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I just put 3 pinkies in the freezer *cries*

A

azzagoth

New member
After recently getting mice, the first litter came yesterday. 11 sweet, adorable little pinkie mice. Today I took out 3 little ones as food for my baby corn, and they were just so cute! I took them out with tongs, so the mama wouldn't smell me, and it seems to have worked fine. Doesn't seem like she even noticed.

I put them in my hands for a while, and I just fell in love with them. Crawling already, trying to suck on my fingers.. Then into a plastic bag and in the freezer next to the lasagna tv-dinner...

Anyone else feel heart broken by doing this?
 
azzagoth said:
I put them in my hands for a while, and I just fell in love with them. Crawling already, trying to suck on my fingers.. Then into a plastic bag and in the freezer next to the lasagna tv-dinner...
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Here's a hint: DON'T PLAY WITH THEM! By doing so, you allow one of nature's survival tactics to come into play: babies of nearly all species of mammals are cute and evoke a protective response from other mammals. These are food you produced to feed your snake; treat them accordingly. Do you pet your ice cream container before you put it in the freezer? Fondle your frozen waffles? Treat pinkies as food, and nothing but food.
 
It was only hard for me the first couple of times, then the males got protective and one bit me. He was food the next week, there was a young back-up male in that colony. Now I feed and give orders if you don't produce by the end of the week you become snake food. I try not to think about the cuteness factor, actually I am converting over to albino colonies that way I can't say OH! look at the cute spot on the nose... :sidestep:
 
I, unfortunately have to breed colored ones... I have one snake that will Not no matter what take a white mouse...darn thing... but after doing away with snake food for so many years you do get jaded against it abit and it doesnt bother you so bad.... just do as Jaxom said.... its food.. I learned that young... dont name the baby bulls because they end up on the dinner table...
 
Personally I dont think I would want to breed my own snake food. I felt bad enough buying my first lot of frozen pinkies for my new snake!! I think with the amount of frozen pinkies/furries/adult mice available at low cost, I think it is best to buy them. But all credit to the people that do successly breed and feed them.
 
You do get used to it, but you should definitely kill them before you freeze them!

I'm a serious animal lover and a total softy, if I let myself think of the rats and mice as anything other than food, I just can't do it. I have taught myself to "switch off"...As Jaxom said, do NOT PLAY WITH THEM!! DO NOT GIVE THEM NAMES!!! Do not see them as anything other than what they are, meals for the snakes. It's hard in the beginning but you will get used to it. :)

Personally, I found the "middle path"...I let myself keep the rats and mice that I really like, for breeding purposes only. If I run out of space, then I have to choose between keeping certain adults or the baby I like, not both.

It costs me far less to breed my own food for my snakes than to buy at a petshop. Also, my supply is far more reliable and I know I always have food for the snakes.
 
Thank you everyone, it's nice to hear your experiences, and that it gets easier with time. I just felt like a baby butcher.. Next time I wont play with them, hopefully that will help. With five hungry mouths to feed it will save so much money breeding the food myself. It was just so much easier in theory then in practice, I never thought I would feel like that for a couple of pinkie mice lol. I guess taking pictures of the cuties all cuddled up in my hand is a no no too :)

Thanks, I feel a lot better now!
 
As for killing them first, I thought that as long as they were only a day old it was perfectly OK just freezing them without killing them first?
 
Ok, I'm odd! I grew up with relatives raising pigs and cattle on small farms. My great uncle in particular absolutely loved his herd of free-range pigs. I was encouraged to pet the animals and to help choose which were going to slaughter as a natural thing. My uncle felt just because an animal was a worker or future food you could and should still be affectionate towards it. So I really do still like my feeder mice, and name the breeders, but stop short of naming each baby unless I decide it's a future breeder. I generally do stroke and talk to the feeders just before I cull them because it makes me feel better than if I just thwacked them.
 
So by petting them first you make your own conscience feel better you mean? Interesting. I probably felt part like that too, "hey, if I'm gonna stick you in the freezer I should probably give you some love first." Made me feel less cold, but got me attached to them.
 
Sure it costs less to breed your own snakefood....but I don't care. I can always make more money. As much as I love my snakes, I doubt I could keep them if I couldn't buy pre-killed, pre-frozen food.
 
azzagoth said:
So by petting them first you make your own conscience feel better you mean? Interesting. I probably felt part like that too, "hey, if I'm gonna stick you in the freezer I should probably give you some love first." Made me feel less cold, but got me attached to them.
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Yep, by giving them good conditons to live in while I have them too. I like them!
 
My understanding is that freezing without killing 1st is an extremely painful/ inhumane death for even the youngest of animals. I can't do it. That's why I don't raise my own and buy frozens off the internet.
 
I think the general concensus has been that that's a very acceptible way to do it till they are furred. Then you should put them down before the freezer.
 
tom e said:
I think the general concensus has been that that's a very acceptible way to do it till they are furred. Then you should put them down before the freezer.
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This is what I've heard too, so I'll probably do it the same way next time. They are so little developed, and hardly feel any pain. I hope so anyways..

I agree with the other poster about knowing what we are feeding our snakes, this way we can monitor what the mice eat, their bedding, and their general health. Plus it saves money, which I would assume is a major motivator for most breeders.

It was just that those pinkies were so darn cute :)
 
tom e said:
I think the general concensus has been that that's a very acceptible way to do it till they are furred. Then you should put them down before the freezer.
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Personally, I wouldn't freeze any mammal life, no matter how old they are...but that's just me. It take 2secs out of my day to kill them all, I'd rather spend those 2 secs and not risk them having a horrible, lingering death in the freezer...

I stroke my breeder mice etc etc but I don't get attached to them. But just because they are food or breeding food, does not mean that I mistreat them in anyway, they are very well taken care of, fresh food, water, bedding etc etc.

Much as I love my mice and rats, and I do, I just can't think of pinkies being cute...lol Fuzzies yes but not pinks! lol They look like little pink maggots with legs...lol
 
dwilliamsmms said:
My understanding is that freezing without killing 1st is an extremely painful/ inhumane death for even the youngest of animals. I can't do it. That's why I don't raise my own and buy frozens off the internet.
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Yea. Something about their bodies being made up of water, and water expands when it freezes. Thats the pain part.
 
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