What's Your Feeding Ritual?

[markannab]

Hi all

Just got my first python, Mrs Roper. Just like some varying suggestions on feeding rituals. I'm most familiar with those who take the python out of their enclosure and put it in a very particular setting, for example, a clothes basket lined with a towel.

Do you all find it that necessary to have such a ritual to trigger 'feeding mode'? If so, what other ways do you go about it?

As a side point, I was given this snake and it's been registered as a coastal carpet (m. s. Mcdowelli) but there seems to be quite a bit of diamond as well. What do you think? Particularly out in teh sun, her back is very brown with green on the flanks.

Mark.

 

[Timmeh103]

I take mine out, once there in their feeding containers they won't leave untill fed. Even if their lid is off, they just wait. Advantages iv found is a calmer snake when getting out of enclosure, they only get jumpy and excited when there in their bucket! And it looks like a cross breed, mix or diamond and coastal! But I can't speculate too much, I myself am only new!

 

[blakehose]

Nope, no ritual whatsoever. I just give them a rat or two every couple of weeks at varying times of day and night and they are perfectly healthy! And I'm yet to be bitten from a feed response...

 

[Stompsy]

We feed in the enclosure. Have done so for all of our snakes and never had problems.

 

[Snake-Supplies]

No ritual, in enclosure...

I feed when they look hungry, little ones get fed when they decide to eat, and the big ones about once a fortnight... give or take if they are shedding or if I need to get some more food.

 

[Fuscus]

chuck rat in
count fingers

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

defrost rats, 3yr old daughter feeds Woma and MD and i feed the jungle and diamond.

i feed in enclosures and if the jungle and diamond arent on their perches i wave a rat around for a second until they get the scent and climb up...

 

[Icarus]

I'm in my final year of a bachelor of Psychology, and for a paper I had to give examples of classical conditioning. I chose to talk about my Diamond and her feeding ritual! We have a large click clack that we feed her in. When we first got her we'd put her in the click clack, she'd chill out for a bit, then we'd present a rat and she'd gobble it down. Now, the click clack alone elicits the feeding response (getting snappy, s shape, all that)! So yeah in summary this is probably a bit of a long - winded response, but I personally think ritual is a great way to ensure your snake eats every time.

 

[markannab]

Thanks for all the replies. Our snake was always fed using a set ritual by it's previous owner (we've had her for about four days). He always placed her in a wash basket with a towel and felt this was necessary. A few minutes ago, we decided to see what would happen with our first feeding by not following that pattern. After allowing her to crawl around the lawn for a few minutes to really warm up, I put her on the verandah and tapped her on the nose with the mouse and the response was instantaneous.

 

[Scribble_pants]

looks to me like she has some diamond but honestly, I dont think the 'officials' care what you have her listed as really, noone is going to reposess her for that, she is at least still part coastal, and very pretty at that, clearly after a nice shed.

 

[Chris1]

i drape mine over the dining chairs to eat, since theyre all aboreal i figure they'd prefer to eat hanging. its not really a ritual, on nice days i feed them outside in the dappled shade, always at different times, different rooms, they dont mind. the dining chairs are the easiest to remove them from, i got sick of trying to unwrap them from barstools!!

the funny thing is, when i let them out for a cruise around the house, they always head straight to the dining room to sniff some dining chairs, they used to head to the kitchen to sniff the barstools when i was using them!

 

[Venomous1111]

Snakes are opportunistic feeders and will feed whenever they get the chance. I have always fed in there enclosures and never had a problem, IMO feeding out of there enclosures has no upsides and a snake will not associate the door opening as them getting food unless you smell like a rodent, if you don't smell like food they won't see you as food. I keep hand sanitizer in my reptile room that I use every time before handling any of my snakes this gives them a scent to associate me with.

 

[Chris1]

feeding out of the enclosure isnt only about feeding response, wet drippy rats are kinda gross, i use loose substrate, and since i hand feed its much easier to judge if theyre aiming at me or the rat when theyre on the chair, lol....

 

[saximus]

I'm in my final year of a bachelor of Psychology, and for a paper I had to give examples of classical conditioning. I chose to talk about my Diamond and her feeding ritual! We have a large click clack that we feed her in. When we first got her we'd put her in the click clack, she'd chill out for a bit, then we'd present a rat and she'd gobble it down. Now, the click clack alone elicits the feeding response (getting snappy, s shape, all that)! So yeah in summary this is probably a bit of a long - winded response, but I personally think ritual is a great way to ensure your snake eats every time.

This is really interesting; did you find any other studies on this? Obviously, studying science, you would know that one example of circumstantial evidence proves nothing and many people on here will tell you it makes absolutely no difference but it sounds like it works for you.

I only ever feed in the enclosure but I never remove them for handling with my hands. I hook every snake out, even the young ones (I made a mini hook from an old coat hanger). I guess it isn't a feeding ritual but it's still a ritual that helps me to not get bitten.

 

[vampstorso]

Lol....I always feed my diamonds in their tubs, and handle them there too.

My girls feeding response is insane. And I have no problem picking her up when it's not food time.

 

[Mitch.D]

i feed my snakes inside there enclosure with forceps obviously so they dont associate my hands with food. i just dont want my snakes to associate being taken with feed time for obvious reason. i like them to think being removed from there space means handling time not nibbling time.
But hey if something works why change it right?

 

[Jungletrans]

Always in the enclosures . They differ so much , one will not take a feed for a day or two after handling while my male Olive slams his xlge rat so hard I have to make sure he wont hit the glass on the follow through .

 

[Snowman]

I keep the ritual simple. A bit of voodoo, some coitous, sacrafice a few bars of chocolate. Then feed the snakes.

 

[HalzNettie]

My partner feeds ours, we take her out place her in a 94l tub (her feeding container nothing else but her gets put in this) which then gets placed on the dining table and Jason defrosts the rats gets them kinda warm with warm/hot water, dries them off with paper towel so they arent dripping all over the place, once she is in her feeding box she is a happy large carpet, she does test the lid when she is first placed in there once she is eating or waiting for the next one the lid can stay off.... mmmmm sorry for being long winded

 

[CaptainRatbag]

My feeding ritual? Hmmmm... lets see.... Get in car, drive to maccas.... pig out......drive home..... sleep 8)

Oh, you mean my snakes?? :lol:

I just feed them every 10-14 days. I feed them in thier enclosures because you arent supposed to pick them up after they have just eaten. Food always goes in the right hand door, everything else I do thru the left hand door, so they know which door food comes in from.

Works for me