Hi wondering if someone can advise me how to go about changing my royal to feed in a tub and not in his viv.
We had him from a breeder where he was kept in a rack system. He was feed where he lived. With us he is in a small viv. But he will not feed in a seperate box which i prefer do we starve him to the point where he will eat. Because at 6 months he will try to strike you if he sees your hands in his viv, he has one out of his hive to get you.... although once out hes a baby... i really want to change this habit before he gets too big.. we always feed at one end of the viv . We have tried feeding in a box but he simply refuses his feed... any advice would be grateful...
If he's eating in the Viv , I'd continue ... especially as he's not feeding in a tub .
Royals are really scary or dangerous or threatening to be fair , if the striking at your hand is the problem just move his head sideways with a cheap snake hook or cardboard the or anything to hand that won't harm him as you move his head out of the way whilst you gently lift him out of the Viv.
I can virtually guarantee that once he's out he won't try and strike at anyone and will be puppy soft and calm and docile ..
There is no guarantee that he will ever stop striking in the Viv , some snakes are like that and won't change ...
He is. We have been lifting him out with a hook..my other 2 feed in a tub.
So just leave him alone to feed this way ? . Im worried that he will get substrate in his mouth..
Ah.
That's easily sorted , I feed all mine (22) in their vivs no issues .
The trick is to simply put few pieces of card down on the Viv floor overlapping ... Then feed on top of that ... I keep my eyes open at work for those neat little pieces of card found in boxes of chocolates and fancy biscuits . Even a cardboard box cut into manageable pieces is good .
Definitely worth continuing with in Viv feeding IMHO ..
No not obvious at all ... I started with Corn snakes for a few years and was 'told' to feed in a separate container which I did religiously .
I just never felt safe moving them back into the vivs afterward after reading that they shouldn't be moved or touched after feeding ...
Anyways when I moved onto Kings , then Burms and Retics I soon learned that moving THEM after a feed wasn't EVER going to be a good idea
I saw that a few people fed in vivs on plates or dishes but even snakes drag it onto the substrate so being a worrier I came up with the idea of using card ..... I actually tried with a piece of cloth first but the Royal got hold of that with the rat so that was a scary few moments until I'd got it out of his jaws ..
PS
Also feeding in the Viv doesn't make them associate you with food
Im going to do that.plaxe a piece of card the width of the viv and feed on top. See if that helps with the substrate.
I have always read that you should feed in a seperate place when feeding but i guess that in its self is stressful for the snake. Although the other 2 royals dont mind. And one im sure would eat hanging upside down from a lampshade given chance ..he never refuses food and cant get enough...
I use a few smaller pieces of card and the snake comes up between them .
I have a couple of Albino Royals who will only strike from the hides which don't have substrate in them so I just put a piece down in front of their hides entrance
I had the same trouble with a Rat snake that was off a breeder would only feed in viv and strike at anything that went in the viv thinking it was food. So all I do if feed him in the viv and get him out with a hook, his a baby once out.
At the end of the day the health and stress of a snake over rides handling so if the royal only eats in viv then so be it.
Good - I've always fed all of mine in their viv or rub ... handling is an unnecessary confusion
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