the enclosure for the first little wile...If your BP is not feeding regularily they the extra stress of being moved and handled my be the cause of that animals refusal to feed. Now once your BP is feeding with some regularity then it's up to you. I say until they are going strong it's hands off.

[Linds]

IMO, feeding in a separate container causes undue stress on a snake and is unecessary. I used to feed in a seperate container. From my personal observations, this has absolutely no influence on the animals behaviour. Agressive animals have been tamed down even though they were fed in their homes, as well as calm snakes have never become agressive are a result. Mike made a lot of really good points in his post and I agree with everything he said.