11-21-2006, 05:06 PM
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#1
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Poll:Live or pre-killed?
Today at work i was gonna feed one of the adult corn snakes we are babysitting, and one of my co-workers, Chris, was argueing that I should pre-kill the mouse, and wouldnt let up about it. well, i still gave it a live and he killed and ate it without any problems, but still chris was trying to prove me that feeding them live is very very bad. He had bred and kept many many different colubrids before in the past and has had burmese and reticulated pythons, so he knows a good bit bout his stuff. Well his reason for pre-killed is that the rat could bite the snake and cause serious injuries, or even bite it in the eye and blind the snake, but that was his only reasoning, and i absolutely agree that those things can and do happen often, seeing as though its happends many a times to his snakes, but i still would rather feed them live just because its in their nature to kill their own food, although keeping it in captivity isnt natural, so im torn between the arguement.
i made a poll to see what yall do, kill, or pre-kill?
looking forward to see responses!
~Alexis
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11-21-2006, 05:31 PM
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#2
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Since we are not replicating nature, what is the reasoning for feeding live? I see absolutely no positives for it, except for those that think its 'cool' to see a mouse killed. There are only risks associated by it. Even if you are supervising, it can happen in a blink of an eye, and before you know it, your snake is injured by a nice chunk of missing skin or even a injured/missing eyeball. If you know your snake will eat f/t, there is no reason to feed live. Its another thing when the only food your snake will eat is live, then thats a life or death scenario. Just do a search and you can easily see many pictures of what happens to snakes who are attacked by their food. To each their own I suppose, but I want my snakes to lead nice, comfortable, healthy lives, considering we are holding them in a captive situation. Why stress them out more and take those chances
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11-21-2006, 05:53 PM
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#3
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much agreed, f/t I think is the best way for all the reasons listed above and one that was not, mites!
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11-21-2006, 06:05 PM
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#4
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good points but what about nutrition? i dont know, so im asking, but something about a mouse that has been dead and frozen for a while would seem to have less nutrition or nurishment, over something that a live kill would contribute. so in the cause that live feeds have the risk of injury, then what are the ups of feeding them live at all? if there are none, other than some snakes refuse to eat f/t, then f/t it is!
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11-21-2006, 06:27 PM
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#5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alexisXflames
then what are the ups of feeding them live at all? if there are none, other than some snakes refuse to eat f/t, then f/t it is!
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The really aren't any, other than "exercise," which can be achieved by giving the snake a swim or by simply handling the snake. If the snake will take it (which most snakes will), f/t is definitely the best option, especially with adult mice/rats.
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11-21-2006, 06:34 PM
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#6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alexisXflames
good points but what about nutrition? i dont know, so im asking, but something about a mouse that has been dead and frozen for a while would seem to have less nutrition or nurishment, over something that a live kill would contribute
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Um, if you can find ANY science backing up this assumption, I will be very suprised.
I have never eaten any thing live in my life, and I'm not dead yet. Same with every dog and cat I know. I have no idea why you think this would harm a snake.
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11-21-2006, 06:40 PM
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#7
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Three of my snakes eat FT, even the ones who had been fed live pinks by the breeder. The fourth snake, a WC adult, used to eat FT with no problems, but went on a six week feeding strike, and then would only take FK- fresh killed. I _think_ she could go back to FT now- I _think_ she just needed a longer length between meals, going from every seven days to every 10-14- but I haven't tried yet.
I know the breeder of one of my snakes believes that they lose nutritional value if frozen, but I sure don't even think about that when eating frozen chicken or turkey or beef- so I'm not sure I buy that logic.
At any rate, FT is super-convenient.
Nanci
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11-21-2006, 07:05 PM
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#8
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I'm a new corn snake owner (only 4 meals so far!) but my snake has taken f/t twice, prekilled once and live once (i guess it was my grim curiosity this last time.) I'm going to stick to f/t though, mostly I worry about parasites- freezing kills any as far as I understand it. To me, that may make the difference between a wild snake's average lifespan and the two or more decades I'd like to spend with my new friend.
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11-21-2006, 07:24 PM
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#9
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Please for the sake of your snake, and the sake of your pocket book when you need to rush to a vet because of something like this..
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Would you really want your snake to go through this?
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Just my 2 cents.
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Ryan,
Lifesong Photos
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11-21-2006, 07:34 PM
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#10
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Poor boa... and it could have been prevented by simply thumping the mouse against the wall. It's not that hard to do... You can't always rely on the snake to kill its food, in captivity their hunting skills are not honed and it's our responsibilty as keepers to prevent such tragedies!
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