do you think it is cruel to feed live mice/rats to reptiles.....
please look past the fact that what is their "purpose" since that is meerly the purpose we have only given them, when they are fully consious creatures with their own will to live- being able to think like us or not. also please look past the "circle of life" thing, also... i was just wondering since my snake refuses to eat dead mice and so i must feed him live mice..... its not like i can make him a vegetarian or anything, but i can't help but think about the mouse's well being along with my snake's since i love both creatures.
i accept the concept that animal's still have feelings and a mouse is not just a mouse! just because there are thousands of mice does not diminish the love of life to each and every one of them. and that is something every creature shares- we are alive and it is natural to want to remain so
2007-09-15 01:16:00 · 24 answers · asked by thekikicd 3 in Pets ➔ Rodents
Not in the least.
2007-09-15 01:45:47 · answer #1 · answered by gunplumber_462 7 · 5⤊ 7⤋
I think it is cruel, and not needed, to feel intelligent, innocent live animals to reptiles - yes.
I know there are certain techniques that can be used to get a snake or other animal to still eat the dead mouse or rat. I had a bad experience feeding live insects to some lizards I had; a meal worm was swallowed and then killed one of my lizards from the inside out- so I started using tweezers to crush the heads and wiggle the meal worm in a lifelike fashion, which worked every time. I'm fairly certain that a re-warmed dead mouse could be wiggled with somesort of gripper in a realistic enough fashion to get your snake to eat.
It still concerns me though...where did the dead mouse come from? How did it live? Feeding frozen/dead mice might be more humane at the end, but is it *really* more humane?
I think it's fantastic that you care about this, I've met far too many snake owners who were downright cruel, callous, and thoughtless about the worth and life of rats and mice. I agree with you completely!
IMO: If having a pet snake brings love of the entire world of animals to a child, then the cruelty in feeding it may be justified. If, on the other hand, someone just wants a "cool" pet, and delights in the cruelty then that is unforgiveable. I think that just as there is a dog, cat, rabbit, ect overpopulation problem there is with pet reptiles as well, and I believe some people need to seriously consider whether or not they should even have these animals. I don't want them to be banned, I don't want snake ownership to be illegal, but I do think that more people need to be a LOT more responsible and consider not even keeping these animals. If there were fewer pet snakes there would be fewer "accidents" where snakes are let loose, there would be a smaller demand for "feeder" rats and mice, and there would be less cruelty in regards to puppies and kittens being fed to snakes - there are a lot of benifits I can see to a smaller pet snake population.
2007-09-16 16:03:25 · answer #2 · answered by Happy Rat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no, it is not if it is done purely for the snake. However if it is done for the sick enjoyment of the individual, then yes, it is a horrible concept.
I myself have had snakes that would not eat anything but live mice and live rat pups. We are responsible for that which we keep, INCLUDING critters that we wish would not have been normally considered as pets (such as the entire cold blooded community).
We are responsible for that which we tame (can't remember the author), while snakes are not tame in the way cats and dogs are, we simply can not let them go into the wild either, it is illegal to set a pet store snake loose, especially if it is not from your region, and with the many "morphs" now common and commonly available, it would be a death stamp because they would stand out.
it all comes down to 2 things.
we are responsible for that which we keep as pets
and
the circle of life.
2007-09-15 21:37:03 · answer #3 · answered by Sapphire 4 · 5⤊ 1⤋
You say "since that is meerly the purpose we have only given them"
I suggest you ask anyone who owns pet rats, and pet mice, if that is the only purpose for their pet- Snake owners claim that it is a viable way to feed snakes as this is how they survive in the wild- and they want to allow their snake the opportunity to hunt-However when you remove an animal from the wild it is forced to be a domestic animal, and therefor the urge to hunt should be irrelevant. Rats are aware of their surroundings..and aware of their situation. They can spend days terrified of the creature in their tank fully aware of their fate- being eaten alive!!! ...Knowing that they are prey. I can't understand where you find this kind of suffering humane-.
As a rat owner, and a rat/mouse enthusiast..my suggestion is that you try other methods of feeding such as bugs, frozen, snake sausage- etc-(how much effort did you really put into researching other methods of feeding?) I am broken hearted every time I am awakened to the reality that my precious pets are viewed by some as snake food..Be aware that in my eyes this is not their purpose. They are affectionate, and intelligent pets- who offer me companionship and snuggles..Does your snake offer you that?..Did you know that scared rats and mice can fight back- and cause serious wounds to your snake? Please reconsider feeding live rodents to your snake..It would be greatly appreciated by rat/mouse enthusiasts.
**EDIT**
i accept the concept that animal's still have feelings and a mouse is not just a mouse! just because there are thousands of mice does not diminish the love of life to each and every one of them. and that is something every creature shares- we are alive and it is natural to want to remain so-
I believe you just answered your own question...If a mouse has feelings, and wishes to remain alive..
The answer is obvious-
I appreciate that your snake needs to eat, and you as the owner are responsible for providing it with food but at the same time I realize that there are other options for food sources out there for your snake, and all I ask is that you do a little research, and try different things, maybe your snake isn't a fussy as you think..also try warming the food slightly, so the snake can detect a body heat..may help!
**EDIT**
You made my day by informing me that you will no longer be feeding live to your snake!! WooHoo...I'm so happy!!
Thank you!
Teej
http://tjratties.netfirms.com
2007-09-15 13:26:30 · answer #4 · answered by Teej 3 · 3⤊ 3⤋
As much as we don't want to hear it, the animal world has a food chain. to survive and live healthy, snakes need to eat mice. They will only eat live mice. so you either have to give your snake away, or learn to deal with it.
The mouse only knows right now at this minute it does not understand living to a ripe old age. Mice know these things , hunger, cold, hot, danger, sex, birth, death. I am not saying they do not feel pain, they do. But either you can live with this or you can't
2007-09-15 08:37:26 · answer #5 · answered by ladyhawk8141 5 · 7⤊ 0⤋
a reptilean keeper that cares about it's pet's food.
thank you so much. your like my hero. i think its cruel because yeah in the wild mouse and rats are eaten, but in a cage a rat can't run away. it's like being put in a cage with a aligater. in the wild we might be able to get away, but in a cage we can't escape and are bound to death. i love all the animals, but would never be able to feed another animal to another animal. no matter what theanimal is.
i love how you asked this question. if you can't take it feeding your snake then maybe see if your snake could eat some thing else. do some research. maybe your snake eats fruit. or maybe cricits( yes i love animals, but i don't really love the bugs).
well i hope you make a good choice (not feeding your snake rats) and can enjoy your pet
2007-09-15 15:07:25 · answer #6 · answered by Madison 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
It is the natural order of life. If it bothers you then I wonder what type of snake you have because some pythons can get large enough to have to be fed 'feeder' bunnies or chickens.
The real cruelty is that the animals were ever taken out of their natural habitat and bred to exist in tiny little tanks. Imagine living the rest of your life in a phone booth with a water bottle and weekly feedings.
At least in nature, the mouse had a chance to get away.
2007-09-15 08:29:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 1⤋
I think it is cruel exspsially since the mouse has to suffer. A mouse isnt just a mouse because their our thousands of them! Their are thousands of people too but people dont consider themselves just people. I happen to own a rat now and had to mice as pets they are the swetest little craetures and I dont thinbk it is right. Mice have feelings too!!!
I agree with mdison she is 100% right in the wild the animal has the chance to escape but in a cage it is helpless and it is soo mean to feed litlle babbie mice to snakes beacuse they cant defend themselves!!!
2007-09-16 11:23:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
Buying animals to feed them to other animals is cruel, heartless and a waste of money. I hate the concept of feeder fish! It's so terrible! Why do people have to get animals that need to be fed live animals?!
My Aunt feeds her snake little baby mice, it's so disgusting!
2007-09-15 15:39:02 · answer #9 · answered by Laura 4 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Yes, i thnk it is horrible to live-feed the mice and rats have feelings to i dont rele like the fact tht animals eat other animals but i know tht itz always gonna be like tht but if you do have to feed your snake mice please use ones tht have died of old age
2007-09-15 14:08:45 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Yes, it is cruel to live-feed. This practice has been banned in Europe and the UK and is punishable by fines. North America will not enforce this ban and turns a blind eye to this practice.
From the website:
http://www.feederinsects.co.za/feederinsects_rats_and_mice.htm
"Ethics
The feeding of live animals has become quite a large topic over the last few years. It is seen as unfair, inhumane and cruel and is already banned in countries such as Europe, USA and South Africa. In South Africa the feeding of live animals is prevented in the Animal Protection Act 71 of 1962 (see the Acts section on RepVet.co.za for more info). For more info on this go to the Live Vs. Dead Prey and Preservation Of Live Prey sections on RepVet.co.za."
http://www.actionagainstpoisoning.com/page13/page177/newsliferatsasfood.html
http://spazrats.tripod.com/snakefood.html
Looking up info for this question make me sick but this is relevant to your question:
http://www.reptilerooms.com/forumtopic-4051.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_rat#Brown_rats_as_pet_food
http://www.repvet.co.za/food_ratsmice_livevsdead.php
Rats are far too intelligent to be fed to snakes
http://www.livescience.com/animals/070309_rat_thinkers.html
A little story:
Someone e-mailed me not long ago asking for help with their traumatized rat. Her friend had forced a live rat to live with a snake for 3 days. The snake would not eat it but the rat was so traumatized that it was "frozen" in place, wouldn't respond to outside stimuli, and just crouched there, it's eyes as big as saucers. We tried some Bach's Rescue Remedy and it worked to a point. The rat came around, but it was mentally and emotionally set back by the incident.
spazrats
"my life has gone to the rats"
2007-09-15 12:25:43 · answer #11 · answered by spazrats 6 · 3⤊ 5⤋