Snake didn't eat... What do I do with the live rat pup?

[dr del]

Hi,

I'd just like to point out to all the people who say "bash it against a wall" that doing so is animal abuse and could result in you going to court and losing the right to keep any animals at all.

Keep it humane or keep it to yourself.


dr del

[STEW]

I'd just like to point out to all the people who say "bash it against a wall" that doing so is animal abuse and could result in you going to court and losing the right to keep any animals at all.

No kidding? I cant believe that, what about mouse traps and such? I dont see the difference. Glue traps are the worst, then you have to drown the thing or let it suffer for real and just throw it out to die from either lack of water or most likely suffocation due to the glue ending up in the nasal cavity and the mouth being glued shut from trying to get off the pad........ Would it be ok if you bought a mouse trap and put the mouse and trap in an enclosure together prior to feeding? Im just wondering because Ive never heard anyone say that before.

On a side note.....I could positively say without a doubt, that I would rather drive my motorcycle into a wall at 100 mph than to die not being able to breathe while my bones are being crushed. I feel I am being humane to the dirty little creatures......

[dr del]

Hi,

The difference being one is a wild animal classed as vermin which you are legally allowed to kill and the other is an animal you own classed as a pet which you are legally obliged to take care of and treat well.

And I'd rather I was the first person explaining that to you rather than a judge or animal welfare officer.


dr del

[STEW]

I see, so i need to let it escape first for a few days... Guess F/T is the way to go. I have always prekilled just because I have this notion that a thawed out dead animal is going to smell horrid..... Im probably wrong on that but I have a mental block

[knott00]

I see, so i need to let it escape first for a few days... Guess F/T is the way to go. I have always prekilled just because I have this notion that a thawed out dead animal is going to smell horrid..... Im probably wrong on that but I have a mental block

Honestly, I can't smell my thawed mice at all. As long as you freeze it as soon as it's dead, you won't have to worry about the smell.

[Elise.m]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I didn't leave it in overnight. I don't think she would have eaten. She's been home since Saturday, the breeder told us to try feeding her in 2-3 days. Which I should have known to wait 7, but we decided to try.

When he was showing us the snake, she hissed at him about 3 times when he picked her up and was just turning her around so we could see her. My BF had a gut feeling that she might be a picky one that would give us trouble, but didn't share that feeling with me. Does anyone think this might be the case? I didn't ask for a feeding record cuz he said "Well we have so many babies we can't keep track" So I'm gonna call today and ask again in case another employee knows. After all, she was the last lemon pastel, you'd think someone would remember.

[aaramire]

It worries me that the breeder said they have too many babies to keep track of when everyone eats. I know personally that there are great breeders who keep thousands of snakes, and they have cards on the front of the snakes tubs, which they can add info about eating, shedding, all that stuff. I dont think that its a good excuse to say you have too many to keep track, because thats part of breeding snakes is taking proper care of them. Good luck getting this one to eat...

[knott00]

Its irresponsible for them to not keep a feeding log. A piece of paper only takes a couple seconds to put a few check marks on. When a snake is sold, the feeding log should be given to the customer with the snake. There is no excuse for a breeder not doing this.
Its not really possible for you to tell if you have a picky snake yet. From your story, I've gathered that she is still very young and is still scared of humans. This being the case I'm sure she is stressed out from being moved and handled, so I doubt she would want to eat after only 2-3 days. Wait a full week, then try to feed her the thawed rat pup again.