Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it bad for my baby RTB to eat some small wood chips when she eats the mouse cause sometime the aspen sticks to he spit when shes eating.Can it cause impaction? Should I feed her in a different tank with nothing she can swallow?

I'm not sure if the wood chips will be digested enough to pass safely, hopefully they will. But I've had my 7.5ft Columbian Boa for 4 years now and have always fed her out of her cage. When she was smaller I used a plastic container, one of those plastic storage containers sold at any general retail store - Target, Walmart, ect. Make sure its big enough for them to fit comfortably in with room to move around so the snake wont accidentally hit the sides when they strike. Now that mine is bigger I'm using a round plastic kiddie wading pool about 5ft diameter.

I never feed any of my snakes in their homes, I dont want them associating food with my hands coming into the cage.

I would NOT keep neos in aspen. I would change to paper towels. I do not even like newspapers for neos. I change to Aspen after the animals are about a year old.
I have never experience any problems with aspen after that age.
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Joel Pretz

Whats wrong with aspen?

Nothing is wrong with Aspen but Never Never Never use Pine !!!
I agree tho ... I'd use paper towels for snakes under 1 year old. You can get cheap ones from any Dollar store, ones with as little ink/decoration as possible.

IMO the Apsen shavings sold at most pet stores are too large for young snakes and pose the problem you've had when they eat. Also .. dont go with the finer / smaller shavings to avoid the size issue, the dust from that can get in the nasal cavity and cause problems.

The best solution is to get a plastic container and feed them in there.

IMO, wood chips being ingested can never be a good thing!!! Might not cause a problem but could cause impaction....why risk it? Feed in a seperate container as others have posted.
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
2.7 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (adult breeders)
2.5 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2004)
4.8 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2005)
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI Albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Salmon / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Salmon (possible super)
1.0 BCI Albino het stripe
1.0 BCI Salmon
0.1 BCI Ghost
0.1 BCI Super salmon, possible jungle
1.0 BCI Salmon, possible jungle
0.1 BCI Super Ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats