Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been reading that it's a good idea to feed your snake in a seperate container, so it doesn't associate it's house or your hand w/ food. My question is, how do you get it back in the cage, as I've read you shouldn't handle them after feeding. Is it OK to just give them a few minutes to start digesting, then gently return them to their cage?
-----
1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

i just am really really careful when i take them out and try to not let them move much i bring the container closer to the cage so i can just take them from one to the other. u shouldnt handle them after they eat but it doesnt matter if you are just transporting them quickly and carefully atleast i havent had problems

I feed mine in my cage and now my snake comes to the front when I am around and my snakes never confuse my hand with food.
-----
2.2 Corns (2 striped and 1 okeetee and 1 blizzard)
1.1 Graybanded
2.1 Banana Cal Kings
1.1 Leopard Geckos (High yellow and Jungle)

If you do want to keep feeding them in their cage i would make sure you handle them regularly a big reason snakes can confuse you for food is if the only time you open their cage is for dinner. It's the whole pavlov conditionong thing.

-----
1.1 Leos
1.1 Corn snakes (1 Lav & 1 Ghost)
0.1 Banan California King
0.0.1 Childrens python
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow boa
1.0 Rat (as pet not food)
1.0 Cat
"whats with you and all those dang reptiles?"

I believe it is better to feed them outside of their cage, especially if you are using a substrate such as aspen. You don't want them to ingest something like that, as it can cause problems.
When we feed our little corn, we let her in her feeding container until she works the mouse down into her belly (and that usually doesn't take long at all). Then, using both hands, we gently lift her, supporting her belly area, and place her back into her enclosure.
It is so funny, because she recognizes her feed container! We don't even put a lid on it, because she just sits there, waiting for her mouse (of course, she is always supervised).
I would not want to take the chance of having her mistake my putting my hands in her cage as her mealtime! It is so easy to just get a shoe-box sized rubbermaid container, and line the bottom with paper towels. Why take the chance? But, that's just my opinion. Mindy

I use those plastic bug/small reptile boxes to feed my corns. After they eat I put the whole box in their cage and wait for them to crawl out and then I remove the box. The snakes know that whenthey go in the box, it is feeding time.