I have several snakes and don't want them bit, so I need to kill my feeders first
2007-06-20 11:47:43 · 18 answers · asked by cornsnakes00 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
smart move, ive seen some nasty bites on snakes from mice or rats. theres a couple ways to do it... you can slam the head against something and break the skill, but thats a lil rough... what i do is i break the neck... get a pencil (or your finger) and place it right behind its ears, right on the neck, then grab the base of the tail (as close to the body as you can) and give it a little tug. when you hear a small crack, it is dead... it will twitch for a couple seconds because of the reflexes in the nerves but its still dead. then when it stops, it is safe to eat! good luck! its a little wierd the first couple times
2007-06-20 13:21:38 · answer #1 · answered by robert 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yay for not feeding live, you're right about the snakes getting bitten. Some have been killed by mice. And it's kind of sad to hear the mice squeak and cry as they die.
Anyway
You could always buy frozen mice. Kind of weird to open your freezer and have a baggie of mice fall out, but it's cheaper and you don't have to do the killing yourself.
But, if you don't what to buy the frozen kind, just buy a bag of dry ice and a bucket. Put a bowl or glass of water in the bottom of the bucket and put the dry ice in the water. Then, drop the mouse in the bucket (NOT the dry ice) and let it inhale the fumes. It should die in a minute or two.
That's as humane as you can kill them
2007-06-20 11:56:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The frozen mice are good, just thaw them in some warm water and "jiggle" them in front of the snakes, but if you prefer the "live" mice then you can put the in a brown bag and well..... smack it against something hard but MAKE SURE YOU KILL THEM WITH THE FIRST HIT, that is what the guy at the pet store did with mine, the pet store may kill the for you too,
Good luck
2007-06-20 12:34:18 · answer #3 · answered by Heather H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's actually risky to feed live mice to snakes because the mice will defend themselves by biting your snake, so it's very wise of you to want to feel dead snakes. Try buying the frozen mice, they're very inexpensive and come in many sizes. Also, if you have small snakes that cant eat a whole one, they are easy to cut up.
2007-06-20 13:43:06 · answer #4 · answered by -°¤§~Blue Eyed Sinner~§¤°- 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
To quickly & humanely kill a rodent:
-Hold the tail in your right hand.
-Using a screwdriver or similar object, pin its neck tightly to a table with your left hand.
-Sharply pull back on the rodent's tail while holding the head firm
This will dislocate the neck & kill it instantly if you are quick & firm. DO NOT FEED LIVE RODENTS TO YOUR SNAKE AS OTHERS HAVE SUGGESTED!
Unlike whacking them on the head (which doesn't always kill them the first time), there is no blood with this method.
Do not simply stick live mice in the freezer. They take HOURS to die. Have some compassion for the prey.
2007-06-20 12:57:23 · answer #5 · answered by markwedloe 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i agree with "something_horrid's" frozen mice are a great thing. thats all we used at the reptile store i worked at. we had long tongs and we would thaw out the frozen mice until they were room temp, put them in the tongs, and dangle the mouse in font of the snake. the movement will catch their attention and they should eat it. frozen is much better than live because it is dangerous because the mice can bite and scratch even kill. yes snakes are natural born hunters but not in a cage. in the cage the mouse can't run away like they would in the wild therefor thy are forced to defend themselves to try and live.
2007-06-20 12:20:50 · answer #6 · answered by courtney 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When I had my snakes I found it easier not to kill them but to stun them by hitting them against a door or a cabinet, just something to make them spasm enough so that the snake knows they are still alive but so they can't attack. Sounds brutal, but my 4 snakes all love the food I feed them, and no scratches or bites in 7 years.
2007-06-20 14:48:29 · answer #7 · answered by Alex B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't feed them crickets as someone in a previous post said...They DON'T eat crickets... He will perfer and do well with live mice..If you don't want to feed them live then put them in a plastic bag and stick them in the freezer.. They will slowly go to sleep and die..This is how they do it at petstores..You can buy them frozen also..but I am assuming you have a few on hand.. When you are ready to feed the snake, leave the mouse in the plastic bag (water tight) and put it in warm water for a while.. The mouse should be warm and squishy but not hot!! Or frozen in the middle... When I fed my ball python F/T (frozen/thawed) I would hold the mouses tail with plyers and wiggle it in the snakes view...But I warn you!! Do not do this if you're jumpy because when the snake stricks, if your'e jumpy, you will hit the snake with the plyers as they fall from your hands...lol...I've seen it happen..
Some have said that mice will turn and defend itself when in a cage... First of all..most snakes don't "chase" the mouse down.. They will SLOWLY creep up on the pray and when the prey is in sticking range he catches it off gaurd and strangles it... Snakes usually get hurt when they are fed either to small or to large of live pray... I have had my ball python for 2 yrs and only fed it F/T twice.. He has NEVER so much as been scratched.. Mice that are captive breed don't realize the snake is a predator.. In fact, I have watched a mouse go right up to my snakes face sniffing around then as soon as he started to turn away the snake got him....Give it the appropriate size food and he won't get hurt..I promise!!!
2007-06-20 12:50:09 · answer #8 · answered by Wyatt's mama 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
It is both cruel and inhumane to freeze live mice. Please buy them already frozen, and thaw properly. This is the recommended way to feed snakes now as it greatly reduces parasite infection and it also protects the snake from injury from the rodent.
2007-06-20 14:24:21 · answer #9 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you have them, set some mouse traps and set some bait, carefully. They'll be attracted and the trap will set on its tail and it'll be stuck. Then, quickly, put the trapped mouse in the tank by setting it free, but in the tank so the snake can eat it whole. Then, if the snake doesn't bite, take the mouse trap out quickly. You might get injected with its venom. So, try to put on a rubber glove and the fangs will be stuck. Quickly take the glove off and grab the mouse trap and glove out of the tank. But first, poke the snake with a stick to get the snake off of the glove.
2007-06-20 13:33:46 · answer #10 · answered by metaltank5 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋