Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Another Ball Python question.

I own corns and was told to never feed them in their tanks but to take them out and put them in a feeding tank. This would avoid them mistaking your hand for food when you reach for them in their real tank. Does the same logic apply for Balls P.? Should I never feed them in their tank?

Only time I have been bitten is when I was feeding in a different enclosure. You can feed in the tank number one thing with balls is to keep them feeling secure or they quickly go off food. Keeping them in there tank keeps them secure.. Best of luck.

All of mine are fed in their living enclosure. It eliminates stress moving them back and forth and the only day they may mistake my hand for food is feeding day, BP bites are not that bad. Feeding them on the same day every week will condition them to only have feeding response on that day. Prescenting the room also helps! LOL
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Pressenting would be to leave the thawed rat next to the tank for a few hours?

Yes. I feed live so I just leave the rats in their holding tank in the snake room for 30-60 minutes before feeding. You can leave a FT rat beside the enclosure also. I know people that lay the frozen rat out in the am and let it thaw in the snake room, too much torture for the snake in my opinion. Like having to carry a big juicy ribeye around in your pocket all day and can't eat it! LOL
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I usually prescent by laying the rat on the screen on top of the tank. It's funny after an hour watching them come out their hides and start roaming the tank wondering where it is!

This is something I feel is completely left up to the owner/handler. I have done both with my BP's and my corns and have never had a problem with them mistaking my hand for anything other than my hand. That said however I do know people that have been struck at doing the same thing. I switch sometimes because if they wont eat in the tank they usually eat if I move them to the rubbermaid bin. If they wont eat in the bin, then they usually will in the tank. As long as you can get it to take a meal do whatever works for you.

Great Thanx folks!

i feed in the tank. i havent had any problems. Ive heard that taking a snake out to feed only "trains" it to be ready to eat when its out. I hook train mine to no the difference between feed time and clean/handle time.

good luck
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Adrian De Leon
Hissenia Reptiles

balls are balls......IF you move them or touch them they may not eat......feeding in their home is usually more successful....

......if it works....do it......but if it don't.......

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I prefer to feed out of there cage (in a feeding tub ) but it depends on the snake some will do it fine and some will not and may go off feed , you just have to see what works for your snake .David

"I would rather be precisely wrong than approximately right"
Marion "Doc" Ford

Hello there!

I agree w/ the rest that you should do what works for you and your snake.

BUT! I think you should take into account the act of conditioning your snake.

I think FatBoy does this by a consistent schedule.
Others do it by scent introduction.
Others, like myself, like using a feeding container.

I think I read somewhere that BPs in the wild are kinda conditioned by rainfall. Which makes sense to the point that during rain, rodents will emerge from their burrows?

I am a believer that BP's and many other animals must have an environment that doesn't preclude them to perform certain actions. This is why a lot of posts infer: that the less stress you introduce, the better.

BUT! I think that if their cage environment is the best for them (the living environment is perfect), moving them to a container time after time on a consistent basis, is not stressful.

The feeding container can be used as a "feeding signal",,,,,,, just like time, scent, or rain.

When I put my BPs into their feeding container, within seconds they are poised to snatch the forthcoming prey. I also like the feeding chamber, because it doesn't matter whether I feed them on fri., sat., or sun.,,,,,doesn't seem to matter at what time.
Also, If I left a dethaw on top of the cage? HA HA, my cats would totally have a party with it!

I do what works for me.