Poll:Live or pre-killed?

LOL i made this thread a while ago....
i feed f/t, but i'm having problems with my snow hurricane mot so i might try live when i get to the pet store in virginia, if he lives until saturday

Originally Posted by tom e

This thread again?
That breaking off of mouse teeth business is about the meanest thing I've ever heard of.

AGREED.

Fed Tiaga live for the first 3 yrs I had her, she was a sub adult when I bought her and the petstore fed live mice. I continued the practice since I didn't know about f/t, moved her up to a small rat ever 2 weeks since that was the way I was told at the pet store. THEN I found this site and found I was feeding all wrong.

First I wasnt' feeding her enough and second I was feeding her live when I could have been feeding her f/t(which I had never heard of before).

I decided to TRY f/t small rats on her and she has not refused a feeding once. I now feed her once every 7 days vs the once every 14 days, and she is doing WONDERFULLY!

Originally Posted by snakemom1961

Fed Tiaga live for the first 3 yrs I had her, she was a sub adult when I bought her and the petstore fed live mice. I continued the practice since I didn't know about f/t, moved her up to a small rat ever 2 weeks since that was the way I was told at the pet store. THEN I found this site and found I was feeding all wrong.

First I wasnt' feeding her enough and second I was feeding her live when I could have been feeding her f/t(which I had never heard of before).

I decided to TRY f/t small rats on her and she has not refused a feeding once. I now feed her once every 7 days vs the once every 14 days, and she is doing WONDERFULLY!

There might not be people that agree with me on this, and I'm not coming at you telling you that what you are doing is wrong, but...
I think that you might be better off feeding less frequently if you are feeding your snake rats. I personally think that rats are not good for Corns, except in instances when you need to bulk them up. I have seen quite a few corns that were fed rats exclusively that have huge fat deposits.
I think that mice are a much better meal item for our snakes.

Again, that's just my opinion. I've seen quite a few obese colubrids, and all of them were being fed rats weekly.

I love all animals and can't stand to see one suffer or die. I will only give frozen. It breaks my heart to even know that some animal has to go through pain and suffering especially when it isn't necessary.

Originally Posted by Fenderplayer108

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

Is the poor boa dead? It seems to be restrained in the first pic. I've seen a much nastier picture than this. A poor royal python who had skin chewed off all the way down its back and chewed up on the head as well.
It was still alive, and the way its mouth was open made it look like it was screaming in agony

I just posted this in a different section and then remembered this thread.......SO.....

This was posted on another forum and thought there were a few people here who needed to read it.

"My corn snake was bit in the eye by a live mouse. I forgot to knock the mouse out as I have not fed live for several years. The eye cap looks like it is dented and kinda bunched up in the bottom. can soemone please help me?"


obviously my response was get the snake to a vet.
There is no way we can help via the internet.

This snake could have easily had its eye put out, if it wasn't...

This is exactly why we recommend against feeding live mice and rats (old enough to bite) to pet snakes.
It is JUST NOT WORTH THE RISK.
Yes there are special circumstances but freshly killed will work.
If they will eat live they will eat a freshly killed or stunned prey item.
There is no way to rationalize it otherwise.

As a mouse lover who also has a snake, I have to chime in here. I am not judging anyone's feeding choices, but I have to respond to the age-old argument that it's humane to the MOUSE to feed it live just because it's natural.

You will die some day. Let's say you have to do it at the hands of some other creature--in captivity, so to speak. Would you rather do it at some time when you're not expecting it, sitting in a comfy chair, with an invisible, odorless gas that creeps in and puts you to sleep? Or would you rather be thrown into an escape-proof enclosure with hungry lions and no means of defending yourself and no place to hide? Wouldn't the hungry lions be the "natural" way to go?

I'm not going to tell everyone they always have to feed F/T. But don't fool yourselves thinking that feeding live is humane because it's the "natural" way to die. I'm willing to bet everything I own that *you* wouldn't want to die the "natural" way.

Just my 2 cents. And I don't think it's weird to love rats and mice and snakes. I do!

Heather

Originally Posted by RedRaydin

Snakes are adaptive in captivity as well as in nature. If taught from the beginning to feed live and they kill effectively then I don't see a problem. I know friends that have had boa's and fed live for years with no repurcussions. Lucky? Maybe... but I believe it can be done so long as you don't start off with thawed or pre-killed.

I do have to agree with Red.. if the hunting instinct is honed from hatchling size, the snake will be better equipped to handle adult mice.

I feed live to my corn. Been that way since day one. Usually I hold the mouse by the tail, snake strikes, constricts, eats. If the mouse is unusally fiesty, then I knock it against the wall or table to stun it and let the snake go at it. I've tried switching to F/T, but after almost two to three months of refusing food and losing some weight I went back to live. And I've tried switching at least six times over the years, each time with the same results. My snake has chosen its preferred food and that is what I feed it. Each of us cares for our animals, scaled, feathered or furry.. so to each their own I say. If a method works for you then thats great.

Just my two cents worth...

Originally Posted by ladydragon

I feed live to my corn. Been that way since day one. Usually I hold the mouse by the tail, snake strikes, constricts, eats. If the mouse is unusally fiesty, then I knock it against the wall or table to stun it and let the snake go at it. I've tried switching to F/T, but after almost two to three months of refusing food and losing some weight I went back to live. And I've tried switching at least six times over the years, each time with the same results. My snake has chosen its preferred food and that is what I feed it. Each of us cares for our animals, scaled, feathered or furry.. so to each their own I say. If a method works for you then thats great.

Your story illustrates a good point that should be considered seriously be anyone thinking of buying a corn snake. Their choice of prey type is not always up to us. A keeper must be prepared for the possibility that they may have to use live food at some point. And this is not limited to hatchlings that haven't developed good feeding response. I've had a number of juveniles that had eaten f/t for every meal since they were hatchlings suddenly go off f/t, but respond to live. This is relatively rare, and all of these snakes eventually converted to f/t. It's even rarer for an adult to change food preferences. But you have to prepared for the possibility.

Originally Posted by heatherhead42

As a mouse lover who also has a snake, I have to chime in here. I am not judging anyone's feeding choices, but I have to respond to the age-old argument that it's humane to the MOUSE to feed it live just because it's natural.

You will die some day. Let's say you have to do it at the hands of some other creature--in captivity, so to speak. Would you rather do it at some time when you're not expecting it, sitting in a comfy chair, with an invisible, odorless gas that creeps in and puts you to sleep? Or would you rather be thrown into an escape-proof enclosure with hungry lions and no means of defending yourself and no place to hide? Wouldn't the hungry lions be the "natural" way to go?

I'm not going to tell everyone they always have to feed F/T. But don't fool yourselves thinking that feeding live is humane because it's the "natural" way to die. I'm willing to bet everything I own that *you* wouldn't want to die the "natural" way.

Just my 2 cents. And I don't think it's weird to love rats and mice and snakes. I do!

Heather

I'm a rodent lover as well. Especially rats. Mine have been amazing pets. I buy all my snake food just like I buy my own food, already dead and in neat little packages