Poll:Live or pre-killed?

Freezing food items is actually thought to be benificial in that it kills all organisms, as well the ice crystals burst the cells making it easier to digest. Same nutrients but easier to digest.

good to know thanks

I feel this will always be a hot topic with snake owners. F/T mice/rats have are mostly shock frozen therefore have the same nutrial value as live feeders. I feed all of the above here and there as needed. I have breeding mice that I pre kill for most my snakes buy F/t for when I need them to feed, and feed live for the first 2-3 feedings for hatchlings. My ball python refused to eat f/t for months, I was able to get him to take stuned mice, then move to f/t.

Originally Posted by tom e

But has anyone actually seen something like this happen with a mouse?

Yes.

Mouse Attack

This poster was extremely lucky the mouse didn't do more damage to the snake.

I always feed freshly killed mice/rats, other then with my hots...I just love watching them do it..They just bite and back up and let the venom do the work..Just so quick...

My collection eats frozen thawed or it doesn't eat. Sooner or later they get hungry enough.

We serve only fresh food here at Cafe Dorfer

Originally Posted by mbdorfer

We serve only fresh food here at Cafe Dorfer

meaning live? lol

Originally Posted by alexisXflames

meaning live? lol

Yeah. Near death is probably more accurate though

this has been repeated many times by many people but I will go ahead and add My Opinions to the mix........
It is easier and safer to use frozen/thawed. If you can get your snakes to eat f/t, there is no real reason to use live.
Now we all understand the need to use live on occasion.
There are several reasons why this may be the case. I will not go into these here. That is for another discussion.
I will just say that the sooner you can get them onto f/t the better.
With smaller snakes, pinkies and fuzzies can be fed without worry, they can't cause physical damage.
As far as weanlings and adult rodents are concerned, unless a person lives in a bubble they would have to know the damage they can cause.
Look at the photos, you see them in every one of these discussions. What more proof could you need or want.
When I have had to use "live" weanlings and/or adults it has worked just as well to kill them and then immediately introduce them to the snake in question. (pre-killed)
They are still warm and with a slight wiggle the snake thinks they are still alive.
And in these instances I have made sure to get these snakes back onto f/t as soon as possible.
When I read that someone feeds their snakes live because that's all they will eat, that just tells me that person isn't willing to take the time to switch them over. The bad part is how little time or effort it could really take.
A snake that is feeding on a regular basis will usually switch over quite easily.
I feed my snakes frozen/thawed and recommend frozen/thawed to anyone and everyone who cares about their snakes.
Fresh pre-killed would be the next best option and actual live, a last resort.
I guess that's it in a nut shell.