Should i feed my snake inside his cage?

Question

I just want to know is it safer for me to feed the snake inside the enclosure or put him in a separate tub? i heard if i feed him inside the tank, every-time you open the door he thinks he will be fed..... and if you feed them in a bin they wont want to go back in there tank.... what do you think?????

Answer 1

yes. to be safe, feed him inside his cage

Answer 2

I have always been told to put the snake in a separate enclosure to feed it, but i have had my ball python for 5 years now, and he has always eaten in his main cage, and he has never tried to strike at me when i open the cage! It all depends on the snake. If you have a more docile snake then it shouldnt be a problem, just make sure you hold it a lot so it KNOWS that when you are opening the cage its not just for food, its for play also. If you have a more aggressive snake then use a separate space!

Answer 3

I feed my snakes in their own tanks or enclosure. I do not have a problem of them biting me as I handle them very regularly like almost daily. I feed my snakes weekly or even longer periods for larger ones.

But if your snake is in a display tank in the living room etc then bring it out for feeding.  

Answer 4

take them out of its cage...  thats just the way to do it.. its safer.... never feed in there tank

Answer 5

You should definitely feed him in a cage.  If you feed him in a tub picking him up after to put him in his cage could make him regurgitate. You definitely don't want that.  If you are nervous about picking him up after feeding in his cage take a long inanimate object and touch there nose.  That tells them there is no food involved.

Answer 6

When I kept snakes I fed them in their tanks. I would feed the venomous snakes live mice and my pythons i would also feed them in their tank but I killed the mouse first and the snake would still constrict the mouse before eating. Just avoid letting people tapping the glass as the snake may strike and hurt itself.

Answer 7

Always feed outside the cage. I feed all my snakes in their own box. They come to associate the box with feeding, and this way, I can also gauge their reaction to tell whether or not they will feed that day, so I don't waste any F/T mice or rats (very easy to tell from how they move, coil up, etc.). They eat, I wait 5-10 minutes, I put them back in their enclosure.

PS

All the BREEDERS I purchased my animals from say to feed in a seperate enclosures,with exceptions of venamoids, and tree snakes.

Answer 8

This is a common myth in the reptile community but it is completely up to you, there is no way that is safer than the other. If you feed it only in the tank he will not get used to the tank opening and food if you ever feed a snake it smells with its tongue once it senses something that it recognizes as food it will go into its killing mode but will not strike anything unless it is sure it is food. (This doesn't count for skittish baby snakes that will throw out defensive strikes at anything.) I have never even heard that if you keep them in a bin they won't go back into their tank. I personally feed in the tank because my boa's are big enough that it's not worth it to take it out it's just too big. At the end of the day the only reason to feed in a separate container is because you are trying to keep your snakes from ingesting substrate. If you use newspaper or your snake is big enough it doesn't matter if a few bits of substrate. So either way your snake will not strike at you more my boas don't and they are big enough that if they wanted to they could take me down, so don't be afraid just make sure that you have frequent contact with your snakes, handle them often.

Answer 9

Feed the snake in it's cage. Use a tongs or forceps to present the prey item, and you won't be bitten.

By feeding the snake in a separate cage, you will not be preventing bites. In addition, by disturbing the snake before feeding it, you will throw a finicky eater off of feed. That is one of the reasons many of the beginners that post here can't get their snakes to eat (the question is asked several times a day).

Feed the snake in it's cage. Whoever conceived the idea to feed the snake in a separate box knows little about snake behavior.

Answer 10

i think it's safer if you feed you snake somewhere else or else if you feed the snake in the cage then it can bite you or eat you. but it's your chose where to feed it. i hope you don't get injured  

Answer 11

If you ONLY OPEN YOU SNAKES CAGE TO FEED HIM, eventually he will associate opening the tank with feeding and be become aggressive. If you HANDLE YOUR SNAKE REGULARLY (other than feedings) there should not be a problem because he will become used to you. I feed my ball in a separate tank because it's easier to watch the live mice and intervene if things get dangerous. then I gently pick him up when the mouse is completely swallowed and put him back in his tank. My corn snakes are fed in their cages because they will eat F/T mice and I don't need to watch them. All of my snakes are handled often and I haven't had any problems with aggressive snakes.  

Add: Feeding in a separate tank lined with paper towels or news paper also ensures he won't eat any substrate.

Answer 12

I feed my snake in the cage..just because he's more comfortable.

Just make sure if you go in his cage to handle and not to feed that you have washed your hands and that your clothes don't smell of what you feed him...as smell plays a big part in what they strike at.