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frozen to live

Hi Mark...
I think I see the issue here. You appear to think live mice are better for the snake as it helps the snake to be more like he would be in the wild. But the snake is NOT in the wild. In the wild, a mouse can escape. In a cage, the mouse has no where to go, and so the terrified creature certainly can turn and attack your pet. I have seen images of mangled snakes that have been attacked by rat and mouse. Your snake doesnt miss the act of catching his mouse...one can argue that corn snakes have been in mans care for so long they are domesticated.

Frozen mice can also be bought in bulk and its far cheaper than live mice. I can buy about 100 frozen mice for 40$.

Sincerely,
Susan
 
OK.
Once you take an animal out of the wild, you assume 100% of the responsibility for it's health and well-being, whatever that animal is. You have taken from that animal the ability to care for itself, and whatever that animal's needs are, they must be met. You are the caretaker, you have determined 100% the conditions the animal lives in, etc.

The snake knows it's not in the wild.
It's OK to treat that animal like it's in captivity because it is. It will adapt.
This goes for any animal.

You couldn't provide for it the exact conditions it has available to it out in the wild, because every animal is different, and it would take years of observing it in the wild to match it's desired living conditions.

Instead of approximating those conditions (Because we just can't.), we, as responsible caregivers must do the best we can to meet that animal's basic needs and hope they adapt to the conditions we provide. I'm pretty sure there's not shredded aspen and a clean, sanitized bowl filled with fresh water available to every snake in the wild, so why do we provide it?
Because it's the best compromise we can make for the snake's health. Why do we provide drinking water at all times, knowing that snakes don't have constant access to water 100% of the time?
Again, see above. We have removed from the snake the ability to burrow into areas where it can conserve it's body moisture, and removed the temperature swings that cause dew, which is how it would drink fresh water in the wild. So we have to compensate, and provide unnatural conditions to allow the animal to regulate it's hydration that way.
See what I'm getting at?
We KNOW what these animals need to survive. The research has been done. You aren't the first person to raise corn snakes. We know what conditions they will adapt to as to prevent future health problems. The information is out there, you need not forge ahead and re-invent the wheel. Just do some research.
Since you know these things (Or at very least have access to the sum of human knowledge through the internet.), you have the responsibility to provide them, as best you can. Anything less is poor husbandry.
Snakes will adapt to frozen thawed food items, and they are the best compromise for the snake's health, short of raising your own feeder rodents, and pre-killing them seconds before offering it to your snake.
 
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Not like this point hasn't been made many times aleady...

buuuut....

Feeder animals (rats OR mice) can and do bite snakes. They dont bite them every single time, by all it takes is one time to cause some damage. i do a lot of rescue work and have seen, first hand - the damage that feeder rodents can cause.

I remember a young ball python i got a few years back, it had been fed a feeder MOUSE and had not killed it when he struck it, the mouse lived for awhile while the snake squeezed it and during this time it chewed the snake down to its spine.

This snake survived, but it was a long, grueing, painful rehab - and he was scarred for life.
 
Not like this point hasn't been made many times aleady...

buuuut....

Feeder animals (rats OR mice) can and do bite snakes. They dont bite them every single time, by all it takes is one time to cause some damage. i do a lot of rescue work and have seen, first hand - the damage that feeder rodents can cause.

I remember a young ball python i got a few years back, it had been fed a feeder MOUSE and had not killed it when he struck it, the mouse lived for awhile while the snake squeezed it and during this time it chewed the snake down to its spine.

This snake survived, but it was a long, grueing, painful rehab - and he was scarred for life.

Another good example is right here on this forum, check out the thread: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75746

this keeper has a corn who has been eating live for 7years with no issue, and this time the snake got bit right above him eye. Lucky he didnt loose the eye.

F/t is a more humane, safer, cheaper and cleaner (no parasites, disease etc) way to feed your cornsnake.

If you choose to feed live and take those risks, that is your own personal choice - but please do not make outrageous and false claims such as "feeder mice do not bite snakes." This is not even a matter of opinion, it is an outright, false statement.
 
Do we need to get out the "Troll Patrol" first eating difficulties, then live vs f/t, i.d my cornsnake that looks like a pygmy rattle snake and a ball python????
Where's the troll bait when we need it, Oh! maybe I'm the troll bait!!!!!
 
do what you gotta do, I would say keep it on what it eats already. it's safe and whatnot. But, if you want to feed live knock it out first.
~kat
 
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