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Squeamish wussy owner

N

NadaNaga

Hatchling
(I appologize if this is isn't in the right spot. Mods feel free to move this thread.)

*sigh* I want a snake, but I don't know if I can handle the feeding part... after all, I've had rats as pets! Has anybody else had this problem? I've tried looking at pictures of snakes feeding, and have asked the breeder that I'd be buying from if I can come by on a feeding day. My boyfriend has offered to do the feeding for me, but I can't own a snake if I'm not capable of feeding it myself. I think I can probably handle taking a frozen mouse, thawing it and placing it in a bin along with the snake. But do I need to watch the snake eat? Which actually brings me to another question. How long should I wait before moving the snake back to its cage? Or would it be better to feed the snake in its cage, by placing the mouse on a plate? I guess those questions should really go into husbandry. Sorry. Anyways, does anybody have any suggestions or experiences with this that they'd like to share? It would make me feel so much better to know I'm not the only wuss around, and that there is a way to get over it. Thanks!
 
As you'd know, tiny little pinky mice don't really look like real mice at all so you can disassociate a little that way. Buying them in a bag, frozen in bulk also takes away a lot of those issues. By the time your snake is ready for fuzzies, you'll be much more comfortable with the whole mouse thing...then the same for the next size step. I was a little squeemish too in the beginning but you very quickly get over it.

Welcome to the forums,
Adèle
 
I've never had a problem being squeamish but then again I'm a biologist and am perpetually in awe with nature and it's beauty; and I also cut into numerous dead animals all the time. I feed live because I feel like it's natural (I know all of you PETA people don't agree with me so I don't want to hear it). But my advice would be to just think of it as natural, and someone once told me that you should just listen to the "Circle of Life" from the Lion King when feeding if you really have a problem. Also my girlfriend was really upset when she realised I was feeding those "cute lil pink mice" to my snake and protested doing such until she watched one day and she was really amazed about how he ate and such so it doesn't bother her anymore.
 
fergen8er said:
I feed live because I feel like it's natural (I know all of you PETA people don't agree with me so I don't want to hear it). But my advice would be to just think of it as natural, and someone once told me that you should just listen to the "Circle of Life" from the Lion King when feeding if you really have a problem. Also my girlfriend was really upset when she realised I was feeding those "cute lil pink mice" to my snake and protested doing such until she watched one day and she was really amazed about how he ate and such so it doesn't bother her anymore.
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But you're ignoring the fact that you don't want to condition your snake into accepting live food and then once it's on adult mice (which can and sometimes do fight back) you end up with a snake losing an eye or getting some nasty scars....

Plus, it's not natural at all. Snakes in the wild have to hunt to get their food. Unless you are providing your snake and it's prey with a 5 x 5 metre enclosure, planted up like a forrest, then there's not a lot that's natural about presenting your snake with it's food in an area where the food has no chance to use it's cunning to escape.

This in itself is it's own debate which I suppose shouldn't be brought up here as this is in fact a thread about getting past squeemishness.

I think the much less squeemish route would be never considering the prey animal as an animate, sentient being..the best way to achieve this is to never see it alive...buy prekilled and save yourself a whole lot of hassle (and money.

So there's my 4 cents!
 
Look at it this way... if you don't buy it because you don't want to feed it, then somebody else will. You won't be saving any tiny little mice by not getting the snake. On the other hand, if you feel that it's going to be a big problem and will potentially cause you to not give the snake proper care, then by all means don't do it.

What I'm getting at is this: Deal with the problem before you get a snake and not after you get it with the mindset that forcing yourself to do it will get you over it. You just have to accept that it's one of those things that has to be done. You're continuing one life by ending another. Good luck!
 
I own a snake and I am Squeemish!


For years I wanted a snake for many reasons (other then the obvious, I am not allergic) The thing that held me back was the feeding part ( i had mice as pets too)...My boyfriend and I decided to do it...(BLKsteeda) he does the feeding and I clean up the poo. Now my family always asks, "What if you and Gordon break up" logical question....but if I cant feed it...Gordon will have to take it.

So the first feeding we droped a Frozen/Thawed pinky on a paper towel in his cage. I couldn't watch. :puke01:

The second feeding I was interested in watching because I saw pix on this site of other peoples snake feeding and I wanted to experience what eveyone said was amazing and took time to photograph it :eatsmiley ...But Elmo (my snake) wont eat with his lights on. :rolleyes:

If Gordon is scheduled to go out of town for work (Which occurs often) for Elmos 4th or 5th meal...I think I will be able to handle the feeding myself... :)

so to answer your question...the love for your "baby" over rules your sypathy for the "poor mouse"



Hope that helped :wavey:
 
TrpnBils said:
Look at it this way... if you don't buy it because you don't want to feed it, then somebody else will. You won't be saving any tiny little mice by not getting the snake. On the other hand, if you feel that it's going to be a big problem and will potentially cause you to not give the snake proper care, then by all means don't do it.

What I'm getting at is this: Deal with the problem before you get a snake and not after you get it with the mindset that forcing yourself to do it will get you over it. You just have to accept that it's one of those things that has to be done. You're continuing one life by ending another. Good luck!
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Got to agree with Jeff on this. Do not get a snake thinking you will eventually be able to deal with the feeding. If you have feelings for mice, think about the reptile. Does the snake not deserve the same respect?. Think of it as nature in a controlled environment. I feed all my snakes live prey, except when they are on adult mice. I knock the mice unconscious so they can't harm the snake (back off PETA). This is the food chain, no different than going out for a steak. Personally, I see mice as vermin, a pest, a big cockroach, so I have no problem with this. Sorry if I offended anyone :cheers:
 
NadaNaga said:
*sigh* I want a snake, but I don't know if I can handle the feeding part...
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Here's an old post of mine describing the first feeding my daughter and I had ever observed. You may find it useful in your decision making process. Scroll down to the post by Neumann dated 07-15-2004, 08:09 AM.

Cheers,
Jason
 
Great link Neumann,
I did a similar with my snake-nervous boyfriend before getting my first snakes. I took him to an exotics zoo and asked the owner to bring out a cornsnake for Thomas to play with. His comfort level went from 2/10 to about 6/10 in just minutes and now he loves everything about them except what comes out the other end...which he's only had to deal with 2 or 3 times in the whole time I've been keeping snakes.

For many people, it's fear of the unknown and once you get past that, it's easy.
 
Thanks everybody! No worries, I'll test myself before ever bringing a snake into my care. That's why I'm planning on visiting the breeder on a feeding day. That should give me a good indication.
 
mbdorfer said:
Personally, I see mice as vermin, a pest, a big cockroach, so I have no problem with this. Sorry if I offended anyone :cheers:
Click to expand...

Agreed - but as I see it, you may have offended the roaches. :grin01:

regards,
jazz
 
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