Everyone before me has given you some fair advice. Some disagree, but I am a huge advocate of feeding the snake in a different container from the one that they live in.



I have two different sized "feeding bins" which are just some rubbermaid bins with locking lids that you can get from anywhere. I bought mine at Walmart. For my smaller snakes I use a 19qt size, and my larger bin is a 50qt. These are volume measurements, I know, but I went for containers that are about a foot or more tall. By "locking lids" I mean the ones that have a tab/handle on the lid that is an attached piece of plastic that has to be manually slid to a "locked" or "open" position. I went for the clear containers, because I like to be able to see inside without having to open the lid. For shy feeders, I cover the bin with a blanket, so they can't see any movement outside of the bin.



The feeding bins are also perfect for soaking, should any of my snakes need a humidity boost before a shed (they probably don't need it, but I like to soak them when I know they are about to shed), and also a great place to put the snake when you just need them out of their cage.



The bins do not have ANY substrate whatsoever, so none can be accidentally ingested. Another great side effect of using feeding bins, is that when the snakes are put into the bin, they know where they are, and they are in feeding mode! This way, they also do not associate hands reaching into their cage with food, and aggressive behavior is a lot less of a problem!



As far as whether a f/t prey item is dry, I thaw prey items for my snakes in hot tap water, with the prey item inside a ziplock bag. I buy cheap bags, so they prey is usually damp but not soaked. I happen to think that a damp prey item is easier to swallow, as long as the snake still identifies it as food - after a snake eats a completely dry prey item, I usually see it drink a lot of water when it is placed back in its cage. When I feed damp f/t prey, the snake usually drinks some water when it goes back to its cage, but it is nowhere near as much, nor with the same urgency as what I see after a dry prey item is consumed.



Just my 2 cents, like I said... and maybe some food for thought.



~Rebecca
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0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)

1.2 Ball Pythons

[1.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]

[0.1 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]

[0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]

0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

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