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Prey poll. Live or F/T

How do you prefer your prey?

  • Live and natural

    Votes: 17 13.3%

  • Live but stunned or just killed

    Votes: 15 11.7%

  • Thawed from the freezer

    Votes: 108 84.4%
  • Total voters
    128
I have changed slightly

The last time we did this poll I said live/stunned. However, during the summer it seems to be hard to get pinkies and fuzzies are always difficult to find. Now I buy several at once when they have them and freeze what I don't use that day and feed f/t. So far mine all seem to go back and forth, no problem.
 
Without question I would always feed f/t wherever possible. I've seen too many photos of injuries to snakes from feeding live to ever feel comfortable feeding them. I fed live once to my post lay female to jumpstart her appetite and although she dispatched the little buggers with due speed I have to say I was nervous as heck. She is back on f/t now though.
 
I breed my own feeders, so it really depends on what i have avalible. I try to feed FT, but sometimes it is easier to stun a mouse and feed it. A couple animals prefer stunned (the warmth i guess) and will not eat FT. Most of the babies get FT. I guess it just depends on the individual animal.
 
I like to feed frozen thawed when possible. But I have some snakes that simply won't eat a f/t prey item. In that case, if it's a larger item like an hopper more mouse or small rat, I'll stun it to prevent injury to the snake.
 
Well, being relatively new to snake ownership, I've only had my snake since the end of January, I went with the recommendation of the pet shop and fed all F/T till I started my own colony of mice.
I fed one live from the first batch of fuzzies that went into the freezer. I must say my snake went for it with more gusto than any other meal, and he's a good eater! I will also point out that watching him attack and kill the poor little thing I had just finished nurturing till ready for harvest made me feel ten times worse than the guilt i felt from my wife's ribbing over putting his brothers and sisters in the freezer.. I may feed live again, I don't know, but for the most part I intend to euthanize my mice and freeze them first, it just seems more humane to me and the snake doesn't seem to mind. Not to mention the safety factor once he's on the full size mice..

I have one breeder box of mice, and its keeping up so well with the snake I have to get another snake.. What a shame :santa:
 
I noticed that h0mersimps0n labeled fed live as "sadistic entertainment" shrugs: why is that ?.If you feed your snake in the most "natural" way,,your not looking for sick little thrill.Your letting your snake BE a snake...
I just hate when people put stupid labels on things like this.
 
Ah, but our captive snakes can't just be a snake. In the wild, the snake would have a large area to work in and get into position to take it's prey. The prey also would not just walk up to them and stuff a furry face in theirs. Domestic mice and rats have little or no fear of snakes and will literally walk right up and chew on them. You also limit the amount of room a snake can maneuver in if the prey is less than willing to be eaten. Changes the whole dynamic. Over the years I've found that most of the people who have told me why they feed live is that they like to watch the snake take and kill the prey. Not because they think it's better. Unfortunately, you're a minority (in that you think it's more natural and therefore better) and as far as I can see, the reason still isn't worth the risk.
 
I noticed some people go back and forth with the mice,(F/T then live),you can get your snake to take a live mouse, over its normal F/T ??
 
Yes, for the most part the snakes will take either. Some will take nothing but live, and some seem to be afraid of the live and will only eat pre killed or f/t. I fed live to my female once after she laid her eggs and wouldn't eat. She killed it in a flash and she's never eaten live in her life. She went right back to f/t the subsequent feedings and hasn't ever had live since. I did have some live mice get loose in my house once and the cats found one and wounded it. I ended up feeding it to my green tree python after bopping it over the head first. She didn't care one way or the other.
 
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