Designated Feeding Place - Page 2

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZStone

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

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.

ZStone · 10-09-12, 08:54 AM

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

ZStone · 10-09-12, 09:07 AM

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.

DeeBee · 10-09-12, 01:50 PM

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreliAddict

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.