substrate & feeding question

jclimer · #1 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 11:44 AM

i feed my rtb this weekend and as he was eating the rat he got a mouthful of substrate. i use the eco-earth fiber bricks that expand as u soak them in water for his substrate. will this harm him in any way swallowing some of the substrate ??? i dont think he swallowed alot but i dont know.

spike06 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 12:27 PM

a little bit will not harm him. to be on the safe side for his next feeding, try feeding him in a seperate tub, or putting a piece of newspaper or papertowel over the substrate and put the rat over that

jclimer · #3 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 01:10 PM

thank you

mpgt · #4 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 01:21 PM

Of course you don't want him eating a paper towel either. Some people put a plate in there to feed them on.

timesender · #5 (**permalink**) 10-13-2008, 01:48 PM

Eating substrate is quite common. Think about it, don't boas have substrate in nature??? I think we would hear of more occurrences snakes dying of substrate ingestion than we do. It will probably come out in poop.

I usually place mine in tubs from Wal-Mart. At 10 - 15 per tub, it sure beats the worry or hassle of going to the vet. (Again I am the lazy keeper. Max out the joy of ownership while minimizing the cost and effort)

jclimer · #6 (**permalink**) 10-14-2008, 06:13 AM

thanks everyone feel a little better now

Kratos boa · #7 (**permalink**) 10-14-2008, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpgt

Of course you don't want him eating a paper towel either. Some people put a plate in there to feed them on.

Awesome,

SSmokin99 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-15-2008, 02:48 AM

Whenever I feed my snakes I watch them closely. If there's any substrate on the rodents while they're swallowing I pick them off with the tongs

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