The "Feeding" Of Reptiles.

Okay so, This thread is for you to basically tell the way you do the "feeding" of your reptiles, I have a new baby brother, so feeding Damien is always a long thing to do.. First i have to carefully get the mice from the freezer, to the plastic bag.. Without touching the mice on any worktops, then i have to Put the bag into the tub, then i have to wash my hands, and prepare his feeding paper, i generally cut a long square of paper, and i make it a kind of slope because otherwise he wont go on it "strange" Then when i have sat there for ages watching him eat, i have to remove the paper, he generally smells mice on me and thinks Yummy, then when i have removed the paper, i have to wrap the plastic bag into the paper, then put that in a carry bag, tie the top, and bin it, then i have to go back on my tracks and wash down all the sink that i DE-frost in, then wash my hands like 100 times with Many handwash's then finally i wash them over with water, then i have to change his water.. then I'm done, this is rather long lol, so i wanted to read your stories of how you feed your reptiles : )

George

I put the plastice bag in the tub, first kind of mouse out I feed that snake first. Place either snake in the tub to eat mouse. While eatting mouse clean the cage it is in. Once done put snake in its original cage. Repeat.

Yes I do feed live!! (I'll also be feeding them in a little bit too) :grin01:

That makes me feel unsanitary, lol. I put all the small snakes in their deli cups, the larger snakes into empty tubs. I take mouse fuzzies, rat pinks, mice, rats out of freezer. Wash under warm water with unscented soap, rinse well. Put all rodents together in a large bowl of hot water to thaw. Feed in order of smallest to largest, change water when it gets cold. Return snakes, wash bowl, wash hands, done. Takes me about an hour for 9 snakes.

Daeraelle said:

That makes me feel unsanitary, lol. I put all the small snakes in their deli cups, the larger snakes into empty tubs. I take mouse fuzzies, rat pinks, mice, rats out of freezer. Wash under warm water with unscented soap, rinse well. Put all rodents together in a large bowl of hot water to thaw. Feed in order of smallest to largest, change water when it gets cold. Return snakes, wash bowl, wash hands, done. Takes me about an hour for 9 snakes.

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Well that is very organized! I don't touch the mice at all. Actually when I was just feeding, I didn't even need to touch the snake. She was already wrapped up in the branches. So I just put the branches in until she got out. This time we fed mike (other one) in his cage.

i generally touch the mice head and belly to see if its soft, i use my fingers, i know "disgusting" i have just ordered 100 plastic gloves for that though : ) also the thought of any soft food makes me think of the soft mice belly's so i get really ill..

No more disgusting than any other type of "raw meat!" :grin01:

I thaw in hot water as well... fuzzies right now, so EASY to thaw, and quick.

As for the cricket eating herps... I use baggies to hold the crickets, add a bit of calcium powder, and shake. Then, I tip them into the cage a few at a time. For most of my cricket eaters I use feeding tubs to prevent impaction, with the exception of a frog who HATES being moved.

Well, I don't know if I'm doing this right but this is the way I feed Gaia. I get three good size pinkies out of the freezer bag (it's right next to the corn on the cob bag) and put them in a small dish to thaw at room temp. I wash my hands. I check to see if the pinkies are ready by rolling them over and feeling the down side and when they are room temp I get Gaia ready.

First I make sure the critter carrier is clean and has fresh paper towels in it. I place the pinkies in different spots so Gaia has to "hunt'.

I wash my hands. Take out the hide, water bowl and branch and hunt down Gaia. Since I started using aspen I can not find her. I see all her little burrow trails but not her. Well, I get a hold of her and handler her about five minutes. If she has recently shedded I measure her and weight her. Then I slowly put her in the critter carrier. She generally extends her head and body into the carrier and starts looking for the pinkies.

I watch to make sure she finds and eats all the pinkies and then I put a cardboard tube in the carrier for her to snuggle in. Then I clean her tank, branch, hide and bowl; add more aspen if needed; wipe down the sides of the tank and make sure everything is okay for my baby.

Bu that time Gaia has been in the tube for about 15 minutes; I pick up the tube and make sure she doesn't scoot out and place the tube in her tank. She gets out after her nap.

I find she tries to bite me less when my hands are associated with the food and she takes being handled better when she knows she is going to get fed after it is all done.

So, that's how I feed Gaia.

:crazy02:

Opps, meant to say "she bites me less when my hands are not associated with food"

:bang:

Seprate cup for rats seprate cup for mice, place needed amounts in each, then I add the hot water! And Viola! Warm rats and mice, then I put index cards down in the snakes enclosure, carfully, don't want to get bit and ruin feeding responses. Then place said rodents down, and walk away.

I like to feed my snakes in their vivs. I believe chasing them down to take them out of the viv can stress the snakes and cause the flighty ones to refuse to eat. Therefore I follow this routine:

1. I take the prey (presently sized from small pinks to hoppers) out of the freezer and put them all together in a zip lock bag and place that bag in a bathroom sink full of hot water to thaw. Using the zip lock bag means I don't have to dry the mice.

2. I put the mouse into a shallow tupperware container large enough for the snake to crawl into, but small enough to fit into the viv. This prevents the prey getting into the substrate. I leave the containers in the vivs overnight (I feed my snakes in the evening) to give the shyer snakes plenty of time to eat undisturbed.

This method also let's the snake know that when he comes out of the viv, it's handling time, not bite-the-mouse-smelling human time. It also lessens the opportunities for escaping. I think most people feed their snakes outside of their vivs and I admit that I do so when I have a snake too dumb to crawl into the container with the mouse. Hey, I won't eat at a buffet restaurant. I like to have my food brought to me. I guess some snakes are above eating cafeteria style.

:sidestep:

i just dump all the rodents i need into a 5 gallon bucket with hot water, come back a while later and see if it is all thawed,yes i do touch the mice a lot

Well lets see: First I take the fuzzy out of the freezer after choosing the best looking one, then I put the fuzzy in warm water, then I get Dante and put him into his feeding container (Tupperware) and close the lid while I get the mouse ready. I then take the fuzzy out of the water and put it on paper towel and press on its head and stomach to make sure its thawed. Four little snips with nose hair clippers (luckily my nose hair isn't out of control) and I dangle the little fuzzy by the tail in front of Dante and try uselessly to get him to strike and constrict but he just strikes and starts eating it. While he eats I clean his tank and do any rearranging I am planning on doing.


---Kenny

I don't thaw my pinkies directly in water, I use a plastic sandwich bag. I wear it like a glove, and sort of pick up the pinky like it was dog poop, turning the bag inside out as I grab it. Then I put the bag in a cup of hot water, I never even have to touch the mouse, and it stays dry (not that I'm sure if FinFang even cares).

bill38112 said:

I believe chasing them down to take them out of the viv can stress the snakes and cause the flighty ones to refuse to eat.

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Usually my flighty ones are also my most voracious feeders.

Roy Munson said:

Usually my flighty ones are also my most voracious feeders.

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Yup. There attitude completely changes once they get a whiff of mouse.

I am currently converting to F/T from live pinkies and Fuzzies and feed in a seperate container. i have been alternating F/T and Live.

I feed live on tuesdays and F/T on sat. keep the meals slightly smaller than a once a week feeding. i use a ziplock bag to thaw the F/T and then tongs to make it move as my anery wouldn't do much with just a F/T at first now he is eating like a pro!

Just a question for those of you that don't touch the mice, is that really a bad thing? I think being able to touch the mice, bare handed and feel that they are warm and thawed completely is important. I would feel bad giving my snake a mouse I hadn't touched, I would be afraid it was still a little frozen in the middle. I find my mice and rats all thaw at different rates, probably due to ambient temperature inside, or maybe density of the particular rodent. Some rat pinks thaw more quickly than others, how do you know when it's completely thawed? You just wait and wait until you're sure? Time is a big thing for me, I work 12 hour days 5 days a week, I have one day off, and a half day off, as soon as the mice are ready I feed immediately. I guess it's really a time saver for me.

Edit: Also, if I'm really in a hurry and trying to feed snakes before work I've found that rubbing the mouse or rat, like washing it, under running warm water makes them thaw faster than just sitting them in warm water. So, that's my method while I'm rushed.

sometimes germs can transfer other times you smell like a mouse and get bit. you can feel the warmth through the ziplock without directly touching the mouse though.

Sometime the extra easy step can make a big difference.

bill38112 said:

2. I put the mouse into a shallow tupperware container large enough for the snake to crawl into, but small enough to fit into the viv. This prevents the prey getting into the substrate. I leave the containers in the vivs overnight (I feed my snakes in the evening) to give the shyer snakes plenty of time to eat undisturbed.

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Have any of yours ever dragged their prey out of the tupperware?? My guy has a tendency to grab and run at times and I worry he'd drag it out of the bin and into the tank proper... :shrugs: I am a worry wart!!