hatchling feeding questions

[wisconsin]

can a one month old eat a whole pinkie---and how often do i feed them?????

[tyflier]

Yes...1 about every 5 days or so. But the pinky should be small...1 to 2 days old, I guess...

[Stock350]

I know that everyone tells me that its a real good idea to feed my snake in some sort of feeding tub. Or a box or something. Anything away from her natural enviroment.

Well, I dont know if Demeter is like the average snake. I've fed her about five times now, just by tossing a pinkie into the back corner of her habitat and when Demeter gets the scent of that little pinkie, its game on. But all the other times, when I open her enviroment up to change water, clean up her poo or just to see if I can't find her, she isnt' at all aggresive towards me. I can pick her up as she slithers from one end to the other withouth any real aggression problems. I assume this is because she is a hatchling? Or maybe she is used to my scent now and doesn't think of me as a threat. I keep her well fed and watered so there isn't any diet problems. She eats great and just does her thing.

Maybe I am making a mistake, but I just dont think I need to feed her in a feeding tank.

Not real sure. Anyone with the same opinion?

:)

[tyflier]

Repeated feedings inside the enclosure can train your snake to associate the opening of the lid with the reception of food. Not always...but it can.

My concern would not be now, when she is a hatchling, but 2 years from now when she is a sub-adult, 2.5 feet in length and weighing around 250grams. After 2 years of being fed in the enclosure, there is simply a larger risk of aggression than if you feed her in a seperate container.

This, of course, is only my opinion. I may end up being wrong, in which case, you'll be lucky. But the potential is there, and I just won't risk it...

[snakemom1961]

I guess my first question to you would be what kind of substrate do you have?
Is it carpet, paper, or some sort of bedding. If bedding I would be more concerned about it injesting some while eating, and if that happens you may have much bigger problems in the immediate future then worrying about whether or not it may becoming programmed to seeing your hand and thinking it is going to be fed.

[Stock350]

I use Aspen bedding, which from what Ive been told, its okay for her to digest it. I hear that a lot with most bedding that I buy, so Im assuming its a nice sales pitch? On the flip side to that, my buddy works down at the petstore after his regular duty day in the army, and I doubt he'd lead me wrong just so a pet store can make a few bucks.

My main concern is feeding her in another feeding box or whatnot and then getting her safety back to her habitat without her regurging her meal.

[Susan]

IMO, ingesting ANY substrate is not a good thing. Gently placing her back in her habitat after eating is fine and you shouldn't worry about a regurge in that situation. The problem with getting regurges from handling after eating happens when the handling is for a longer period of time.