Ok, i have done some research and everywhere online seems to perfer f/t feeding of rodents, but they never really specify why... I guess why questions are... what if reptiles wont take them unless they are live? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? Who here does which method? In honesty, excluding rumors, who actually has witnessed a feeder mouse fight back and injure an animal?
2007-03-20 01:49:33 · 6 answers · asked by brandon c 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
This is a hot topic in the herp community, but unfortunately not one person was able to give you an unbiased answer.
The pros and cons of feeding F/T and live are the following:
F/T pros-
1. Convenience of keeping a supply of them in the freezer.
2. No chance of rodent fighting back
3. Easier to keep appropriate sized rodent available.
F/T cons-
1. If rodent was thawed improperly, it could make the snake sick... either by "cooking" the rodent or not thawing completely.
2. Many snakes will not eat F/T for a variety of reasons such as smell, heat signature, movement, etc. Some snakes will starve to death before eating F/T.
3. If your snake doesn't eat it, you will have to throw it away (you may be able to refreeze it once).
Live pros -
1. If snakes doesn't eat the rodent, you can keep it in a cage until your snake does want to eat.
2. Many snakes prefer to eat live and may not eat F/T at all.
3. You know that the rodent is fresh. A F/T rodent from a pet store or your freezer can be months old or older.
Live cons -
1. The rodent can bite your snake.
It is a myth that live rodents can carry bacteria or diseases that can harm your snake. First off, mammallian bacteria and germs are different than reptilian germs. Second, the digestive system of a snake is incredibly powerful and will pretty much kill off anything in the rodent. I challenge anyone that disagrees with this to do the research and back up your claims.
Feeding either way can harm your snake. If done correctly, F/T probably has the least chances of harming your snake, but if done properly feeding live has minimal risks.
I feed most of my snakes F/T, but many will only eat live so that's what they get. I feel you should feed what your snake will eat and what is most convenient for you.
2007-03-20 04:35:46 · answer #1 · answered by xyz_gd 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋
I have had snakes and other reptiles for quite some time now and I can tell you that live prey will and does fightback when the snake isn't hungry they will actually nibble on the snake.
I have personally seen a rat bit a python several times before it died because the python grabbed it in the midsection of the rat and the rats head was still loose. The python has marks up and down its body over about a 2-3 inch span from this one rat. My friend doesn't feed live prey anymore.
The only rodents I have that get live prey are the lizards and scorpions that get crickets and or worms.
I have never had a reptile not take prekilled or frozen/thawed as long as the temp is high enough and they were actually hungry.
My bigger boa wouldn't eat and I got a rabbit tossed it in with rats to get rat smell on it and she still wouldn't eat it so I got another rabbit, live and with rat smell all over it. I put the rabbit in the cage and sat there watching for over 2 hours, my boa never touched it because she just wasn't hungry. Great, now I listen to my wife for 3 months tell the story to our friends that my boa is too stupid to eat and will starve itself to death (she is joking and is always smiling and laughing when she tells people that). The boa eats fine now, that is back when we first got her from a rescue and had no idea what she was used to eating.
Good Luck and I would definitely only feed prekilled or frozen/thawed. If you want I built a co2 chamber to kill the prey items quickly and painlessly. Email me and I can get you the plans.
2007-03-20 03:00:43 · answer #2 · answered by boxerowner2000 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Well, the reasons for feeding frozen v.s. live are vast. Feeding frozen offers the reptile a better chance of eating, they won't have to struggle with it to kill it, they won't risk getting injured and it dramatically reduces the chances of disease. Live rodents can cause several different health problems for your pet if they're carrying an illness, disease or high amounts of bacteria. Frozen is more sanitary because of the way they're killed and frozen. And yes, I have seen several snakes and Pacmans get a nice beating from a mouse or a rat and it's not a pretty sight. If a snake or frog recieves an injury from their food, the wound can easily get infected and cause your pet even more problems then just the wound itself. The one downside to feeding frozen is when you have a snake who is used to eating live food, there are chances it won't take to eating frozen. Nowadays, just about any snake you buy is going to be used to eating frozen mice/rats but there are still those chances. What I always suggest to people who have a snake who won't eat a frozen meal is to just keep on trying, the snake should eventually get the idea and eat, if nothing more than out of starvation. A little tip to defrosting frozen food: Always use hot water to defrost or leaving it in the fridge, never use the microwave to defrost. The microwave can cause hot spots in the rat/mouse which will burn your snake when it eats it. Internal burns are not an easy thing to recover from and it can kill them. Good luck!
2007-03-20 02:55:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
once you reside you're taking in on a daily basis and each thing you notice and rather enjoying life for what you have and what it rather is and residing on a daily basis to the fullest and not have concerns and not letting issues get you down. present is what i'm doing, I mean no longer something to absolutely everyone and that i merely consume sleep and that's all I do. I dont stay any day to the fullest and that i'm ate up with the help of project, that's no longer residing.
2016-10-19 03:55:41 · answer #4 · answered by balick 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I'll answer the last Q first. Me and my dad went to his friend Mike's place. Mike had snakes and lizards up the wazoo and it was awesome. He fed his snakes live food. While we were there he had to feed his really pretty corn snake. He threw the mouse in and within minutes the mouse had bitten the corn snake and the snake had retreated into a hide. I guess it depends on the personality of the snake, but feeder mice do attack. And its bad...
They prefer F/T because they dont have to keep dozens of nasty smelling rodents in their house and its a lot easier. I used F/T mice for my corn snake and he took them fine, never had a problem. You do have to dangle it in front of them with a tongs, but its easier than grabbing a live rodent. Its all for the sake of convenience.
2007-03-20 03:19:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
I have seen the results of a ball Python which was given a live mouse and it was not pretty. I ask everyone who buys a snake from me would you eat a live chicken if it was given to you.
Then why should a pet animal be forced to kill its own meals.
They have been fed dead from birth and should be kept on dead all their lives to keep them tame. They do not have to hunt there prey as in the wild, they survive longer in captivity because they are fed better and are safe from predators. Why expose then to any risk of damage?
2007-03-20 02:36:20 · answer #6 · answered by stevehart53 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋