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Do you feed inside or outside of the viv?

LadyJemima

Snakes are the new sexy
I've read both sides of this argument. I wondered if feeding inside the viv with tongs will reduce the association with hands/feeding, or make no difference? Also, the snake I am about to adopt is accustom to being fed inside a separate container. Should I continue this to alleviate stress? If so, what is the best way to transfer her back to her viv after feeding?

Thank you!
 
it's about 50/50 among the folks here

I feed in a separate container, and yes I use tongs. The tongs are to protect me from being bitten by accident. Sometimes when the snake strikes, he will miss the mouse and could actually hit me.

After he's done feeding, he will usually crawl out of the feeding container on his own, and I just pick him up and return him to his home.
 
Karl, I've read that some snake (especially depending on the species) will still be aggressive after feeding. Does your corn allow you to handle him/her after feeding? Do you wait a certain amount of time?
 
Each snake is different. Like I said, I let him crawl out of the feeding bin on his own. WHen he comes out of it, he's done.

"He Knows" what that separate feeding bin is. When I put him in there he knows he's about to eat. He begins looking for the mouse immediately.

He will usually strike at it as soon as I wave it over his head.

If I was to stick my hand in there he would probably bite me, not on purpose but because he thinks I have more food.

Once he finishes eating, he will explore the feeding bin a little bit looking for more mice. When he doesn't find any, he eventually crawls out of the feeding bin all by himself.

Once he's out, he's no longer in feeding mode and he's back to his normal sweet personality. I can just pick him up at that point.
 
Outside for 62 of 65 snakes. The other three are two kingsnakes with psycho feeding responses (Janine will 50% of the time fly out anyway, grab the mouse off the tongs and fall to the kitchen floor, sometimes ripping the mouse in half if I can't release it fast enough) and Noah the rosy boa who just does better feeding in his viv. Everyone else comes out, gets weighed, fed in their feeding container while I scrub their water bowl and clean their viv.
 
I used to feed outside in separate bins but the house I'm in now doesn't have the space to do so. Now they are all fed in their vivs with tongs and I have noticed a behavior shift in 2 of them. I am pretty sure it's just a feeding response as when I tap them with the snake hook they chill out and I can handle them as needed, whereas before I could just reach in and pick them up without being struck at. I don't mind, and when I have more space I will likely go back to feeding in their other bins. Currently I use the mice/rats as a distraction so their mouths are occupied with something other than my hands when I clean their water bowls and spot clean.
 
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