Cage Feeding safety.....

[lilshortcake414]

A guy at petco told me that when feeding my snake, ALWAYS seperate the snake and food (pinkies) in a smaller/differnet container, if not, then when you try to pick up your snake he will think your food and strike. Is that always true? :shrugs:

[surfrkidTS]

if your hands smell of mouse, then it is a possiblility that your snake will strike at you, but if you just washed your hands, there shouldn't be a reason for him/her to bite unless the smell of mouse is also in the air

[Jicin]

I was told they would connect the opening of the vivs doors with feeding and would strike regardless.

[Missy]

nope i have to disagree with all of that, ive had all 4 of my corns since they were hatchlings, (all now are 2,4,5 and 7 yrs old) but i have never ever fed them outside of their viv's, they live in there and they have always been fed in there, i probably put my hands in there, on average, 3 times a day, to handle them or change their water or feed them, something or other im getting my hands in there and i have never ever had this problem, not once in their lives have any of them ever struck at me coz they have thought i was food.
have also heard that this sometimes happens, however my local reptile place and my local vet dont recommend feeding them separately, as it stresses the snake to be moved in a different environment and could cause feeding problems. and then taking the snake out to put back, again coz it could be stresses, could cause regurgitation.
just my 2 cents here.

[Jicin]

Well, i only had them for 3 weeks now so i'm pretty much zero experience. I try to soak up as much information from everyone as possible. If i don't have to move them out of the viv i won't. I never liked that but i thought i was nessasary.

[Sparda]

I was also under the impression that you had to feed outside the viv. I did that for awhile, but when I started getting more and more snakes, and feeding time was taking a very long time, I started feeding in their vivs. The only thing I do, is put the mouse on a paper towel or something so that they don't get any substrate in their mouth when swallowing. It seems to work just fine, and none of them have ever tried to strike at me when I reach my hand in to pick them up or do anything else. I feel that as far as learning, and researching, you take everything in, then do what works for you. This is just my .02.

[Jicin]

Half of my viv has paper towels now due to extreme rarety of decent snake bedding in petshops over here. It's large viv with small snakes so room enough. I think i'll feed them there from now on. I like that much better. I only did it because i was told :D My snakies have never bitten me. Except when i wave a dead pinkie in front of them :D

[Kel]

One out of my thirteen Corns has a demon feeding response; if I put my hand in the viv when there are mice in the room, then I get bitten (on the grounds that if there's a mousey smell about, then whatever moves must BE a mouse, unless she can prove otherwise by having a quick chew!). So it's definitely a real risk. However, it's just the one - the rest don't react at all.

I do feed in separate containers outside the vivs, but that's:
a) Because I keep them in groups of two and three and I don't want any accidents
b) To stop them picking up bits of bark substrate with the mice

[Missy]

hmm i hold the mouse's tail with tweezers and then my snakes take it and just start eating none of them constrict of anything, so i keep hold of the mouse until my snake is right near the tail and i find that way they dont eat wood chippings or ill just pop the mouse on top of their log and it will take it and eat it on the log. i keep mine spearately apart from 2 girlies that share a viv, but coz its huge, we will moce one up one end and the other at the other end, feed them both together, 9 times out of 10 they will finish at the same time and just go on about their business, normally just go back and lay with one another. there such good, well behaves snakes.
my little darlings they are. :-)

[noPROBwitMYsnak]

all of them are rong dont us a spret cage us the one it in.becase i say this is cuz of the fact that evey time u take it out it tikes it is feeding time and mit bite. for now on start to clect zenz and please please dont listen to petco

[noPROBwitMYsnak]

thanx and remember :flames: petco

[surfrkidTS]

it won't think its feeding time if you handle or have your hands in the cage enough.

[Krenna]

I think every snake is different, alot of the behavior would be for the snake. I started a routine where I handle my snake get her warm with my heat from my hands then in the deli cup she goes to eat.

Then right after that she goes in to the viv.

So maybe some pre handling before you feed your snake could help? I hold little girl for atleast 10 mins before I allow her to eat.

ITs what I do and my little girl does not seem to think my hands are food.

But I have a routine with her, I pick her up at the same time at night, of course not on digesting days. I feed her around the same time. I stick to her schedule so she knows, then again I am a creature of habit and am very routine myself. But it's Pavlov's bell theory just the same.

[MegF.]

I feed one of my snakes in a feeding box, and the other in her viv on paper towel. Neither have attempted to strike at me in the viv. I chose to feed the one in the viv because she refused to eat in a seperate container, and when I tried a paper bag in the viv, she ate, but then regurged a day later. She's done fine since I went to feeding her in her viv. Less stress for her. The paper towel's not as pretty as the aspen, but unless she starts feeling comfortable eating outside the viv, that's what's going to be in there.

[Missy]

all of them are rong dont us a spret cage us the one it in.becase i say this is cuz of the fact that evey time u take it out it tikes it is feeding time and mit bite. for now on start to clect zenz and please please dont listen to petco


erm...sorry, but i never understood what you are trying to say here...

[surfrkidTS]

erm...sorry, but i never understood what you are trying to say here...


i think i'll try my best to translate:

all of them are wrong! dont use a seperate cage. use the one (the snake) is in. i say this is because of the fact that evey time u take it out, it thinks it is feeding time and may bite. from now on start to (clect zenz) and please please dont listen to petco

i tried but i have no idea what clect zenz is...

[Missy]

haha, thanx for that surfrkidts, it was very confusing
:-)

[Krenna]

clect zenz , aye I don't know that one either, maybe saying clean hands? before listening to petco?

[Flygning]

"clect zenz" almost sounded like "collect cents" to me, and I'm sure its useful, but I'm sure it has nothing to do with the snakes... :shrugs:

[silversmith]

this could be very confusing, thank for the translation though. What about select something....

[MegF.]

I have never had either of my snakes try to bite, whether its in the viv, or in a seperate box. My amel knows that when she gets put in her box, she's going to get get fed. My aztec is fed in the viv, but she takes the food if it's there, and if not, she doesn't care. What matters most is that if you have substrate, you don't feed the snake on it. Otherwise, feed where your snake will be most comfortable.

[Krenna]

In the end it goes on the snake. If you read different post from different topics on feeding and biting. Most that have gotten bit by the snake is because of not clean hands or the snake is just a mean snake. But in my opinion if your worried about getting bit then why own a snake?

Same as swimming in the ocean you can get hit by jellyfish or a shark. Its a responsiblity you take on as a owner of a snake. If your so worried about getting bit buy gloves. Then wear them.

I think you can train the snake to know when its feeding time. Keeping a schedule. This is one topic that there is no definate answer to, there are too many variables to each snake owner, and each snake.

[marg]

clect zenz = collect sense= be sensible or have sense :shrugs: