Snake Feeding no pre-killed available?

Question

So, I have a California kingsnake but I recently moved to an area where I cannot find frozen thaw mice. I plan on ordering some online soon, but until then I do not want to feed live because I don't want to risk my snake being injured by the feeder mouse. Is there a good/humane way to kill or stun the mouse before giving it to my snake?

Answer 1

Put it in a bag (plastic works best) and swiftly throw it on the ground or against a wall. If you do it right the first time, it should be painless. If you are feeding pinkies, DON'T do this, as they tend to... explode... Pinkies can be put directly into the freezer and they just go to sleep... doesn't work on mice with fur. Are there any reptile swaps or shows in your area? You can get bulk frozen from there too, and even a bit of a drive is worth not having to pay the 40-ish dollars in shipping if you order online. If you want to keep your snake on F/T I recommend not switching to live (or even fresh killed, freeze it when you've killed it) even temporarily, because some snakes get picky and may not like switching back to frozen after a couple of nice, fresh meals.

Answer 2

How old is your cali king? My albino cali king eats monster mice live without getting bite and my ball python takes small rats without being bit. They always aim for the head to avoid being bit. I feed them both 2 prey live today and both times they hit in the face. Even my baby ball pythons hit their prey in the face. If you have mice you can stun them by flicking them behind their head between the ears. If it is small it might break the neck otherwise it will be stunned. What some people do is grab it by the tail and throw/swing it at the floor. It is real quick. Or, build a CO2 chamber. I got this off of repticzone.com

$10 1 Project box from radio shack
$15 1 CO2 bottle at from Actionvillage.com
$28 1 CO2 cord with on off switch from Actionvillage.com
$8 2 Skull stickers from Schuck’s Auto
$? 1 O ring form Ace Hardware
$? 1 Bolt from Ace Hardware
$10 Shipping on the Actionvillage.com stuff + Tax = about $80 worth of stuff.

Ok, you will see in the pics that there is a silver bolt on the inside, and an O ring on the outside to seal it. The cord has a thread, so you need a bolt that fits it to hold it on tight. You will have to drill the hole very carefully so you don’t crack it, and don’t make it too big, or all the CO2 will leak out. Just drill it and then file it down to size using a round file until the cord thread screws in. You will also need to drill a small hole on the opposite side that the CO2 enters (one that you can put your finger over) that way you can turn on the CO2 for a second, then turn it off and cover the hole. That way, it will not burst and it exchanges O2 for CO2.

You can also freeze them. I had a friend do that cause she was breeding mice for her corn snakes.

Answer 3

my husband and I have a 6ft white oak rat snake and he has never and wont eat dead mice. If you are concerned with the safty of your snake where a thick work glove and hold the mouse by the tail in front of the snake for it to strike at so that the mouse as less chance to hurt your snake. but if you must kill the mouse first (to get the snake to eat it) simply softly pluck it in the top of the head to knock it out. If you pluck too hard blood will come out of the nose. so beware. (this method gives no chance for pain, unless you do it wrong.) but try just dangling it first.

Answer 4

It all depends on the size of mouse you are feeding & the size of the snake.

Pinkies & small fuzzies are next to helpless & it will be ok to feed them live as is.

Larger/older mice you can either use the bag method other people here have mentioned or just thump the mouse's head with a hard flick of your finger. Sounds cruel but it works.

Answer 5

hi, you need to feed it the pre-killed mice purely. With stay mice, there is the possibility that the mouse will chew or scratch your snake and reason an infection. additionally, feeding it pre-killed mice would be certain your snake won't contract any ailment from a mouse. Pre-killed mice are affordable as nicely. And, you need to no longer bypass between stay and ineffective mice or your snake gets a call to the stay and could no longer consume the ineffective. i'm hoping that helps!

Answer 6

I just had to stop in and give advice as a previous poster recommended that you freeze them. Please do NOT freeze them before you kill them. It is a very painful and cruel way to euthanize most animals. The recommended methods are to use the bag method and strike them against a hard surface, a CO2 chamber, or cervical dislocation. The last method is done by putting the mouse on a hard surface, placing a pencil firmly over their neck, then holding the tail and sharply pulling up at an angle. If done correctly, it is a very fast method to euthanize the mouse.

Answer 7

Put it in a bag and bang it against a wall. This will stun it. No, it probably does not feel to good to the mouse, but neither does being eaten.

I had a Python and used to do that with rats for the same reason.

Answer 8

Feeder mice are usually pretty weak genetically right? Unless there is something wrong with your snake I don't think you would have to worry.


If you still think it is risky maybe knock the mouse out with some ether.

Answer 9

stick them in the freezer in a container or bag. Also you can smack them against the counter to knock them out. I have 2 ball pythons and that is what I had to do once. I feed my live mice, then learned to not eat the frozen or stunned food. It is better for their mental well being also since they practice their stalking technique.

Answer 10

it's easy put the mouse in a plastic bag and as hard as you can wack the bag on the corner of the tank it usually only takes one wack but sometimes they come back to life. he'll be so stunned he won't hurt your snake and just so you know in the wild they don't have pre-killed mice!! let him eat live from now on!!