Seperate Feeding area?

[Xanafein]

So i recently heard that feeding your snakes in the cage is a bad idea, taking that into account i built a feed box out of a line six cardboard amp box and a few sheets of plexiglass artfully attached to cut out sections, now however i am hearing it doesnt make a difference, was that wasted efffort?

[Lankyrob]

I dont feed in the enclosures to ensure the snakes dont ingest the substrate, i just use a plastic storage box for feeding them in.

[presspirate]

I had heard for a long time that you should feed your snakes in a seperate enclosure as well. The reasoning was that they would associate you opening the cage with feeding. If that were the case, wouldn't they associate being taken out of the cage with feeding time as well?

After doing more research and reading the opinions of others on this site and elsewhere I have begun feeding my snakes in their enclosures and have noticed no difference in aggression from any of them.

Hope this helps!

[Lankyrob]

Greg, do you have any concerns or problesms with the substrate?

[Xanafein]

i use a coconut husk substrate, its ground fine to a dirt like level, ingestion shouldnt be to much of an issue, the feed box is a nice stury cardboar box with a viewing wall, mesh vents on the side and a small gate i can open up to put my JCP in through when shes done and ready to go home she crawls back out onto my desk and i put her home

[presspirate]

Not really, I've watched numerous nature videos of snakes eating, and have been lucky enough to witness a garter snake eating a toad in person. My opinion is, in nature they ingest not only the food item, but whatever maybe attached to the food item. Leaves, sticks, grass, dirt, weeds, bugs, etc. And they seem to get on well enough. But I know numerous people feed on the substrate and have had no issues. Really I think it comes down to preference and piece of mind.

[Lankyrob]

My jcp gets fed in his enclosur, he just hangs off his perch and eats, dont think you need to take arboreal snakes out to feed them.

I know what you mean Greg, in the wild they would eat all sorts stuck to their prey. So many people insist on not feeding on the substrate tho that it is confusing.

Wayne, could we have a front page poll on this subject?

[Xanafein]

poll is a great idea, thiss feed box with some more tweaking would actually make a great little case for mice.... hmmm

went ahea and put this weeks dinner in the tank, sweetheart took him/her out in about 30 seconds, hasnt began eating yet, but that mouse was a goner,

im currently feeding a hopper and a fuzzie, mouse every nine days, trying to convince her to go for the rat fuzzies, but she isnt having it.. im worried she may be hooked on tasty mouse meat

[Ch^4]

Feeding in or out of the cage is a matter of preference (in my opinion). Many of the breeders I know feed their entire collection within their living cage; they either have newspaper as substrate, or put a plate under the food to avoid substrate ingestion.

Personally, I feed all my snakes in a separate "feeding container." I have found this to work very well over the years and most of my snakes (except my baby JCP) have associated their feeding containers with being fed. None of them, again excluding my JCP, have ever been cage defensive and the only times I've ever been bit is when I'm removing them from their feeding container and am not paying attention to body language (it's only been twice).

[marvelfreak]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Greg, do you have any concerns or problesms with the substrate?

I set the rats in a rectangle bowl put the rat at the bottom then lay it on it's side and put in the cage. My snakes go in and eat. My big girl i just set it on a plastic lid.

[Serpantstrike]

Ive heard that it's about them associating food with your hand but I feed my snakes in seperate containers for plain old hygeins sake. mice and rats poop, pee, and on some occasions get their innards squeezed out and I would rather it be in an easily cleanable container than all over my snake's cage. The lady who had my two rescue snakes before i got them used to just throw their food in their cage and when i picked them up rat guts were smeared all over the glass and the mice had pooped in the snake's hiding log.

[percey39]

There is no need to remove the snake for feeding. As it will be very stressfull to shy or scared snakes when you pick them up after they have eaten. This is where you might encounter regurgitation with young snakes. I feed all my snakes in their enclosures and have never had a problem, as long as you dont smell like rats/mice or defrosting them you will be fine.

[infernalis]

Ive been feeding all but my BP outside of the enclosure forever.

[shaunyboy]

Originally Posted by presspirate

I had heard for a long time that you should feed your snakes in a seperate enclosure as well. The reasoning was that they would associate you opening the cage with feeding. If that were the case, wouldn't they associate being taken out of the cage with feeding time as well?

After doing more research and reading the opinions of others on this site and elsewhere I have begun feeding my snakes in their enclosures and have noticed no difference in aggression from any of them.

Hope this helps!

i agree with you 100% mate if you apply the same logic to taking them out then surely they would associatte that with being fed and expect it every time you take them out

so if they bite every time you open the viv doors as they associatte it with feeding

then surely they would bite everytime you took them out as they would then associatte that with feeding.

never ceases to amaze me how many folk believe that being fed in the viv makes for a bitey snake.talk about tunnel or blinkered vision.....!!!

cheers shaun

[DeesBalls]

I feed all my snakes in their enclosures.... i see NO agression different in agression. as for substrate, i use aspen and jungle earth... i watch all my feedings so i just pick the substrate out, IF they get any in their mouth..