Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Currently working on my enclosure for my big girl(18 footer)The enclosure is going to be 12'x6'x4' When all is said and done will have about 6000$ sunk in this project. My goal is to exceed anything ever seen at a zoo. I will end up with a cypress mulch substrate, so I am trying to figure out a safe way to remove her during feeding and putting her back after eating(just so she doesn't swallow any mulch)She is very docile, but at nearly 200 pounds any thing can happen. Any ideas about time frame after eating or info as to how you would deal with this dilema would be greatly appreciated. Will post pics soon, Jason

Jason-
I'm sure that some are going to disagree with me, but I'm of the opinion that snakes should always be fed in their enclosure... especially a particularly large burm like yours. This is for two reasons: The first one is the dilemma you're referring to in that you'd need to get her (I'm assuming it's a female) back in to her enclosure at some point after she's eaten. This can be at the very least tricky, or at the very worst downright risky. Reason number two is that I feel when the cage door is opened, a snake should expect to either be fed, or come out. That way you can distinguish between the two (patting on the back, rubbing with a hook etc.) and avoid a situation where she might confuse your hand for food. If you're taking her out of the enclosure in order to feed her you'd be muddling that line and in my opinion, increasing your chances of getting bit. Now I don't personally keep any of my burms or retics on cypress mulch, but I do keep my bloods on it and have been able to feed them in the enclosures without any accidental mulch eating. I just put the prey item on an upside down rubbermaid top and set it in the cage... kind of like a dinner plate. I imagine you could do the same with a large burm in a large enclosure and get the same results. Hope this helps and hurry up with those pics!

I feed my kingsnake in his enclosure always, and to avoid him swallowing any aspen I just drop his food in the water bowl, he seems to like it better that way anyhow.
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1.0 Spotted Python
1.0 IJ Carpet Python and 0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Macklot's Python
1.0 Variable Kingsnake

If you got 6 grand into this, why not include a back door to a "feeding chamber" that is substrateless. This way the animal can go in at leisure, be locked in if you plan on feeding, and then let free again when the prey is consumed. It's the best of both worlds. You don't have to handle or move the beast, yet you don't a snake that associates feeding withen the enclosure or one at risk of substrate ingestion.

But that's how I'd do it

Ian