Feeding snakes - in enclosure or outside enclosure

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

For those that do feed out side of enclosures & it is a personal choice until you decide otherwise, I would certainly suggest getting the snake out first & then thawing the food. Most experienced people would do this but there might be some newbie looking on not knowing this.
In my books with feeding, the sense of smell comes first, then there is the suposed heat pitts, but from my experience it is smell & then movement. Once a hungry python has smelt food, anything that moves thereafter is prey.

Cheers
Ian

[Sutto82]

I feed mine in a seperate tub as I give the enclosure a clean out and wipe down. Just easier for me that way.

[CrystalMoon]

For those that do feed out side of enclosures & it is a personal choice until you decide otherwise, I would certainly suggest getting the snake out first & then thawing the food. Most experienced people would do this but there might be some newbie looking on not knowing this.
In my books with feeding, the sense of smell comes first, then there is the suposed heat pitts, but from my experience it is smell & then movement. Once a hungry python has smelt food, anything that moves thereafter is prey.

Cheers
Ian

I learned the hard way heh heh heh I bought Gremlins rat into the room first by the time I had lifted the lid he had smelt his food and sprang out like a jack in the box and tagged my thumb lol ... He is the one I feed in his enclosure because he seems less excitable than if I play musical containers He is such an "old" Man placid gentlman usually I am so glad I got those 2 hatchies from you they have been a thorough Joy.....

[Cold-B-Hearts]

i feed my strong feeders outside the cage i keep my flinchy feed in his enclouse so he feels more coftable.

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

Hi Crystal, Yah that sense of smell of a python is huge/enormous. That is the first thing to be aware of, after that your on your own as that python is going to strike at anything it thinks is food. That is why i choose to leave in to exempt any upset or moving. But then again i have been tagged very badly in the past maybe that is why i use precaution.

I am glad you like the little ones, they where of exceptional breeding but no generics proved & that is why the cheap price, not because they were no good, it is because they were not generically possible to sell as such.

Cheeers
Ian

i feed my strong feeders outside the cage i keep my flinchy feed in his enclouse so he feels more coftable.

Can i ask how long you have been doing this.


I also ask myself the question that in the reverse to what i have said, if you get a snake out for feeding then does it associate outside with feeding? I would expect yes & that there is no reasonable way to tell if a snake wants to eat inside or outside, but i would expect for the snakes own well being that eating inside of its own comfort zone would be benefical
Cheers
Ian

[Kc_read]

I feed both mine their enclosures, my stimmy is lazy so I just leave it next to him and he'll eventually grab it, the swcp is another story... One scent of mouse in the house and he goes berserk so I fearfully dangle a mouse and jump 5ft everytime he grabs his meal

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk

[reaver]

I was interested in the in vs out of enclosure so I did a bit of searching couldn't find any real definitive test to prove either way but most keepers with far more experience than me believe the one of the only reasons for outside is if multiple snakes are held together.
It was pointed out that the snake is only likely to associate your hand with food if you only open the enclosure to feed it which makes sense as I know personally I only feed at most once a week but open many times during that time for handling or cleaning. Also considering its hard to get some snakes from mice to rats I'd imagine it would be harder to go from rodents in general to human hands and fingers.
I wonder if some of the examples of snakes calming after feeding outside are coincidental for example my water python and my girlfriends jungle are both more work to tame than my childrens, if I were to feed outside and they calmed down I might confuse that as a result of feeding outside when they may have calmed down anyway.
I personally don't feed outside as they all seem to want to have a go at me after eating and I don't care where they are in the enclosure and they are all very tame (except the jungle, he's new and I'm still working on him).
I should also mention we keep pet mice literally next to the snakes and it doesn't seem to affect them at all although I swear I've seen them eyeing off the little black one.

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

I was interested in the in vs out of enclosure so I did a bit of searching couldn't find any real definitive test to prove either way but most keepers with far more experience than me believe the one of the only reasons for outside is if multiple snakes are held together.
It was pointed out that the snake is only likely to associate your hand with food if you only open the enclosure to feed it which makes sense as I know personally I only feed at most once a week but open many times during that time for handling or cleaning. Also considering its hard to get some snakes from mice to rats I'd imagine it would be harder to go from rodents in general to human hands and fingers.
I wonder if some of the examples of snakes calming after feeding outside are coincidental for example my water python and my girlfriends jungle are both more work to tame than my childrens, if I were to feed outside and they calmed down I might confuse that as a result of feeding outside when they may have calmed down anyway.
I personally don't feed outside as they all seem to want to have a go at me after eating and I don't care where they are in the enclosure and they are all very tame (except the jungle, he's new and I'm still working on him).
I should also mention we keep pet mice literally next to the snakes and it doesn't seem to affect them at all although I swear I've seen them eyeing off the little black one.

Only the little black one, it must look sweet.
I cannot understand anyone at all keeping mice/rats next to their snakes, it is just a tease ready to happen.

Cheers
Ian

[Gruni]

By the looks of it Jake it comes back to my point from last night... You do it that way and are comfortable with it because it gives you a sense of security when grabbing your snake for handling. Lots of people are doing it differently and it works for them. I feed Skittles in his tank, where ever he happens to be when the food is ready and I just dangle it near him. He has never looked like tagging me as a food source regardless of how hungry he is but I only smell like mouse when I am feeding him.

[MR_IAN_DAVO]

By the looks of it Jake it comes back to my point from last night... You do it that way and are comfortable with it because it gives you a sense of security when grabbing your snake for handling. Lots of people are doing it differently and it works for them. I feed Skittles in his tank, where ever he happens to be when the food is ready and I just dangle it near him. He has never looked like tagging me as a food source regardless of how hungry he is but I only smell like mouse when I am feeding him.

That is all fine with a small collection or pet snakes.
I have just fed some of mine in their eclosure about 1 hour ago & i would have no problems picking them up now without fearing them regurgitation & it all comes down to what you & your snakes are comfortable with.

I don't remember any law or who says so that you have to feed your snake one way or the other.
I feed how suites me & my snakes, & if i get bitten then it is my problem.
Just remember they get bigger as they get older. By then you might have it sorted out.
Cheers
Ian

We think that we know everthing & that we are very smart,
Maybe I have been wathching too many movies, but what do we really know about them in our short term of keeping & existence. I KNOW that when they smell food they change from pet to preditor.

Cheers
Ian

[Jake007]

thanks guys / girls big help and handy