• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Viv- Feeding Tube

SWINGRRRR

SWINGRRRR

I need/want a 'Cane
I saw this once on a Nile Monitor enclosure. The monitor was way too mean to be handled (rescue that was mistreated.) There was a tube that extended down into the viv with a cap, to prevent escape of the monitor. But mice could be dropped in for feeding.

Anyone think this is an option to fed in the 24/7 viv? I plan to make it part of the enclosure so it’s not an eyesore. And, hopefully, my snake will not associate me, and me opening the viv, with getting fed.

I was thinking just a 2" pvc tube, with a screw top. Just unscrew, slip in the mouse. Right now F/T is not an option. I live with my brother, and dead mice in the freezer are not kosher.
 
to be honest unless there is any need to i wouldnt bother. you know what snakes are like. the snake will climb up the tube "exploring and may get stuck. also it wouldnt be too healthy for the mice. even if they are going to be eaten i still wouldnt hurt them by doing something un-neccisarry.

lee
 
You are probably right. I hate being like this. I get an idea in my head and I beat myself up making sure it’s perfect, till I move forward. That’s why all the viv questions lately.

Thanks.
 
Well, I've seen mice jump out of 15 foot high rafters, hit the floor, flatten themselves into a shape almost nigh unbelievable to slide under a door and walk off none-the-worse for the wear.

Dropping them down a small chute would be less traumatic to them than it would be to you going down a small children's slide. Besides, if it stuns them coming out of the gate, so be it. They're going to be live and a lot of us advocate against feeding live. It may very well be a simple way to stun them so they don't hurt the snake.

A quick drop on his head will be a lot more humane than a futile adrenaline-pumping attempt to survive, imo.

You're right, using the tube as an exploratory means would be a problem. There's a number of ways to solve that problem -- all of which are easy and inexpensive. A little bit of creativeness on your part would surely solve it. I'd go into details, but...

I honestly don't see the point of such a method? With a large aggressive Boid, I could warrant such a method. I'm assuming you're talking about a Corn though, right?

I'm just really not sure why it'd be such an issue to feed it in a separate container or in the viv itself. Sure, some people say that feeding in the viv causes their snakes to expect food every time you open the viv, but if you open it a lot to get him out and handle it, he'll not come to expect anything more than his viv being opened.

Maybe I missed something, but is there a reason you didn't want to feed in a separate feeding container?

Btw...I'd strongly urge stunning your mice. Better for the mouse, better for the snake.
 
I am just worried about him associating opening the viv with food, and getting snippy. I am not trying to argue feeding techniques. I am merely looking for a fool proof way to streamline it.

I figured the tube is not going to hurt the mouse, its only going to be a 12-16 inch drop. Plus when it lands, it will be a surprise to the snake and he will not learn to associate feeding with anything. Just one minute he’s sitting in his hide, then all of a sudden, there’s dinner.

Plus it will recreate some natural behavior. They are sit and ambush animals rights?
 
SWINGRRRR said:
Plus it will recreate some natural behavior. They are sit and ambush animals rights?
Click to expand...

I don't know what size your snake is but unless it is eating anything other than pinkies or fuzzies, feeding it live is not advised. In no way are you re-creating nature, in nature the mouse can run the, the snake has room to maneuver. In a viv the mouse will usually get a bite or worse in on the snake. Why do you potentialy want to harm your snake. In this situation the mouse will be vicious, fighting, biting, clawing... Why not just take the snake out of the viv put it in a feeding tub, stun the mouse and feed it. You will be opening the viv to change water all the time, you will be taking the snake out to hold, clean up poo... I don't think the snake will associate you opening the tank with anything. :shrugs: I don't get your reasoning here. Are you against stunning the mouse?
I also know from experience if there is a place a snake can get stuck it will.
 
SWINGRRRR said:
I am just worried about him associating opening the viv with food, and getting snippy. I am not trying to argue feeding techniques. I am merely looking for a fool proof way to streamline it.
Click to expand...
I feed exclusively in my snake tubs, and have had no undue aggressiveness from any snake that has confused feeding time with cleaning time with handling time. If we're going to assign them with the level of intelligence to associate viv opening with feeding time, then there's a very distinct smell and big white blob that's missing when it's not feeding time. :sidestep:

D80
 
Tomorrow will be a full 7 days that I have had the snake. He’s in a 20L but I want to build and enclosure that looks nice in my room.

Like I said, I just get ideas in my head, and I want the enclosure to be the best possible thing for him. I have read and read and read posts on here. I don’t know how susceptible he is to getting nippy from feeding in his enclosure. I was just trying to avoid it.

I didn’t want to argue feeding techniques. That was done already. With a poll.

I get it now; the tube is a bad idea, just like my rising and setting sun idea.

I guess I want to the enclosure to be to elaborate.
 
Honestly, I would have to agree that I see this tube as completely unnecessary. I have never gotten bit from just opening the tank and putting my hand in. The only time I've gotten bit is when I scared the snake or smelled and wiggled like a mouse.

I personally feel that there's a lot of hype about the snake "associating your hand with food." Think about it this way: Which will you do more? Feed your snake or stick your hand in the viv without food involved? If you're willing to take care of your animal and change it's water, then you put your hand in w/o food more often than with food. That being true, but simple percentages, your snake should actually NOT assume you have food every time you open the viv.

In short, it's probably not worth your time/money. Deep breath, stick your hand in, get bitten every once in awhile. It's not that big of a deal unless we're talking hots or things with bigger teeth than corns.
 
Drizzt80 said:
If we're going to assign them with the level of intelligence to associate viv opening with feeding time, then there's a very distinct smell and big white blob that's missing when it's not feeding time.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. I will just feed him like normal. (ehh I hate that word)

Regarding your quote above, Pavlov’s dog still salivated when the bell was rung, even without food stimulus. I am not proposing the snake has the intelligence of a canine, but conditioning is ever-present.
 
Dogs rely on visible, audible and olfactory stimulus.

In snakes, olfactory stimulus plays the key roll -- with visible playing only a minor part. Corns are erratic creatures, rarely displaying the level of intelligence that even the most mundane of canine breeds do.

Conditioning yourself to remain calm, cool, and collected while interacting with your snake will yield far better results. Conditioning yourself to not smell like a mouse before handling your snake is good too.

Feed your snake however you like; Tootse has a feeding response on par with the most vigorous eating corns that I know of and she's never mistaken me for food. She's an absolute kitten -- until she gets whiff of a mouse, then it's go time.

No mouse smell, no hungry snake. :shrugs:
 
SWINGRRRR said:
I get it now; the tube is a bad idea, just like my rising and setting sun idea.
Click to expand...
Hey, if it makes you happy, do it. Never said it was a bad idea, and never saw your ideas on a rising and setting sun (actually sounds cool to me AND coral reef keepers do it for their marine environments). I personally am just not into setting up that intense of an environment for my collection. If I had a single snake, I'd probably get into it.

To each their own!
D80
 
SWINGRRRR said:
ToI get it now; the tube is a bad idea, just like my rising and setting sun idea.
Click to expand...

Thanks for making me burst out laughing at work!!! At least you're innovative!

Nanci
 
Nan- Glad I could help make you smile.
Thanks everyone for their input. Hopefully down the road, this post will help someone. Hey that gives me a good idea for a sig. :wall:

D80, I only have 1 snake for now so he is getting spoiled.
I cant wait to show off the viv I have planned. If it doesn't blow ya'lls mind, well I know the European guys should like it. Ill leave it at that. Sleepy time for me.
 
Drizzt80 said:
I feed exclusively in my snake tubs, and have had no undue aggressiveness from any snake that has confused feeding time with cleaning time with handling time. If we're going to assign them with the level of intelligence to associate viv opening with feeding time, then there's a very distinct smell and big white blob that's missing when it's not feeding time. :sidestep:

D80
Click to expand...


I do have to say I read about a snake who was neglected, dont remember if it was on here, but the previous owner simply opened the top every once in a while and dropped a mouse in. And when they new owner took over and would open the top, WHAM.

But that is afterall a snake who obviously is/ was not handled at all, ever.

I do the feeding tubes too, but I reach into my viv's so much Im never in there for the same reason so I dont worry about what their thinking.

Even when my snakes are hunting in there, and their visibly hungry, I reach in, pick them up and still dont get bit.

I would however worry if it was a snake who was going to be left in that tank alone, never handled and its only contact was dropping a mouse in every so often. I can see then why a snakes reaction would be to go for you. Hopefully no one does that though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top