The Problems About Feeding In Separate Bins:

[CoolioTiffany]

There has been some debate on the forum about feeding in separate bins so this thread is to teach those who are new at keeping snakes that feeding in a separate bin can be very stressful for the snake.

Most keepers are worried about their snake swallowing the substrate or the snake associating your hand with food. This is actually false information. It is likely a snake can become impacted if it has swallowed substrate, but it is very rare and really only likely if the snake swallowed a WHOLE lot of substrate. The acid in their stomaches is very strong since they swallow their prey whole, so the snake has a very little chance of becoming impacted.

Feeding a snake outside of its enclosure only causes stress on the snake. It is sometimes hard to tell if a snake is stressed out, so sometimes we think the snake isn't stressed out when being moved into a separate enclosure to be fed. Some snakes will only eat when being fed in their enclosures because that is when they feel most comfortable and secure.

Please understand that feeding your snake in a separate encosure is not necessary and only causes more stress to your snakes. It would definitely be stressful to be put in an open tub with food being shoved in your face then being picked up after you ate to be put into your home. That sounds pretty stressful to me.

If anyone needs to add anything to this post, just post below.

[Ham]

I agree that alot of snakes get stressed when moved to a feeding tub, I can get away with it with my Ball python but then again he is the most laid back snake I have ever met... But my little blood python is only comfortable eating in his own tank, and he likes to strike right out the front door of his hide, so what I have been doing is just dangling the food in front of his hide entrance.

Alot of people dont want their snake to associate the cage being opened with feeding time, and that is understandable but it seems with some snakes it just cant be helped you may need to feed in their own cage. I noticed as well that when I open the cage up on my blood he acts as if food is coming but if i tap him with my tongs he will realize its me and not dinner, he just totally relaxes as soon as I touch him.

[CoolioTiffany]

Bloods, Borneos, Sumatrans, Burms, Retics, etc. are normally the ones you have to hook train, but once they have that tap with tongs or a hook they'll be just fine and realize that it's not time to be fed.

[Seru1]

I agree with what your are saying, I was watching viperkeeper on youtube and one of his snakes took a piece of substrate in with it's mouse. and it worked it out on it's own.

As he said "You don't think these guys eat the occasional piece of accidental substrate in the wild? Come on folks."


EDIT: On a personal note I have raised animals all my life. I've been bitten by soooo many things. The thought of a bite doesn't worry me. It's more badge of honor. One I certainly don't try and provoke, but one I don't mind occurring.